Lowe’s Hurricane Recovery Efforts Hit One-Year Mark in Western North Carolina

In the wake of Hurricane Helene's strike on Western North Carolina, Lowe's has spent the past year giving out 130 small dwellings and putting millions into rebuilding. Their work keeps going strong in the storm-struck mountain towns.

"I've seen storms in other parts of the country. I wasn't anticipating the amount of devastation that we saw and the need from people who were desperate for supplies and other services," said Sean Riley, regional vice president at Lowe's, according to WCNC.

Working with builders from Charlotte, they built and gave away small houses to those who lost it all. By Christmas Eve, workers had placed 67 homes, giving storm victims a roof over their heads during rebuilding.

Staff worked side by side with aid groups in Swannanoa after the storm wiped out whole streets. Just one day after floods hit, the Boone store opened its doors to supply tools for mountain rescues.

When Thanksgiving came around, they started paying local food spots to cook for those hit by the storm. This smart move propped up both eateries and storm victims at once.

They stepped up for local artists, too. After the studios were washed away, they gave out money to help and made space in their lot for artists to sell their work.

"We're from North Carolina, so this is super personal for us, and our team took it personally," Riley said. "These are communities we live in. Our associates were also impacted."

The East Asheville store stayed shut for months. Fourteen feet of water had crashed through during Helene. Spring 2025 finally saw its doors open again.

"Unfortunately, there's still a lot of work to be done in western North Carolina," Riley said. "One of the comments I heard was, 'Please don't forget us,' so as the year has gone by, we haven't gone anywhere."