The community of Carter County, Tennessee, is still on the mend following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. One year after the disaster, efforts to restore the area are ongoing, with both the local government and residents actively participating in the recovery process.

Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby said the county had almost $180 million worth of infrastructure lost and almost 75 homes damaged or destroyed.

Nearly 75 roads, adding up to 90 miles, were damaged, as well.

Woodby said the county borrowed $40 million in bonds to expedite the recovery process.

“We opted to take out a loan so the highway superintendent and his team could start repairing roads and bridges,” explained one official. “The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement is notoriously slow and complicated, but people need their infrastructure back as soon as possible.”

The initial budget for recovery set by the government was $80 million. Of the $20 million the county had saved, half was allocated to help with rebuilding efforts. Meanwhile, an extra $20 million was provided by the governor and the state legislature.

Woodby said the county has hired a contractor to help navigate paperwork.

“Our contractor is costing us roughly $100,000 each month,” said a county representative. “Having worked with them nearly a year, the total is around $858,000. Frankly, without bringing in a contractor, the highway department wouldn’t have managed. They lack the necessary workforce and administrative support to handle everything independently.”

Highway Superintendent Shannon Burchett reported that while no roads are completely closed—with the exception of some bridges—many, including routes like Shell Creek Road, are still undergoing significant repairs.

“A lot of gravel,” he said. “They’re not back in asphalt yet. We have probably 80% with an asphalt back.”

Burchett also said that the highway department is balancing everyday road maintenance and Helene recovery.

“I have 18 crews available for assignments, which leaves behind the shop foreman, mechanics, and office staff,” Burchett noted. “We still need to perform standard county upkeep, which means mowing grass, filling potholes, replenishing sand, installing signs, and similar tasks.”

The highway department has its own paperwork that is hindering the timing for these projects.

“We’re having to get the money that we were hoping to get from FEMA and TEMA,” said Burchett. “There’s a lot of paperwork that has to be done, a lot of permits. Everything has to have documentation, pictures, measurements.”

However, these constraints are affecting citizens.

Robbie Ballew has lived by Long Hollow Bridge for 38 years.

He said the bridge was his main route out of his property, but, since Helene, he has had to detour for almost 20 minutes.

“I can’t go to church,” he said. “I have to climb up the gravel to go check my water lines. And I can’t go out at night. I’m going on 76 years old, and it’s not safe to be driving around these roads. It’s sort of dangerous. I feel shut off from the neighbors.”

Ballew claimed he has felt neglected by the county throughout the rebuilding process. He said his property is now hard to access.

“[My home] was a beautiful little place,” he said. “I had it all fixed, but when [Helene came], I was just disheartened. Nobody came out to ask us if we were okay or assess us. Nobody said nothing to us, so we were just stuck down here. What if we had a house fire down here, or if I had a heart attack? By the time anyone got here, I’d be gone.”

Woodby said that the county tries their best to keep residents up to date on the recovery process and road closures. She said she understands everybody’s concerns.

“Many of the concerns have been the roads and bridges, and the routes to get to or from work, school or worship,” she said. “Right now, I think there’s different phases of aggravation. It was the initial phase, and then it was, we’re in the recovery phase, and people are starting to see things cleaned up and built back, and that really made for a positive attitude. And now we’re actually start to put some permanent fixtures in place. Patience has been a virtue, and I think people are starting to understand that this takes time.”

The county said road repairs should take up to a year to complete, and repairs for bridges should take two years.