Hurricane Helen, one of the deadliest hurricanes in modern U.S. history, devastated Asheville, North Carolina. The tourism industry, a major part of Asheville’s economy, has been severely impacted, with businesses forced to close and popular tourist destinations remaining inaccessible. , the Asheville community has come together to support each other, with residents helping with cleanup efforts and donating supplies.
Brian Fetting and his childhood best friend Dan Junke put more than their life savings into their business, New Origin Brewing, and put their heart and soul into it. Masu. They personally renovated the historic building, learned woodworking and welding, and also built tables and chairs to fill the space.
This craft brewery opened in 2021 and quickly became a hub for locals and tourists alike. “People started out as strangers, became regulars, then became friends. It was an incredible community to be a part of,” Fetting told USA TODAY. Tourists often stopped by to sample small-batch craft beers not available elsewhere. “You can see that this is not a commercial operation,” he explained.
When the brewers first heard about Hurricane Helen, they spent two days preparing with thousands of pounds of sandbags, but they still expected flooding in the brewery. “We went to bed that night happy because we worked hard,” he said. “The situation is bad, but we may be able to overcome it.”
On September 27th, the morning Helen attacked, New Origin quickly disappeared. All that remained of the brewery were stacked blocks and twisted metal. The vehicle was swept away by the floodwaters and crashed into the brewery.
Considered one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States in modern times, Hurricane Helen left an unprecedented level of damage. The Category 4 hurricane had weakened to a tropical storm by the time it hit North Carolina, but it still brought deadly flooding, heavy rain and high winds. As of Thursday, the death toll had exceeded 200, and thousands of people remain without power or water. Homes and businesses were flooded or severely, if not completely, destroyed.
Hikers rush to avoid parts of Appalachian Trail after Helen
For those whose businesses are affected, the damage is twofold. “It’s tough for businesses. If you have a business that’s been affected, it’s tough to have your home affected,” Fetting said. Fetting’s home was also damaged by a tree branch that fell through the roof and into the living room. “There’s a lot of work to do. I’m just hoping that after this, after this is all over, I’ll be able to keep my house. And it’s really scary.”
Now, the small business owners who make up the heart of Asheville and are woven into its vibrancy and unique character are facing the unprecedented challenge of incredible loss. Many of them not only lost their homes, but also their livelihoods. Amid all the uncertainty, one thing is clear: the road to recovery is long.
A hurricane like no other
Everyone knew a hurricane was coming, but no one expected Helen to be in such dire straits.
Asheville has emerged as a hot travel destination in recent years, beloved for its quirky arts and cultural scene, especially for its fall foliage viewing along with its many nearby parks. In 2023, tourists spent a record amount of money in Buncombe County, which includes Asheville. Approximately one in seven jobs is related to the tourism industry, according to research provided by Tourism Economics to the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.
“We’ve been in hurricanes before. We know that hurricanes hit and they hit and that happens every year, but this one was completely different. ” said Fetting.
The night before the storm hit, Shane and Rachel Miller closed their ax-throwing venue, Valhalla Indoor Ax Throwing, a little early so they could get home safely. “That’s when we heard that this situation was going to be even worse than usual, and we still don’t know what happened,” said Shane Miller.
Valhalla Indoor Ax Throwing not only brought together the ax throwing community, it was also a stop for many wandering tourists to try their hand at the sport.
Valhalla Indoor Ax Throwing, located at Asheville Mall, Western North Carolina’s largest shopping center with dozens of specialty stores, is not expected to reopen for at least a month, at least until water and power are restored. “This is a healthy estimate, a very optimistic estimate,” he said.
“Communities across Western North Carolina, including Asheville and Buncombe County, are recovering from the devastating flooding and aftermath of Hurricane Helen,” Vic Isley, CEO of Explore Asheville, said in a statement to USA TODAY. Ta. “While much of our downtown, lodging and hospitality infrastructure has fared well, most areas still lack electricity and water, and some of our beloved communities continue to be in the early stages of recovery. ”
“This is definitely painful.”
At this point, it is unlikely that New Origin will be rebuilt. City ordinances make it impossible to rebuild the building as it was before. “This is not a viable project. We are stuck in this situation,” Fetting said. Flood insurance will only cover about a third of your loss, but you will still owe the bank.
“With no assets to sell and large bank loans, we will have to find a way to repay the banks,” he said. Fetting and Yunke recently launched a $300,000 GoFundMe to raise money so they don’t have to sell their home.
Countless other businesses have been torn down to their foundations, or if they were still standing, everything inside was destroyed.
For Shane Miller, the most difficult part of the recovery process was “watching so many of our friends in this community make the decision within days of this storm not to reopen.” Ta.
The city will feel the loss of visitors as Asheville’s tourism economy enters a key time of the year for fall foliage. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway and areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park are closed indefinitely due to the hurricane, and damage is still being assessed. “This is definitely going to hurt,” Eisley said. “We are now focused on supporting our community and beginning to lay the foundation for recovery in the days and months ahead.”
Community support
In the immediate aftermath, the Asheville community joined together to help each other. The city is currently in a cleanup phase that involves removing debris and distributing supplies and resources, with a particular focus on rural and other areas that are only accessible by dirt roads.
“Businesses from manufacturing to hospitality need water and power to survive, just like residents,” Eisley said. “This is heartbreaking, but we are not going to be devastated. No,” he said.
Miller said he and Rachel feel lucky compared to other small business communities in Asheville. Rachel has another job with the nonprofit United Way, so the couple helps with the cleanup. But Miller said it’s “hard to process what’s going on” because of the emotions that come up “at different times of the day.”
Miller hopes Asheville travelers and supporters can continue to support the community by donating supplies and contributing to recovery efforts. According to Explore Asheville, supporting organizations include the Salvation Army of Asheville, the MANNA Food Bank, and the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County.
Fetting agrees there’s a lot of work to be done, but seeing everyone come together, whether it’s distributing food and water, donating to GoFundMe or helping small businesses clean up, is “believable.” It’s so amazing that I can’t believe it.”
“Please keep an eye on Asheville and come back when the city is ready,” Fetting said. “The city welcomes you back with open arms.”
