Hope after the storm
Researchers share Hurricane Helene impacts one year later
Story and photos by Emily R. West
Dr. Bruno Pedreira, associate professor and director of plant sciences at the University of Tennessee Beef and Forage Center, discusses how the bedrock of the soil changed since Hurricane Helene on the Runion family farm in Burns, Tenn., on Aug. 20, 2025.
A year ago, the patch of dirt where Will Runion stood was a pasture for golden spindles of hay. Now, that same piece of earth is sand underneath his feet. Hurricane Helene leveled parts of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina in late September 2024, including Runion’s farm nestled along the Nolichucky River.
“Actually, where we're standing now, I'd say there was about 10 feet of water above our heads,” Runion said.
Last fall, Runion watched helplessly as the farm around him was submerged by a level of water unseen on his farm since the 1970s. Helene brought an intensity unknown to Washington County. Since last October, Runion has worked through a partnership with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) to see what he could make salvageable. In conjunction with UTIA, Runion allowed dozens to come out to his Burns farm to see the damage, down to the textures and layers of topsoil, as part of the Aug. 20 UTIA Flood Recovery Initiative Field Day.
UTIA researchers performed hands-on demonstrations, analyzed the Nolichucky River’s banks, dug holes to show the levels of farms’ soil, and explained the research they’ve completed through question-and-answer sessions.
“We're learning a lot,” Runion said, in between presentations that were going on throughout the day about how Helene impacted Tennessee. “But I'm just one of the many farmers along this Nolichucky Basin who needs help. It’s critical for all of us to find out where we go from here.”
Over the past year, the state has tried in part to answer Runion’s question. Gov. Bill Lee signed off on a special program in January that provided millions of dollars in help to the affected East Tennessee region, which consisted of rebuilding infrastructure, clean-up efforts, agricultural recovery, and disaster relief funds.
The Helene Emergency Assistance Loans (HEAL) Program provided impacted counties $65 million for debris removal and $35 million for clean water recovery efforts. Some of that helped Runion clean up his farm. Debris piles still sit in tidy mounds, but much of his land is cleared of the devastation left behind.
Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Charlie Hatcher said he had been thinking about what he wanted farmers to get out of a research day like the one put on by UTIA.
Weeds sprout from soil that has been mixed with sand due to the flooding from Hurricane Helene on the Runion family farm, which decreased soil fertility on the farm. Dozens of visitors to the field day trekked across the land in Burns, Tenn., on Aug. 20, 2025, that was once a hay pasture before Hurricane Helen hit.
“I think the biggest thing is maybe hope,” Hatcher said. “This was a devastated area where people's lives, livelihoods, and farms were just turned upside down. We realize that the government can't make them whole, but in Tennessee, we've worked really hard to do what we can to help.”
Hatcher said what he is hearing about most is acreage lost to the storm — the topography has changed so drastically that it’s rendered the land useless for growing hay, planting vegetables, or tending livestock.
“Look at the ground here,” said Hatcher, dusting his shoe across the top of the soil. “It's like a beach. I mean, you can't grow a whole lot in sand. They're going to be dealing with this for decades.”
Hatcher said some of the land will become unusable and noted that the state must prepare and learn from Helene because they know another storm could brew and affect our farmland again.
“Farmers and forest landowners know that they're at risk of severe weather events even here,” Hatcher said. “And part of the Governor's hurricane response money is for the future. We know this won't be the last weather-related disaster. I think we're going to be better prepared for the next one, but then how can you ever be totally prepared for this kind of destruction? But we're going to try.”
During the event, Dr. Bruno Pedreira, an associate professor and director of plant sciences at the University of Tennessee Beef and Forage Center, bent down to the ground, scooped his hand into the dirt, and let the sand fall between his fingertips. With a microphone in hand, Pedreira explained that the university was researching what grows back in an environment ravaged by sand and silt. The Runion family had tried to regrow some of its pastureland, but the result wasn’t close to what it had been before Helene.
Pedreira said the biggest challenges farmers are facing are trying to understand what they can now do with their pastureland and hay fields. A year ago, hay bales were underwater and ended up moldy.
“In the beginning, we were looking at what we could do with the cattle,” he said. “We bought hay to keep the animals alive. But once we cleaned up, we realized the pastures were like this. Farmers have spent a lot of time trying to level [the soil] or remove it. Even 11 months later, we still have places where nothing will grow. The main challenge will be to recover the soil.”
Aaron Smith, an ag economist with the University of Tennessee Ag Extension, has been investigating the monetary component of what was lost on farms along the Nolichucky River. From his research team’s calculations, 130,000 total acres were damaged in East Tennessee. Smith said they were conducting research that he hoped would prove beneficial to farmers and would allow them to ask questions and get feedback for the future.
“I would encourage them to look at the resources available, whether it’s planting different forages or ending up accounting for structural losses,” Smith said. “Hopefully farmers take advantage of the connections. I know it’s complicated to navigate those areas, but help is out there to secure those resources for their individual farms.”
For more information about available flood-related resources through the HEAL program, visit https://www.tn.gov/tema/recover/heal-program.html.