(NewsNation) — A month after Category 5 Hurricane Helene hit the southeast, 76,000 North Carolina students are not in school – not because they don’t want to be, but because they can’t.

The school closures are largely a result of undrinkable water and road repairs.

Once Helene reached western North Carolina, its strength lessened to a tropical storm, but its impact was felt no less. Communities like Asheville are still cleaning up the destruction.

“Asheville is a place that people move to get away from that – from hurricane-prone areas or wildfire-prone areas. I think none of us ever saw this coming,” said Ashley Mosley, a mother of two, to The Guardian.

Mosley and her children have been staying at her mother’s home in Mississippi until schools reopen.

Asheville City Schools announced all public schools would reopen Oct. 28.

But the time spent away from classroom instruction can set students back years in learning and in traumas they face at home.

Nearly 1,800 kids in the Ashville school district are economically disadvantaged, according to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. That means their household income is less than 185% of the federal poverty line.

“We haven’t had an intentional conversation [about how] climate change is real, and let’s talk about the different ways it’s impacted our schools from the temperature recess to the temperature for football practice and field hockey practice,” said Kimberly Dechant, an Asheville schools spokesperson, to The Guardian.

She said district officials are writing grant proposals for after-school tutoring to help kids once schools reopen.

The lack of routine is especially hard for another Asheville mom whose son has Autism.

“For autistic kids, routine is everything,” she said. “Routine is king, and school offers routine,” Elizabeth Steere said. Her son is 13, and her other son is 11.

Asheville schools said they expect most students will return, and administrators are shipping in outside drinking water.

Thirty-one public school districts in western North Carolina were impacted by Helene, totaling about 205,300 students.

“Low-income students in these systems face unique challenges considering the recent devastation.  We know that negative effects of natural hazards disproportionately impact low-income families,” UNC at Chapel Hill study said. “Vulnerability for those who were already experiencing challenges related (to) food insecurity and housing instability will be exacerbated … and will have a harder time recovering from Helene.”