Years after storms, clean-up crews meticulously separate the sentimental from the wreckage

Hayden Cheek cleans debris out of the North Toe River in Western North Carolina nearly two years after Hurricane Helene hit the area. Juan Diego Reyes for NPR hide caption

Two years after Hurricane Helene, piles of debris linger in Jeannine Robertson's front yard in western North Carolina. Pieces of mangled sheet metal overgrown with weeds, motor oil jugs and pieces of decking with rusty nails sticking out. A porch umbrella. A tube of toothpaste, full of mud.

"There was a big water hole, and [my grandchildren] were in the water all the time when they were here," Robertson says, choking up as she points at a shallow and shady tributary of the Cane River, which runs near the house in Yancey County, N.C. "I mean, this is where generations have done this."

Debris remains scattered along the banks and in the sandy river bottom. "It is so heartbreaking," she says. "[To see] something that you've watched for so many years be a safe haven, and it's just cluttered with parts of people's homes."

Haley Smith, left, and Michael Crooks, right, remove garbage and debris from the banks of a creek north of Asheville, N.C. Both are experienced outdoor recreation professionals who have turned to debris cleanup since Hurricane Helene hit the area in 2024. Juan Diego Reyes for NPR hide caption

In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene dumped more than 30 inches of rain in some parts of Western North Carolina, setting off massive flash floods and landslides that killed at least 250 people in multiple states and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. Millions of tons of debris were strewn over thousands of square miles.

The clean-up has been costly, emotionally painful and logistically challenging. After two years and more than $600 million dollars in public spending, crews still regularly pull scrap metal, PVC pipes and other trash out of the waterways. Western North Carolina's jagged and mountainous terrain makes that work even more difficult. In one section of the Toe River, crews relied on helicopters to haul away golf carts and trailer frames from the riverbed.

Flood damage from Hurricane Helene on October 8, 2024 in Bat Cave, N.C. Crews are still cleaning up rivers in the area two years later. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption