George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

Helene Rising, Community Rebuilding

• George Real Estate Group

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The floodwater may be gone, but the hard work is still here. We sit down with Jacob Reuter, co‑founder of Helene Rising, to trace the real story of recovery after Hurricane Helene—how a family road‑tripped home with a truck full of chainsaws and supplies, and turned that urgency into a year of steady, practical help across Appalachia.

Jacob walks us through the invisible backbone of disaster recovery: access. From rebuilding a washed‑out driveway so a hospice patient could see loved ones, to installing plumbing and electrical where families were stuck, to raising a bridge in Irwin, Tennessee, the work is about restoring connection. We get inside the rhythms of volunteer life—sleeping in firehouses, organizing fifty‑person cleanups in Deep Gap, and forming a flexible network with Appalachian United Initiative and Forward Network that matches skills to needs in real time. You’ll hear how tiny homes and community hubs provide shelter, why some sites still look like “day one,” and what it takes to keep momentum when the cameras leave.

If you’ve wondered what actually moves the needle after a disaster, this conversation lays it out: hands, materials, and the will to return tomorrow. We share clear ways to help—donating propane, blankets, and lumber; contributing funds and gift cards; or showing up to volunteer through Helene Rising’s Facebook page. Recovery is a marathon built from small wins that add up to safety and dignity. Join us to learn how you can turn concern into action and help Appalachian families make it through the winter and beyond. Subscribe, share this story, and leave a review to help more people find the show and the helpers who keep communities standing.

SPEAKER_02:

The George Real Estate Group Radio broadcast is celebrating 10 years on WHKP. The George Real Estate Group is celebrating 10 years on the radio live every Thursday morning at 10.05 on WHKP 107.7 FM and AM 1450, and streaming online at WHKP.com. Each Friday morning at 845, the George Real Estate Group presents the Hometown Hero Award to someone in our community who goes above and beyond to make our hometown a better place to live. Here's this week's Hometown Hero Show. It's 845, and it's time now for our George Real Estate Group Hometown Hero series. And every Friday morning we gather around the microphones to talk to some of the folks in our area, and and there's plenty to choose from that help us in our community. And this morning uh we'll be talking to Jacob Reuter with Helene Rising. But first we're going to talk with Ari about a little real estate news. Ari, how are you doing this morning?

SPEAKER_01:

Randy, thank you so much for having us over again. And um, you know, the world of real estate in a nutshell, like Noah and I like to say, uh, is driven by life. We're always here, we're always ready to help anybody that's ready to buy and sell, or if you want guidance on anything that might be happening in the world of real estate, judicial sales, court-ordered sales. Even if you're just curious to learn a little bit about the market, the lending process, um, this is a wonderful place to be. Um and, you know, we're located at in Flat Rock. Um, if you go to if you know where the Blake uh the caffeine has not kicked in yet. I was trying to tap into my my radio talk show voice and it didn't work. Uh we're in Flat Rock. Uh if you know where the Flat Rock Bakery is, if you know where Rainbow Roe is, the Wrinkled Egg, um you can certainly find us there. Hubba Hubba Hubaloo, wonderful places to eat. Uh we're located at 2720 Greenville Highway. Our phone number is 828-393-0134. But the real focus of today here is Hometown Heroes, right? Like we're super honored to be able to sponsor this. Uh and I I had a few moments to talk with with Jacob before we sat down here in in the radio mic room. And I I do want to say like it's this this is the reason why we love doing this, because we get to talk with people that are really making a difference in the community. I I was just well, talking with Jacob a little bit about some of our our shared experiences. Well, not shared experiences, but different experiences that we had during Helene. And the work he's been doing is something that really deserves recognition and attention. He's been, you know, a lot of us have moved on. We've sort of forgotten Helene, and there's still people out there that are suffering, they're struggling, they're having a hard time, they are still stuck in the same conditions as day one post-Helane. Um, and so I without further ado, here is Jacob Reuter. Hi guys, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it's good to have you with us, my friend. Uh Helene Rising. I love that name. Uh did you come up with that? No, my beautiful wife did actually.

SPEAKER_03:

She's been a great big supporter in this whole thing and uh a good driving force for us as well. And she came up with this and helped with our logo and everything else. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, tell us about Helene Rising and where where it came from and and and uh your pi your history and your involvement. Tell us all the story. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, we were on vacation helping our in-law or my in-laws out clean up and do some fall preparation and stuff when the storm hit, and we didn't realize how bad it was until we saw our daughter walking through the basement and splashing through the water. Oh boy. At that point we decided to come home. Um took us a day and a half pretty much. We went the first day to Nashville and then loaded up with supplies, chainsaws, cleaning supplies, whatever we could fit in my truck, generator, that kind of thing. And then uh the next morning we got up from Nashville and we had to drive f fr uh to Chattanooga, from there to Atlanta, into Greenville, and then from Greenville up. We started seeing gas problems and shortages and stuff all the way down to Hartwell, Georgia. Yeah. So we made sure we were full, and once we got home, we just started basically clearing a path and clearing away.

SPEAKER_02:

Where where is home? Where were we? Mills River. Okay, and and uh have you done primarily uh uh rescue work and help uh there in Mills River, or have you tell us Bat Cave, Chimney Rock?

SPEAKER_03:

We've actually been as far as War West Virginia when they got the flood earlier this year in the wintertime. Uh a good friend of mine, Wes Harden, he's heavily involved with uh AUI Appalachian United initiative, and we got a call uh for some desperate need of help up there to open up a small community and get some people some needed supplies and stuff like that. So we organized and stayed up there a couple weeks, slept in a firehouse. Um they uh pulled a fire truck out and we basically set up some cots and formed a relief center right there and helped them do what we could. Yeah. All the way up into create a driveway for uh a gentleman who was on hospice, and by the time we got the driveway in and complete, he was able to see his family, his doctors, his deacon, and he passed away that night.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. Wow. So many I bet you've got lots of stories about helping people. Uh and and and in what ways do you help?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh we've done anything from be a shoulder, give a hug, to install uh some plumbing issues all the way to uh demo houses and set up for new and help build new houses.

SPEAKER_02:

Really? Um and you've done that uh all over Henderson County?

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Henderson Bunkham. I'm working on a few projects up in Irwin, Tennessee. Wherever we get the call, we just try to go.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and how long and and uh how many people have you got with you? I mean, you've got a uh it's not just you, I'm I'm sure.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh no, it's me and my wife. There's a fellow Gabe Durant that I met week two, and he's been staying with us since week two and helping us do a bunch of volunteering and cleanup, and we've met uh Wes and April Harden. They live in Irwin. They're another group with Appalachian United. Um we just meet a lot of people along the way and we've kind of banded together with the groups that we've meshed well with and stayed together and kind of d divide and conquer, or if we need to get back together. Um we worked at a project in Deep Gap um earlier this year where we basically cleaned up the whole community or started to anyway. They haven't had much help and they were only relying on themselves and went in there and had a huge work week. Uh one weekend we had probably 50, 60 volunteers in there and did anything from tear down a couple of houses to pull cars out of the river or just whatever we could to help clean up and get people in and secure and take a little load off, so to speak. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So you've been doing doing this for a year now. Yes, sir. A year of it. When do you see an end in sight or or not?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh for me, uh I worked at a project yesterday, it looked like day one. Uh cleared away a bunch of mud and silt and stuff that washed down from the hill from their entrance to their house. The uh it's a family uh in the Batcave area. Um they have a um paraplegic son. And uh so they could they had to move away. They couldn't even stay at their house. They've been gone for a year. Uh so not only did they have the um problem at the house, they have the financial problems of having to go rent and get other stuff because they couldn't literally take anything from their house.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. But we're uh uh we've ha seen a lot of folks uh uh an Amish group uh we talked about last week that that came in and built a lot of tiny homes. Uh you are you seeing a lot of people living in those tiny homes?

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, and we're actually helping uh uh friend uh a good friend of ours put together tiny homes for his folks and doing a few other places. There's a another relief group, Forward Network, that's doing a whole community in Old Fort. So there's a lot of people that are have helped and are continuing to help in that aspect, getting people shelter, and it's amazing.

SPEAKER_02:

You mentioned uh a group, Appalachian United Initiative, yes. Okay, tell us about that group.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh they're based uh out of Tennessee. I met them through another volunteer group, uh Hurricane Helene uh Veterans Recovery Group. Uh it's just another friend of ours that just so happened to get us together on uh a horse farm that we were cleaning up uh a bunch of brush and debris, and we've just meshed and they were involved heavily in that um relief group and we've just relied on each other along the way. If I need help, he helps, and if he needs help, I'll go help him or them and do what we can do.

SPEAKER_02:

So it's one of those kind of hey, I know somebody that can do this, I know you know somebody yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, sir. We try to get people that are kind of like in with their trades or what they're good at, but I'm kind of the jack of all, master and none, so I don't mind mocking out all the way up into uh cutting down trees or whatever needs to be done.

SPEAKER_02:

So uh you mentioned uh the gentleman who you helped to restore his driveway. What's some of the other situations that come to mind that you've helped with and are and are seen?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, we've uh had a hand in building a bridge for a lady that lost her entry to her house, and that was up in Irwin, Tennessee. We've done bank stabilizations, um, we've t torn down houses for people in Batcave that have lost all their stuff. I've went through and replumbed and installed washer dryer electrical stuff for other people that have had to do remodel or fix up stuff where that's been damaged or compromised.

SPEAKER_02:

So it's just whatever how do you get uh how do you get materials?

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, it takes lumber and we have an amazing group of uh friends and family. My sister-in-law organized a group and came up with an amazing group of donations, anything from Amazon gift cards to financial backing to supplies.

SPEAKER_01:

We were a supply hub up until probably January or February of this year, um, just with what people donated and we created a shopping list on Amazon and such and Hey Jacob, so if somebody were listening somebody was listening to this radio segment and they decided they had the capability, the ability or the time to help you or contribute somehow to your organization, what's the best way for them? Like how should they go about contacting you, getting in touch with you? What what what should people do if they can help?

SPEAKER_03:

Well, we're on Facebook. We have a Helene Rising Facebook page that has all of our contact info. There's a Venmo in there if anybody would like to contribute or donate um financial and uh if you just want to message us, we'll be more than happy uh to have any sort of volunteer help at all. Um hands are definitely needed for sure.

SPEAKER_01:

What are you use what is your organization in most dire need of at this moment in time?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh I would say hands and some financial backing to get some or materials. We we have uh long lists of material lists for to help people. I'm going to scout a job today in Old Fort uh where a family's uh trailer actually, the fat room uh of uh an autistic son has uh fell through and it needs to be reshored up. Uh the the framing's rotten, so I'm going down to make a materials list for that and have various other things that we're getting ready. The project in uh Batcave will be needing some materials to build a bridge. Just it it varies from job to job.

SPEAKER_02:

You got w we we're right around the corner from the holidays and and winter. Yeah. Uh I'm sure you're helping folks to be prepared for that.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, sir. Um uh propane, natural gas, all that stuff is definitely also needed. Heating stuff, um blankets, coats, trying to make sure people have good proper uh clothing and apparel to wear because as you all know, it's not very nice in wintertime here.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So uh uh and I'm sure there's uh you go from one job to the next. You just just there's another job pops up right after you finish one.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, sir. And we either have people stop or contact us online or friends of friends, hey, I have a friend, or we have uh a lot of connections, Isaac Guffey and Bat Cabe, who you've um interviewed.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, Ashley and Isaac, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh a few uh other people that he was a big instrumental help in that community's uh survival and being okay throughout the whole storm. And I was fortunate enough to get in contact with him on week two, and we've just bonded and meshed ever since.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Jacob and and uh Ashley, wonderful people. We had them here a couple of weeks ago. We have met so many wonderful people, including yourself, who just uh decided day one, uh this is something I feel a need and feel led to do and and have been helping and uh will continue to do so.

SPEAKER_03:

That's 100%. And um you think you um you know people, um, you really can uh find out and know people once something like this comes out.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, you really do.

SPEAKER_03:

Good and bad.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure. Well, Jacob, we sure do appreciate you uh and and Helene Rising and all of the folks that are with you and and around you and surround uh uh your organization and help, and we're gonna continue to try to highlight people who are helping out after storm damage, just as uh as we say, it's a marathon, uh not a sprint. It's uh it's gonna take time.

SPEAKER_03:

It's unfathomable. Um, if you've only seen or witnessed stuff um virtually via the news or pictures or stuff like that, uh you wouldn't even recognize any of the areas down there. It's uh unreal. But it's amazing with uh how Appalachias came together to bring Appalachia back to what it should be and needs to be.

SPEAKER_02:

It is, it is, it really is, and we appreciate you so much, Jacob. Uh Ari's got a certificate there and uh a certificate for some uh free lunches around our area. And uh that's awesome. And we thank it. Yes, it's thank you guys, and thanks for having me. Jacob, thank you so much. Ari, uh close us out. Here we've got about 30 seconds to remind everybody where George Real Estate Group is located.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, uh please come see us at 2720 Greenville Highway. Um we are located in a dangerously tasty place, Hubaloo, Hubba Hubba Barbecue, um, the Flat Rock Bakery. Man, those chocolate croissants are real good. Come see us. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. Join us next Friday morning for another George Real Estate Group Hometown Hero Show. The George Real Estate Group is located in Flat Rock, North Carolina, near Hendersonville in Henderson County. You can find them online at realestatebygreg.com. The George Real Estate Group can be reached at 828-3930134 or stop by their office at 2720 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock, North Carolina. Tune in live each week on Thursdays at 1005 a.m. on WHKP 107.7 FM and 1450 AM, or stream online at WHKP.com, or download these podcasts wherever you get your podcasts. The George Real Estate Group brings you the WHKP Hometown Hero Series every Friday morning at 8.45.

SPEAKER_00:

Maybe the house feels a little too big these days. The stairs a little steeper. The pace of life a little too fast. But what if your next move wasn't about letting go? It was about making space for peace, for freedom, for what matters most. At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate isn't just about the house. It's about transition, timing, and trust. We have thousands of families and less north element. Closer to nature, closer to family, closer to home. So when you're ready to write something, simplify and restart from it. We'll be here. The George Real Estate Group. Local, trusted, proven. Called today, 828 393 0134. Find a summon real estate money ready to come because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.