Martín Hernández lived in a mobile home with his wife and two step-children at the edge of a North Carolina tobacco field for 12 years; his family has been on the same plot of land for four decades.

But the undocumented farmworker had zero protection when Hurricane Florence destroyed everything he owned, including their home. After so many years contributing to the state’s economy, “a little bit of help would be nice,” he says. But in the end, he says, “I may just go back to my country.”

Video produced by Jesse Pratt Lopez

This story is part of Unseen, a series exploring how climate change related severe storms are impacting immigrant workers in southern Appalachia. Read more from the series here.

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This article was originally published by 100 Days in Appalachia, a nonprofit, collaborative newsroom telling the complex stories of the region that deserve to be heard. Sign up for their weekly newsletter here.