SPRUCE PINE, N.C. – Many people are still reeling after Hurricane Helene brought devastating flooding to small mountain communities in western North Carolina.

Major destruction can be seen along the South Toe River. The flooding washed away homes and businesses, and heavily damaged an elementary school near Spruce Pine.

Jessica Miller, a teacher at Micaville Elementary School, calls the damage around her community “gut-wrenching.”

“I’ve seen a friend’s house get swept down the river,” Miller said. “Several of our students lost their house."

"One student that lost their house is my student this year, and we lost our school due to flood damage," she said. "I constantly think, ‘He’s lost his house; he’s lost his school.’”

Miller says her home is still standing, but her basement was flooded and trees were scattered around her property.

“I think the scariest part of the storm was I feel like the eye sat on us for a while – and for hours we listened to trees crack and fall,” Miller said.

Miller and her husband on Thursday visited First Baptist Church, which has been a beacon of hope in the small mountain town.

The church has been accepting donations from volunteers across the country. It’s also been a place for people to grab a hot meal, Wi-Fi connection and disaster assistance.

The church’s senior pastor, Rocky Branch, says people are sleeping at the church after losing their homes in the floodwaters.

“Something so horrific ... devastation, all of that,” Miller said. “And then all of the good that comes out of that, I think, it's what’s the most overwhelming part.”