Samaritan’s Purse continues its long-term recovery work in western North Carolina, providing hundreds of families with new homes after the storm’s destruction.
It took 16 months for Andrea Green to get back home, and the last six months were spent in a hotel in Mountain City, Tennessee, her hometown for nearly three decades.
Andrea’s new home was Paid in Full through the Samaritan’s Purse rebuild program. This framed invoice is a reminder to homeowners of Jesus’ payment for the sins of all who believe in Him.
Andrea received a key from Samaritan’s Purse and walked astounded into a new mobile home where she looked forward to “sleeping in that big bed. That’s what I want to do first.”
Her 1970s-model trailer nestled at the foot of a hill of hardwood trees had served her well since 1998, and then it was gone.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, that hardwood hillside looked like it’d been logged overnight. Andrea Green, who’d enjoyed their beauty through a large display of bedroom windows since 1998, no longer had windows on one side of her mobile.
Staff and volunteers prayed with Andrea and presented her a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible signed by members of the team.
“They were everywhere,” she said. “That hill had so many trees. So many trees fell down.”
Rebuilding in Jesus’ Name
Helene spared very few of the ancient hollers and small towns of southern Appalachia as it churned over the region in fall 2024, dumping a year of rain in a couple of days and making the landscape too loose even for the mountaintops to hold.
Staff and volunteers joined Andrea in celebrating and dedicating her new home.
As we continue to rebuild in the storm’s wake, we’re helping homeowners like Andrea get back on their feet. Our rebuild program has replaced hundreds of mobile homes like hers, giving these homeowners mobile-home sized structures built to the specifications of a stick-built house.
This construction provides longevity but also increases safety in the event that such storms strike again.
We’re also replacing stick-built homes, providing for repairs, offering rebuild grants to local churches, and restoring road access in the region with the replacement of bridges, culverts, and driveways.
Receiving a Gift She Can’t Repay
Andrea said it’s one of the biggest blessings she’s ever received.
“I can’t believe I finally have a dishwasher,” she said. “I’ve never had a dishwasher. This place is beautiful.”
Andrea was excited to finally rest in her own home after many months of displacement following Hurricane Helene.
Volunteers and staff gathered in late April 2026 to celebrate with Andrea as she called her property home again. They also wanted to remind her that all blessings, including this one, come from Jesus Christ.
In addition to a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible signed by the staff and volunteers, she received a framed invoice showing materials and cost, none of which she’d have to cover. With the words “Paid in Full” stamped in red across it, the invoice serves as a reminder for her of God’s grace, a free gift paid in full by Jesus Christ.
Our team also enjoyed a special time of prayer for Andrea and a blessing for her home.
“I would never be able to repay this,” she said. “I’ve struggled most of my life. I’ve never been blessed like this. It’s the best gift I could ever have. Now I’ll be proud to come home. Just to sit down on this nice couch and just enjoy it.”
Her new home also has windows with views of the hill, but now they’re double-paned and engineered to insulate against the harsh Appalachian winters.
“God is good. I do pray. I pray every night. I talk to God,” she said, noting her excitement about getting back to church, which she’s missed some since the storm. “What I’ve learned in this is that God is good and he wants to take care of us.”
