In and around Asheville, N.C., there are still visible signs of devastation that remain from the floods of Hurricane Helene six months ago: rusted debris in the yards of water-damaged residences in ruins.
But Helene, a federal disaster worker who coincidentally goes by the same name as the storm, also worries about this community’s invisible problems that tend to persist, months later — like mold and financial and mental health aftereffects.
“That six-month mark is a really critical time,” says Helene, who spoke to NPR on the condition of partial anonymity because she fears retaliation for talking to the media…