NEWLAND, NC -- Hurricane Helene destroyed or damaged more than 1,000 bridges when it ravaged western North Carolina's mountains one year ago. Many residents are still struggling to rebuild these crucial community lifelines.
Jeff Hughes, who builds handmade caskets in the mountains, has a new bridge to access his property thanks to volunteers. The temporary structure replaces one destroyed by Helene.
"It's so much easier now — just back up and load it up and take it straight down," Hughes told CBS News' Dave Malkoff.
Before the new bridge, Hughes had to take a lengthy detour with his caskets just to reach the main road.
"You know, you had a long trip to take it out, walking backwards across the river on a walk bridge," Hughes said.
While Hughes now feels safe crossing his new bridge, he knows it's only temporary until the next flood, which are common in the region. Getting a permanent replacement remains uncertain.
"We're at the mercy of the state. We're on the list [but] don't know how far down the list we are," Hughes said.
Just downstream, five families still must drive through moving water to reach their homes. Robin Ollis and volunteers built a footbridge for these families, but she says more help is needed.
"We still feel like we're exactly where we were September 27th, 2024, because we haven't seen anything come in from the state or FEMA to actually put a bridge back," Ollis said.
Ollis emphasized that local communities cannot handle this massive rebuilding effort alone.
"Get the funding here and the contractors to build these bridges. Period," Ollis said.
The narrow, winding mountain roads create additional challenges for reconstruction. Large equipment needed for bridge building is difficult to transport in these areas compared to larger cities like Asheville.
Chris Werner runs a North Carolina state program that funds and constructs new bridges. Each bridge costs approximately $500,000, with the state covering construction costs while homeowners remain responsible for maintenance.
"I'm just very happy that leadership in our state stepped up and came up with a solution to help them out," Werner said.
While FEMA does offer money for private bridges, the amount is significantly less than what the state provides.
A year after Hurricane Helene, residents maintain their determination to rebuild despite ongoing challenges.
"We'll get back to normal one of these days," Hughes said.
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