MARION, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Nearly a year after Tropical Storm Helene tore through McDowell County, local officials are marking the anniversary by honoring lives lost and highlighting the community’s recovery efforts.

The storm, which devastated western North Carolina last September, left behind widespread destruction and claimed lives in McDowell County.

“First and foremost, we honor the lives lost due to Hurricane Helene,” Emergency Services Director Will Kehler said in a statement Monday. “Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to the family members, friends and neighbors of the residents we lost.”

Since then, recovery teams, nonprofits and volunteers from across the country have helped repair nearly 500 homes, with about 30 new home rebuilds planned. Officials said more than 1.3 million cubic yards of debris have been cleared from roads and waterways, and more than 1,200 properties have undergone direct debris removal, with another 200 pending.

Local businesses are continuing to rebuild, and some new ones are in development.

Kehler said the numbers represent “lives changed, hope restored and a community that refuses to give up.”

While acknowledging the progress, Kehler emphasized that recovery is far from finished.

“We know many of our citizens still need assistance,” he said. “Recovery from a storm of this magnitude will continue to take time. But our team refuses to give up.”

He praised the work of local residents, national partners and volunteers in neighborhoods across the county, from Crooked Creek to Little Switzerland.

“We’re not just recovering,” Kehler said. “We’re rebuilding stronger, safer and more united than ever before.”

McDowell County, in partnership with the city of Marion and the town of Old Fort, invites the community to a Resilience and Reflection Ceremony marking the first anniversary of Helene, starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27. The ceremony will take place at Old Fort Elementary in Old Fort.