Hurricane Helene: “Our Senior Center Was Completely Submerged With Toxic Flood Water and Condemned”

Avery Senior Center, which serves 150 older adults daily, was completely submerged under toxic flood waters.

Thank you for supporting the needs of older adults in Western North Carolina and the High Country Region. We are extremely grateful for the tremendous generosity and support. 

All USAging relief funding allocated to the High Country Region was directed to support aging services in Avery County, one of the hardest hit areas in Western North Carolina. Areas of Avery County received over 30 inches of rain during Hurricane Helene, causing widespread violent flooding and landslides. 

 
The senior center was condemned and closed.

The Avery County Senior Center was completely submerged with toxic flood water and condemned. It was a total loss, requiring the County to rebuild on a new site. The County acted quickly to purchase a small building that will be used for the next three to five years as a long-term temporary senior center, while a new facility is built. 

 
Damage included the complete loss of food for senior nutrition programs.


This meant that many older adults who depended on the center's home-delivered and congregate meals went without food.

The purchased facility needed more than $100,000 in commercial kitchen equipment in order to provide congregate nutrition and home-delivered meals. USAging funds have been used to purchase and install equipment necessary to provide critical meals for older adults in Avery County. The equipment purchased included a walk-in cooler/freezer, double oven, new range, braising pan and much more. 

 
"The picture of the piano really gets me," said AAA director Zack Green.

We are so excited that Avery County leadership has made the necessary plans to continue services to seniors, and we are grateful that USAging is a partner in these efforts to re-open the County’s primary aging service provider. Prior to the storm, Avery Senior Center was serving approximately 150 older adults daily through congregate nutrition and home-delivered meals. USAging support has helped impact many lives in our Avery County as they work to recover from this natural disaster. 

— Zack Green, Director, High Country Area Agency on Aging, Boone, NC