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Real estate professionals have acted quickly to bring relief to victims of last week’s killer storms.
Hurricane Helene unleashed a 500-mile path of destruction that stretched across six states this weekend, bringing the force of a record-breaking storm surge and strong winds that wiped away or flooded homes and businesses, leaving at least 116 people dead and many still unaccounted for. In response, real estate professionals are stepping up to help affected communities, and the REALTORS® Relief Foundation is actively raising funds for housing-related assistance to help disaster victims.
“The destruction and disruption to daily life is unimaginable,” Tony Harrington, North Carolina REALTORS® 2024 president, posted in a video to members. Buncombe County, N.C., was among the hardest hit places by the storm’s catastrophic flooding and mudslides, which killed at least 30 people in that county alone. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the hurricane caused “catastrophic devastation of historic proportions” in the state.
Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, then barreled in as a tropical storm that plowed through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. “Families have lost homes, businesses or even loved ones,” Harrington said in the association’s video. “We’re committed to providing all the support and assistance possible in recovery and rebuilding. … Every contribution—no matter how small—will make a difference for those in need during this time of rebuilding.”
Keller Williams quickly initiated its KW Cares team to coordinate aid for any of its agents affected in the region. KW Cares, the brokerage’s philanthropic arm, distributed nearly 500 generators to the Greenville, S.C., area and parts of Florida; millions lost power from the storm. KW has also distributed 32 emergency grants so far to help its associates who needed to evacuate or replace lost items from the storm.
“Hurricane Helene caused significant devastation, particularly in Asheville, N.C., the surrounding towns and parts of Florida’s coastline,” says Alexia Rodriguez, CEO of KW Cares. “The road to recovery will be long.”
The property damage caused by the storm nationwide is estimated at $15 billion to $26 billion, and an additional $5 billion to $8 billion in lost economic output, according to Moody’s Analytics.
How REALTORS® Can Help
Real estate professionals can play a crucial role in providing community support and helping in recovery efforts, Gia Arvin, Florida Realtors® president, said in a statement. “Rebuilding after a storm like Hurricane Helene really comes down to recovery and resilience,” Arvin says. “It’s not just about getting back to how things were; it’s about coming together as a community to ensure everyone’s safety and create a positive path forward.”
The REALTORS® Relief Foundation is raising funds to provide housing-related assistance to Hurricane Helene disaster victims. Here are three ways real estate professionals can donate to RRF:
- Text “HeleneRelief24” to 71777.
- Visit RRF.realtor and click “Donate.”
- Mail a check payable to REALTORS® Relief Foundation, 430 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 (Include “RRF Contribution” in the memo).
Through Oct. 11, when you make a donation to RRF, you can earmark that donation specifically for Hurricane Helene relief.
Since its inception in 2001, the RRF has distributed more than $48 million in disaster relief to more than 24,000 families. That includes a record $8.3 million in 2023 alone. The National Association of REALTORS® collaborates with state and local REALTOR® associations to cover all of RRF’s administrative costs so that 100% of donations collected go directly to supporting families impacted by disasters.
