On a street in Beacon Village, near the Swannanoa River, a group of Latino workers is busy constructing a house. The wooden frame rises atop an elevated concrete base—on the same plot where Daniel and Mariah Wright’s home once stood before it was destroyed by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
Swannanoa was considered ground zero for the worst natural disaster in Western North Carolina’s history. On Sept. 27, 2024, the Swannanoa River overflowed and rose more than 27 feet, sweeping away entire neighborhoods.
In Beacon Village—a working-class community founded in the 1920s—floodwaters reached rooftops, rendering dozens of homes uninhabitable. According to Beloved Asheville, at least 25 houses in the neighborhood were completely destroyed.
Nine months later, no families have returned to live there. Debris is still being cleared, collapsed structures remain, and volunteers are still helping with cleanup. Amid this scene, the Wright family’s home is being rebuilt as a symbol of collective effort.
The project is coordinated by Beloved Asheville, a local nonprofit organization that chose to support the family and hired Ándale Painting, a Latino-owned company with years of experience in community construction.
“Our own people are the ones rebuilding our neighborhoods, our communities,” Ponkho Bermejo, one of Beloved Asheville’s directors, told Enlace Latino NC. “Latinos are coming together for the common good.”
The Wright Family’s Story
Daniel and Mariah Wright lived in Beacon Village for over two decades. They raised their children there and planned to grow old in that home. When the hurricane alert came, they evacuated to a shelter at a nearby church.
Three days later, they returned to find their home uninhabitable. “We had lost everything,” Daniel told Enlace Latino NC. “This was our forever home.”
Like most of their neighbors, the water reached the roof. The structure was severely damaged—no floors, no walls, mold, and a risk of collapse. “It was down to the bare bones,” said Bermejo, who first visited the property in December at the request of other families in the area.
Beloved Asheville offered two options: attempt repairs or demolish and rebuild from the ground up—with climate resilience in mind. The family chose to rebuild.
To reduce future flood risk, the new house is being built more than 10 feet higher than the previous structure. “The water rose more than 10 feet, so we decided to build the new house about 12 feet higher than the original,” Bermejo explained.
In addition to elevating the site, the team reinforced the foundation and poured a concrete base capable of supporting the new structure. During construction, they discovered a natural spring beneath the site, which, combined with the river overflow, had worsened the flooding. The new design aims to minimize those risks.
The rebuild is partially funded by FEMA aid the family received and partially by resources from Beloved Asheville and private donors. The total cost is around $200,000. The family will use federal funds for plumbing and electrical work, while the organization covers the core construction.
“We’re really grateful to have this specific community here,” Daniel said, referring to the Latino workers rebuilding their home. “We’re proud they’re here and to work alongside them.”
Mariah added, “I really have hope that everything will come back even better.” The family is hoping to return soon. “We’ve been patient all this time, and we’ll keep waiting until it’s time to come back,” Daniel said.
>>> Why Floods and Storms Are Becoming More Frequent in North Carolina?
Beloved Asheville and the Power of Community-Based Recovery
Beloved Asheville, a nonprofit with more than 16 years of experience in the region, has been coordinating the community response in Beacon Village since the early days after the disaster.
According to Bermejo, at least 25 homes were completely destroyed in that neighborhood alone. Across the region, the organization is nearing completion of its 100th home, including both minor repairs and full rebuilds.
Of the homes rebuilt by Beloved, about 50% belong to Latino families. In the Alan Campos neighborhood, on the other side of the river, they’ve worked on between 15 and 17 homes.
In some cases, Beloved provides materials for families with construction experience to do the work themselves. In others, like the Wrights’ case, the organization manages the full project with professional crews.
The current team comes from Ándale Painting, a construction company hired by Beloved that has worked on at least 15 projects in Swannanoa.
“They’re all Latino,” Bermejo said. “One of our biggest points of pride is that our own people are the ones rebuilding our neighborhoods, our communities.”
“So many in our Latino community were the most affected—because we’re the ones living near rivers, the ones living in trailer parks,” he added.
For Bermejo, hiring Latino-owned companies in this context also carries symbolic weight. “This is the counterbalance. This is who we really are as Latinos. We’re here building, rebuilding, helping those who were impacted by the hurricane.”
The Future of Beacon Village
Nine months after Hurricane Helene, no families have returned to live in Beacon Village. The Wrights’ house—still under construction—is the first being rebuilt on that street, where all homes were destroyed. For now, the family confirms, no other houses are inhabited.
The neighborhood still bears visible scars from the disaster: collapsed structures, uncleared debris, and areas where volunteers continue cleanup efforts. Some of these teams arrive independently; others through churches or community networks.
The Save Beacon Village campaign is working to raise $4.5 million to rebuild all the affected homes. Until formal nonprofit status is granted, donations are being channeled through Calvary Church. Organizers emphasize that Beacon is not in a designated flood zone, and nearly no residents had disaster insurance.
PODCAST
Después de la tormenta
Hace un año, el huracán Helene golpeó al oeste de Carolina del Norte. La comunidad latina respondió con algo más fuerte que la tormenta: solidaridad.
🎧 En este episodio, conoce cómo las organizaciones latinas transformaron la crisis en resiliencia.
▶️ ¡Dale play para escuchar!
Republique gratuitamente nuestras historias en su website o periódico. Seguimos la licencia de Creative Commons. Dele clic al recuadro, y siga las instrucciones.
