Kelsey Blum spent much of her early career helping communities rebuild after disaster.

She never imagined she would one day be among those waiting for help.

Blum, who now lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband and two children, built her professional life around emergency management, responding to tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and oil spills across the Southeast and Gulf Coast.

She worked with AmeriCorps, assisted Hurricane Katrina survivors and later transitioned into federal disaster consulting and energy-related work.

But in September 2024, Hurricane Helene turned her from a responder to a survivor.

“We moved to the mountains thinking we were done with hurricanes,” Blum said. “We never anticipated something like that happening in Asheville.”

Helene arrived after days of heavy rain, saturating the ground before dumping more water on western North Carolina. Roads were washed out. Power and cell service vanished. Water systems failed.

“It was eerily quiet for days,” Blum said. “No phones, no power and you just didn’t know what was going on.”

Then came a sound that signaled help was on the way.

Military helicopters began flying overhead, delivering supplies to areas cut off by flooding.

“When we heard the choppers, we knew help was coming,” she said. “Anytime I hear a helicopter now, it takes me right back.”

Blum and her husband were among thousands left without running water.

Their home avoided major structural damage, but floodwater filled their basement with nearly 18 inches of water, soaking stored belongings. About a week later, a neighbor arrived with an industrial pump and helped drain it.

“I was eight months pregnant,” Blum said. “We also started having sewage issues. Water was the biggest challenge, and we didn’t get it back until right before Thanksgiving.”

With hospitals stretched thin and boil-water advisories in place, the family temporarily relocated to South Carolina, where Blum delivered her son.

They eventually returned, and their daughter, who was nearly 5 at the time, helped clean debris from the yard once conditions improved.

“Kids are resilient,” Blum said. “She brought so much joy in the middle of everything.”

While Asheville drew national attention, Blum said many surrounding communities suffered just as much. Favorite hiking spots, lakes and tourist areas were wiped out.

“You always hear about the big cities,” she said. “But it’s the smaller communities that quietly struggle for years afterwards.”

For Blum, living through Helene offered a perspective she never had while working around in the aftermath of other disasters.

In past deployments, she typically arrived days later, during long-term recovery. This time, she experienced the fear and uncertainty of the first hours, with neighbors searching around for water and gasoline.

“I had never seen that part of it before,” she said.

Her background helped guide critical decisions. She knew standing water had to be removed quickly, so she filled tubs for flushing toilets. Neighbors used water from her flooded crawl space to help their own families.

Asheville is still rebuilding, especially river-adjacent neighborhoods that were decimated during the storms, she said.

“This is the long-term recovery phase,” Blum said. “That’s where community matters most.”

She sees that community every day through neighbors sharing contractors, parents helping each other with child care and volunteers clearing trails throughout the mountain ranges.

Blum said she encourages people to find their own way to help.

“Find your passion,” she said. “One woman raised money for local hairdressers. Friends cooked meals for trail crews. It’s all these small efforts inside your own little community that add up.”

Looking back on her work with Katrina survivors and disaster response teams, Blum said Helene put everything into perspective.

“It gives you a deeper appreciation for the people who stay long after everyone else leaves,” she added.

Blum now balances federal consulting work with raising two young children, including her son who is now a 1-year-old. She continues to support recovery efforts around Asheville.

“It’s not one big thing that rebuilds a place,” she said. “It’s neighbors checking on neighbors. It’s showing up. That’s how communities heal.”