A Lens on Recovery: Documenting the Long Road Ahead After Hurricane Helene
Two months ago, Hurricane Helene left a lasting mark on Western North Carolina. While the initial shock has subsided, communities like Marshall are grappling with the long and arduous process of recovery.
For North Carolina native Caroline Griffith, a film student at New York University, the aftermath of Helene has become the subject of a deeply personal documentary project. Home for the Thanksgiving holiday, Griffith is using her camera to document the resilient spirit and ongoing challenges facing her home region.
“The damage — the hurricane damage in WNC, it was just an interesting topic,” Griffith said, realizing the profound impact this would have on her own community.
While she’s capturing images of damaged buildings and resilient landmarks, like the beloved Zadie’s, Griffith’s film delves beyond the physical landscape. She wants to highlight the stories of people who are facing an uphill battle to rebuild their lives after the storm.
“I thought it would be kind of a bittersweet moment for a lot of people, especially if you’ve not been able to reach certain family members or even if some of your family members have passed because of this.”
Griffith isn’t alone in her endeavor. Her boyfriend, Cleveland Armentrout, is by her side, documenting the journey alongside her. Driving beyond Marshall to other devastated areas like Swannanoa, Asheville’s River Arts District, and likely Chimney Rock, they’re recording scenes that speak volumes about the storm’s enduring impact.
“We were driving earlier and we saw a home on the side of the river that was not built there originally. It was drug down by the river,” Armentrout shared, highlighting the sheer force of nature that ravaged the communities.
For Griffith, this documentary is more than a university assignment.
“A lot of why I wanted to make this documentary is because people in the country have kind of not been talking about Western North Carolina anymore,” she explained.
“Big things happen like the election that took a lot of the focus off of the people here, and I don’t think people understand that.” The project is a way to keep the spotlight on a community grappling with loss and working towards healing, ensuring their stories don’t get lost in the headlines.
“The whole point is to keep a spotlight on the recovery efforts beyond just my classroom,” Griffith added, “Maybe it’ll even get into some festivals in North Carolina.”
But for the communities recovering from Helene, the focus remains laser-focused on each step forward. Weeks after the storm passed, recovery efforts remain in full swing as people work tirelessly to rebuild their lives.
“The streets still look like this, and people are still hurting – people only just got water this past week,” Griffith noted, underscoring the reality of the situation.
While the progress might seem slow, Griffith’s camera is capturing the resilience of those committed to rebuild their lives and their communities.
The road ahead will be long, but the dedication captured in each frame speaks volumes about the strength and spirit that will ultimately bring WNC back stronger than before.
How does Caroline Griffith’s documentary aim to raise awareness about the long-term impact of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene?
## A Lens on Recovery: Documenting the Long Road Ahead After Hurricane Helene
**Interviewer:** Joining us today is Caroline Griffith, a North Carolina native and film student at NYU, who is documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in her home region. Caroline, welcome to the show.
**Caroline Griffith:** Thank you for having me.
**Interviewer:** Your project is deeply personal, focusing on the recovery efforts in Western North Carolina. What inspired you to pick up your camera and document this experience?
**Caroline Griffith:** [[1](https://pinellas.gov/make-a-plan/hurricane-guide-spanish/)]
Well, as a Western North Carolina native, seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene hit me hard. Returning home for Thanksgiving, I felt compelled to capture not just the physical damage – the fallen trees, damaged buildings – but also the stories of resilience and struggle of the people trying to rebuild their lives.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned capturing the stories of people. What kind of stories are you uncovering in your documentary?
**Caroline Griffith:** I’m meeting incredible individuals, families who lost everything, businesses struggling to reopen, and communities coming together to support each other. It’s a story of both heartbreak and hope, of loss and perseverance.
**Interviewer:** Your boyfriend, Cleveland Armentrout, is working alongside you on this project. How has this collaborative effort shaped your perspective on the recovery process?
**Caroline Griffith:** Having Cleveland with me has been invaluable. It’s been a shared experience, allowing us to support each other emotionally while also capturing different perspectives on the recovery.
**Interviewer:** What message do you hope your documentary will convey to viewers?
**Caroline Griffith:** I want people to see the long-term impact of a disaster like this. Recovery doesn’t happen overnight.
I want to honor the resilience of the people in Western North Carolina and shed light on the challenges they face as they rebuild their lives and communities.
**Interviewer:** Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, Caroline. We look forward to seeing your documentary.
