North Carolina elderly still 'unable to shower or wash hands' as they face weeks without water after Hurricane Helene

Some nursing homes in North Carolina do not have running water since Hurricane Helene ravaged the state, and many elderly have been left without the ability to wash their hands, take showers, or flush the toilet without a bucket.

With many nursing home facilities unable to maintain cleanliness standards usually available with running water, it has presented a tough challenge with many of the elderly having weakened immune systems or other maladies, per the New York Post. "For two weeks, we’ve been unable to shower or wash hands," 84-year-old resident James Greene of an Asheville nursing home wrote in a letter to his family.



"Maintaining hygiene with hand sanitizers is a constant must,” he added. “Another example is having to pour a bucket of water [provided by agencies] into the tank of the toilet in order to flush. And keep in mind that our residents are old and not used to such physical activity.”

Brooks-Howell Home, where the 84-year-old resides, is a sprawling retired community, but is not the only nursing facility facing similar issues in the area. Some sites have water, but because flood waters often have chemicals, waste, and bacteria, the water is not safe to drink without it being boiled first. On Oct. 16, the Asheville Water Department sent out a boil-water notice to residents due to “contamination" from the "impacts from Hurricane Helene, including the potential for untreated water in the distribution system."

The notice has yet to be lifted, and the leaders of several nursing homes do not expect the notice to stop anytime soon. Libby Bush, the CEO of Asheville’s Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community said, “It has been challenging to keep up with the current and most accurate information" about the impacts on the water. Despite the issues with water contamination, communication over the phone as well as the internet has been restored to the facilities.

Damages from the storm total will likely exceed $50 billion and the Biden-Harris administration has been slammed by many in wake of the storm for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response time and lack of efficiency. Many private residents of North Carolina and other states have started helping where they can instead of waiting for the response from the federal government.