Hurricane Helene: “We Felt Such a Huge Sense of Relief”

Fallen trees, and trees in precarious positions that could fall, had created a dangerous situation on the property of two elderly women.

Damage from the hurricane and flooding was incredibly devastating west of Charlotte, NC, and the area that Centralina serves. Counties in our area did have some damage, such as high winds, flooding, etc. The county that was most affected and that is situated the furthest east in our region was Lincoln County. This is a rural area, and older adults experienced damage to homes, property and loss of essential services such as basic utilities and services we fund through our subcontractor—these include meals, transportation, and in-home services.  

The USAging Disaster Relief Fund donated $5,000 for our use in Lincoln County. We partnered with the Lincoln County Senior Services, who identified those older adults most in need.  These included older adults who had severe damage to property as well as other basic needs, such as access to food. Cleaning up damage and tree removal for some older adults without family or those who were more isolated in the rural areas was still an issue months after the hurricane, and they had little to no resources to assist with these monumental tasks.

“These funds are crucial when an older adult has nowhere else to turn and doesn’t have the support or financial resources to help them through such devastating events,” said Linda Miller, Director of Centralina Area Agency on Aging. “Area Agencies on Aging, like Centralina, often have very little to no resources at our disposal to help in these situations. These disaster relief funds are a lifesaver.”

Dangers in the Aftermath of a Hurricane
Centralina AAA used some of the disaster relief funds to help two older women who were afraid to go outside of their home because of debris left behind after Hurricane Helene.

A 75-year-old woman, who had recently moved in with her 90-year-old mother to help care for her, reached out to Centralina’s senior services director after the hurricane: Trees on their property had been brought down and were in precarious positions around their property. They didn’t have the money to pay for tree removal and cleanup, and their insurance would not cover the cost. The fallen trees had created a dangerous situation for them and their little dog. They didn't know where else to turn.

The director visited the property to assess the situation. “There was a very large tree that had fallen from the property line across the homeowner's backyard and extended over into the neighbor's yard. It was also wedged on top of other trees, that were now in danger of collapsing under the excess weight. The women were afraid to go into their backyard, which was fenced in for their dog. They were forced to walk to the dog on a leash in the front yard, which was difficult for them, especially for the 90-year-old mom.”

A local tree company evaluated the yard and declared the trees to be “widow makers”—trees with broken branches lodged at great heights that could fall at any time, especially in high wind or storms, posing significant hazard and safety risk to those on the ground. They cleared the debris. 


Centralina AAA was able to arrange for the property to be cleared and restored to its safe and useful state.

The homeowners were so grateful. “We feel such a huge sense of relief now that the trees are gone. We are so excited to be able to use our backyard again without the fear of the trees falling.”

—Linda Miller, Director, Centralina AAA, Charlotte, NC