Rebuilding roofs after Helene, from Asheville to Greenville, under two states' rules

What Helene did inland

The National Hurricane Center's report on Helene documents the inland disaster in detail:

• Rain. Totals of 20 to 30 inches fell over a large area of the western North Carolina mountains. The highest was 30.78 inches at Busick in Yancey County; Transylvania County, just north of the South Carolina line, measured 29.98 inches; and a gauge on Sunfish Mountain in Greenville County, South Carolina, recorded 21.66 inches.
• Rarity. Across a band from northwestern South Carolina into western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia, three-day totals had less than a 1-in-1,000 chance of occurring in any given year.
• Flooding and landslides. Of 34 flash flood emergencies issued for Helene, 32 were in the southern Appalachians, most densely over western North Carolina. The USGS documented more than 2,000 landslides, most of them in western North Carolina, and preliminary estimates put at least 63 river and stream gauges above their record flood levels.
• Loss of life. Freshwater flooding, including landslides and debris flows, caused at least 77 direct deaths in North Carolina and 2 in South Carolina. Wind caused 65 direct deaths, 61 of them from falling trees, and 24 of those wind deaths were in South Carolina.

NHC calls Helene "the most devastating natural disaster in western North Carolina's history." NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information put total U.S. damage at an estimated $78.7 billion, according to the same report.

Three ways Helene broke roofs

The county and zone entries in NOAA's database, read alongside NHC's report, show three distinct damage patterns:

1. Falling trees. In Buncombe County, tens of thousands of trees came down, with hundreds on homes; in Yancey, the estimate is perhaps 100,000 trees or more. South of the line, NHC says most of the building damage in Greenville County came from trees brought down by wind.
2. Ridge-top wind. The same Buncombe entry records frequent gusts to 70 mph and occasional gusts of 100 mph on exposed high ridges. NHC lists a sustained 70-knot wind and a 92-knot gust on Mount Mitchell, above 5,000 feet.
3. Water and debris flows. In the Chimney Rock and Lake Lure area of Rutherford County, NHC reports that landslides and debris flows destroyed most of the buildings, homes and businesses, alongside the Broad River's highest crest on record there.

The directory's storm damage roof repair guide covers the repair side; the Helene roof recovery guide covers insurance, FEMA and fraud.

Two states, two sets of rules

The directory keeps summaries of North Carolina roofing licensing and South Carolina roofing licensing.

The federal declarations

• North Carolina. FEMA's DR-4827 was declared September 28, 2024, for an incident period that ran to December 18, 2024. It covers Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, McDowell, Rutherford, Watauga and Yancey among the counties on this site. FEMA's page reports $567,412,314.09 approved through its Individuals and Households Program and says the application period has closed.
• South Carolina. DR-4829 was declared September 29, 2024, covering Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg. Its page lists $334,090,305.54 in approved individual assistance across 251,539 approved applications, and the application period has also closed.

Trade bodies on each side of the line

• Western North Carolina. The Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains reports more than 1,200 industry professionals and posts Hurricane Helene recovery resources; the North Carolina Home Builders Association's local finder lists the Smoky Mountain HBA for Haywood and Jackson and the High Country HBA for Watauga, Ashe and Avery.
• Upstate South Carolina. The state association's local associations list includes the HBA of Greenville (Pickens, Greenville and Laurens), the HBA of Greater Spartanburg (Spartanburg and Union), the HBA of Anderson and the HBA of Oconee.
• Both states. The Carolinas Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors Association has scheduled its 2027 Carolinas Roofing Expo for March 16 to 18, 2027, at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville.

By area

• Asheville: Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Yancey, where record river crests and landslides define the record.
• Upstate SC: Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and Pickens, where wind and falling trees drove the losses.
• Helene roof recovery: the guide to claims, FEMA, contracts and fraud warnings.

The full state lists are on the National Roofing Directory's pages for North Carolina roofing contractors and South Carolina roofing contractors.

For contractors working the recovery

Crews that follow the rebuilding across the state line can choose both Carolinas in Storm Watch, the National Weather Service alert email that comes with The Roofing Wire; the weekly issue is free, and a tool giveaway runs each month. Owners whose companies are already listed can claim that page. Above a claimed listing sit Verified, Gold and Platinum, as NRD's pricing page shows, and the Verified step involves a person reviewing your phone, email, website, logo, services, rating, insurance and license.

Frequently asked questions

Which board licenses a roofer in Asheville, and which in Greenville?

In Asheville, the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors licenses roofing for projects of $40,000 or more. In Greenville, residential roofers register with the SC Residential Builders Commission for work over $500.

Can I still apply to FEMA for Helene help?

No. The FEMA pages for both declarations, DR-4827 and DR-4829, now show the application period as closed. Applicants can still check their status at DisasterAssistance.gov.

How many landslides did Helene cause?

The National Hurricane Center reports that the USGS documented more than 2,000 landslides, with most of them in western North Carolina.

Is a builders association membership the same as a license?

No. Groups such as the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains or the HBA of Greenville are voluntary trade associations. The license or registration comes from the state board in each state.