8    UNITED WAY OF GREATER GREENSBORO
8    UNITED WAY OF GREATER GREENSBORO
8    UNITED WAY OF GREATER GREENSBORO
On a weekday afternoon in Greensboro, the house hums with small, ordinary 
motion — children moving between rooms, 1-year-old Da’Mari learning to walk, 
homework and snack time unfolding at the kitchen table. For their mother, Portia, 
the everyday still feels remarkable.
“We lost everything,” she says. “But now we’ve gained so much more.”
Months earlier, her life looked very different.
In late September 2024, Portia reorganized everything around a high-risk 
pregnancy — moving into a one-level apartment, pausing work, and keeping up 
with frequent medical appointments while raising two children and caring for 
her teenage niece.
Then Hurricane Helene struck Asheville, where she lived at the time.
Power failed. Water service went out. Roads clogged with fallen trees. ATMs 
emptied. Like many families, Portia shifted into survival mode. “You just had no 
choice but to figure out what you needed to do to make sure you and your kids 
were okay.”
In her apartment complex, the pool became a utility. Her older children hauled 
buckets so the family could flush toilets. “You have to do what you have to do, 
and it was so hard.” When a tree damaged the neighboring unit and rain seeped 
in near her daughter’s room, she gathered what she could and moved the family 
to a relative’s home to avoid continued flooding and mold risk.
Weeks later, the crisis intensified. On October 18, doctors sent Portia straight 
to the hospital, where she delivered Da’Mari by emergency C-section after 
developing preeclampsia. He arrived early and required time in the NICU.
AFTER THE STORM, 
A FAMILY REBUILDS.
SUCCESS STORY

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