North Carolina Nurses Raise More Than $66K for Hurricane Helene Relief

• A Hurricane Helene relief fundraising campaign collected more than $66,000 to help North Carolina nurses. 
• The North Carolina Nurses Association and its nonprofit, the North Carolina Foundation for Nursing, established the campaign days after the storm made landfall. 
• A new report confirmed that Hurricane Helene was the deadliest storm to hit the “contiguous United States” since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

A fundraising campaign to help nurses affected by Hurricane Helene has raised more than $66,000. 

The North Carolina Nurses Association and its nonprofit, the North Carolina Foundation for Nursing, established the campaign mere days after Helene made landfall last fall. 

“We know we cannot fix everything for our colleagues who lost so much – but we felt strongly that it was important for the nurses impacted by Helene to see that their fellow nurses had their backs,” NCNA President Trish Richardson, MSN, BSBA, RN, NE-BC, CMSRN, stated in a news release. “We understand how important it is for them to find a sense of normalcy in their lives, and our hope is that these checks can offer some relief and support in their recovery journey.”

The hurricane began its path of destruction in Florida and ran up the east coast of the United States, prompting the declaration of public health emergencies in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. 

Distributing Aid for Hurricane Helene Relief

All 251 nurses who applied for financial assistance through the campaign qualified for aid, with distributions ranging from $50 to $2,500, according to NCNA. Funds were delivered to recipients between last November and early March 2025. 

More than 200 donors contributed to the fundraising efforts, including multiple donations upwards of $1,000. FirstHealth of the Carolinas, for example, donated more than $16,700. Other high-dollar donors included: 

• An anonymous charitable foundation: $10,000 
• The Brain Clinic of Illinois: $3,000 
• MASA: $2,500 
• The Blood Connection: $2,500 

One recipient, who spoke anonymously to the NCNA, said they lost their home because of the hurricane. 

“A massive landslide completely destroyed my home moving it downhill about 300 yards before crashing and caving in, while me and my family were in it,” the recipient stated. “The landslide also covered mine and my husband’s vehicle.” 

The Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene caused at least 249 deaths in the United States, according to a report the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released last week. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the “contiguous U.S.” since 2005. 

Of the U.S. states in the hurricane’s path, North Carolina suffered the highest number of direct deaths at 85 and total deaths at 106. Eight of those were attributed to wind and the rest to freshwater flooding. 

“Helene is the most devastating natural disaster in western North Carolina’s history,” the report stated. “ … In extreme examples, trees on entire mountainsides were blown down in the higher elevations of North Carolina. Many people in remote areas were cut off due to landslides, fallen trees and debris flows, which destroyed numerous roads and bridges in many smaller mountain communities. Many residents did not have access to clean water or electricity for a long period of time after Helene’s passage.” 

Several nurses, from North Carolina and beyond, converged on the Tar Heel State to help those who survived with recovery efforts. Among the volunteers was Jennifer Triplett, a North Carolina nurse who was honored in December for her work. WCNC Charlotte reported that she has been “tirelessly helping neighbors recover from the historic storm, using social media and her network to collect and distribute critical donations to those impacted.” 

The Bottom Line

Hurricane Helene was the deadliest storm to hit the United States since Hurrican Katrina in 2005, destroying homes and lives along the east coast. The North Carolina Nurses Association and North Carolina Foundation for Nursing raised an excess of $66,000 to help nurses who were affected by the storm.  

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