PORTSMOUTH — While businesses and homes, parks and roadways all suffered damage over the weekend, thanks to Hurricane Helene, there are others dealing with the burdens of the storm who have just as much to protect and fight for that often get less attention.

Across city, in abandoned houses, along the river, and in parks, there are unhoused people who fight for survival on a good day.

On a bad day, like the days they’ve been facing recently, it becomes intolerable.

In fact, a homeless man named Butch, who lives among friends he calls family, as well as his dog called Thorn, says that these days are always worse than winter.

The rain that we’ve received in the past week has thoroughly kept Butch and his family’s campsite soaked, making it hard to keep anything dry. When the storm hit, the wind and rain made the job impossible. Additionally, the wind and storm ripped many of their tarps and tents, tossed their belongings, and made for a chaotic fight for survival.

“It was tough, but the day to day-to-day rainfall makes it harder,” Butch said. “We did have flash flooding that made its way in briefly, but the day-to-day rain is what makes it worse, because nothing dries out.”

Butch said the group of tent city inhabitants were doing well with keeping interiors dry until the storm hit.

“The wind knocked down the trees nearby, but we were lucky,” Butch said. “However, we did get a lot of stuff broken and ripped.”

Butch’s friend, Jeff, who has been living with his wife among Butch for ten years, had a term for the trees falling.

“I call this area treetop alley, because you could go to sleep, but wake up with a tree in your lap,” Jeff said. “You never know. Some of these trees are old and have been through a lot of floods. A tree falling on you is very possible.”

Jeff and his wife have also tried living near the Second Street Bridge, but claims it is an area that is too unhospitable to survive.

“I’ve fought and learned a lot about that river. I’ve learned you can’t win,” Jeff explained. “We’ve lost stuff so many times. Sometimes, you think the water is receding, but then you see bubbles and that tells you it is coming back with a vengeance, and it is time to go.”

While their current location less often, it is still a risk. The constant rainfall has the camp watching over their shoulders for potential flooding and standing water, which can be devastating to the inhabitants.

“When that happens, we do the only thing we can—seek higher ground and pray for the best,” Jeff said. “You don’t ever get much time. It takes a lot of luck, common sense, and trial and error with experience.”

Butch said that, once flooding happens, the only thing to do is to wait for the water to lower and then scout the area for the lost resources. Jeff, however, said that doing so can be a problem as well.

“There are microbes in the soil of the mud and when you get your clothes out of the mud, they irritate your skin; they just eat you up and it is painful as hell,” Jeff said. “It is like someone is taking bobby pins in boards and slapping you with it. You gotta be careful with the muddy clothes.”

This also soaks shoes and boots, which Butch says is dangerous when keeping dry feet is incredibly important. Because of these factors, Butch says spring and weeks like the one we’ve had are the hardest days to survive.

In fact, the two said they would take winter any day over rainy days.

“Winter ain’t nothing, man. If you’ve built up supplies, you can put on layers and grab blankets and survive,” Jeff said. “It’s mind over matter when it comes to winter. Sometimes, we will build a fire and sometimes we can’t. We use hand sanitizer for the best heat. You can put hand sanitizer in your tent in a pan and light it and it will heat your entire tent. You’ll stay warm as hell.”

Butch said that he doesn’t completely shake off the fears of winter, however, citing a recent winter where life was nearly intolerable. He also said there are dangers in navigating the levy and surroundings, with the risk of injury being a possibility. So, the camp starts stockpiling canned food now to survive in place longer, come winter, when snow or ice lands.

Jeff and Butch said, outside of sanitary and hygiene supplies, water and canned food is the best thing they can receive this time of year in preparation.

The two were both quick to answer the question about whether they take advantage of sheltering in places like the Salvation Army warming stations.

“No. We can’t go. We can’t. If we leave this camp, we can’t watch our generator and our supplies, and we come back to nothing,” Butch said. “We have to stay and protect our supplies—our stoves and food and everything will be gone if we leave. Our chances of survival are greater in place with our supplies.”

Jeff said that this life has taught him a lot in ten years.

“I’ve had people tell me I should write a book about surviving, because, if the world were to end tomorrow, we have the skills to live,” Jeff said. “It is common sense with experience. You have to seek water and shelter first.”

For now, while he isn’t writing any books, Jeff is working with Butch to help the others in their camp to survive storms and the approaching winter.

“This is Jasper and them’s first winter down here and they’re going to be hit the hardest. We are looking after them right now and getting them ready,” Butch said.

Jeff agreed.

“We look after each other. When one of us leaves and don’t come back, we get worried after a couple days,” Jeff said. “We look after each other, man, because we’re a family. We’ve been together so long, we are family. Butch is my family.”

The rising water also floods the ground and brings out additional rats, which can be a major danger.

“There’s a lot of dangers out here,” Jeff said. “There are snakes out here, big dangerous ones, but the rats can destroy your camp in a month and I’ve had them burrow all under my tent and eat everything. I’ve seen 50 of them climbing all over each other before. I’ve been asleep and been attacked. Even their claws are sharp and a danger. Rats are the worst.”

Butch started to address the raccoons as well, but Jeff had a different take on them.

“I’ve had racoons come up to me with hands out asking for food,” Jeff remembered. “They’re more annoying than anything, because they’re good at getting in your tent. They’re actually more like the little mobsters of the camp; they run the woods.”

When asked if people could learn and understand their lives of surviving the elements and storms and dangers better, what would they want them to know, they both said that they only wished people would understand not all homeless people are addicted to illegal substances.

“We don’t all do that. Some, unfortunately, do, yeah. We look after them. Not all of us do that, though,” Butch said. “Some of us have been given a bad hand or are in situations we can’t get out of.”

Jeff says he and his wife are now professionals when it comes to living a life of homelessness. He learned a lot from Butch, who has been living in these places for over twenty years.

The two spend their days protecting their camp, locating new supplies, repairing their generator, and listening to the local radio to pass the day. They also have Thorn, Butch’s dog who helps keep pests and vermin away from the camp and gives much needed companionship.

With the recent flooding and wind damage, the group did receive some respite from local volunteers. One of which was Abby Spears, of the SOAR Initiative and Harm Reduction Ohio, who dropped off many dry items and survival supplies to get them back on their feet. Other volunteers, such as CAO’s Gage Adams and Kirsten Powell, as well as other donors and helpers, also stepped up.

“I am fortunate to be a part of this generous community and The SOAR Initiative. Through mutual aid and grant funding, I have been able to work closely with our unhoused neighbors,” Spears said. “We live in an area where many are precariously housed, and others are a missed paycheck, illness, or emergency from being unhoused themselves. It’s vital that we continue to provide solidarity through mutual aid and funding opportunities to help make sure folks have the supplies, resources, and services that are needed. It also highlights how much compassionate community collaboration is needed to find solutions.”

For now, the campsite is cleaning up after the recent flooding and storm damage, repairing their once-again-broken, Frankenstein generator, and preparing for winter, which is taking extra steps this year, since they have new family members to look after.

Butch said that, while they’re doing a lot of things in cleaning up after Helene and preparing for winter, they’re keeping the most important rules in mind, “You can’t get lazy and you can’t live without fear. Otherwise, you won’t make it.”