Helene-ravaged mountain town reopens to visitors
Nearly 9 months after Helene ravaged Western North Carolina, small towns like Marshall are finally open for visitors. Some businesses say they’re thriving after months of rebuilding, «I came back on Sunday after the storm and I had to crawl through m
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MARSHALL, NC – Nearly nine months have passed since Hurricane Helene made its way through Western North Carolina, washing out homes and businesses.
In the small mountain town of Marshall, just 30 minutes north of Asheville, business owners are eager for visitors. The main town sits along the French Broad River, which rose nearly 25 feet during Helene’s storms, calculated by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The town reopened to visitors in May and each week more businesses are opening their doors. Some business owners still remember the layer of mud caked on the floor, covering their belongings like a blanket.
«I had no words, I mean I was crying,» said Connie Molland, co-founder of Flow Gallery. «To walk into this space and see what we had left was all toppled all over and covered in mud.»
POPULAR NORTH CAROLINA DESTINATIONS STILL RECOVERING FROM HELENE
Molland said before the storm she tried to gather as much of the handcrafted art as she could. The gallery lost about 30% of its artwork from Helene.
The gallery was not the only business crushed under Helene’s wrath.
Many businesses have reported a thick layer of mud covering the floor of their establishment.
Zuma’s Coffee owner, Joel Friedman, says he had to climb through his windows just to get inside his coffee shop.
«All these windows busted out, all the contents went out with it. All the tables, chairs, the equipment. It was total destruction,» he told Fox News.
Over eight inches of mud filled her gallery after Helene, said co-founder Connie Molland.
Friedman and Molland said volunteers from all over the country showed up on their doorstep — wearing protective gear, carrying tools, and ready to work.
NORTH CAROLINA TOWN DESTROYED BY HURRICANE HELENE HOPING TO WELCOME TOURISTS BACK BY MIDSUMMER
«That’s what was keeping us going during that time,» said Molland. «People [were] just showing up and feeling good about how they were helping us.»
Nine months later, small businesses in Marshall, North Carolina, are reopening.
Friedman has the same story. «Soon as everybody could come downtown, they were here with shovels and wheelbarrows and they went to work.»
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Flow Gallery opened at the end of March and it has been six weeks since Zuma’s Coffee invited locals back in.
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«It felt like victory. There’s just small victories every day leading up to the final, ‘ahhh, we’ve made it,'» said Friedman.
People from around the country have volunteered to help repair the damage.
«It is back to where it was, or maybe even a little better.»
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Several businesses are still rebuilding and getting ready to reopen their doors.
