The Clyde community lives in tents and mobile homes after Helene's homes were destroyed

CLYDE, N.C. (WLOS) — Hurricane Helene has displaced many from their destroyed homes, and as they try to find new, permanent housing, some are turning to tents and RVs to make ends meet.

This is the case with a particular community in Clyde.

“The water flowed in the same direction from here and flowed right over Old Clyde Road,” Annette Surrett said.

She had been living in a trailer on Birchwood Circle near the Pigeon River. Until Helene flooded the community.

“The fire department – ​​they were here shouting at people to get out. It was kind of horrible,” Surrett said.

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She evacuated before the worst came, but was able to see up and down her home from an adjacent parking lot. Then she saw the water take her pendant on an unintended journey.

It wrapped around the tree. “It broke in half and the rest flowed down the river and the roof was in the bamboo bed,” she said. “I was devastated.” I screamed.

Surrett lost several cats, but two found a way to survive by staying on the roof.

“They heard me and just started meowing,” she said.

With her home away, her question was, “What do I do now?”

It's almost as if we were forgotten for several days. “A nice military couple set up a tent for me,” Surrett said.

Others have popped up everywhere. Just recently, Surrett says, Crabtree Baptist Church brought her a pop-up camper.

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“I use a generator that one of the churches donated. I used propane heaters,” she said.

She is now considering the possibility of surviving the winter this way.

“I hope not, but if I have to…” she said.

Surrett says FEMA is there, but it takes a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of time. She says it all depends on the volunteers.

She lives alone and says community and church volunteers are addressing the most urgent needs.

They have been told it will take a while for FEMA to provide temporary housing,” said Amanda Fowler, pastor of Canton Wesleyan Church and a member of the North Canton Volunteer Fire Department.

They are now building insulated sheds.

“There is a way to run a generator cord through the tent so you have safe heating options and don't have to worry about your tent catching fire. There are families that have children and are trying to survive at this point,” Fowler said.