The mountain towns suffering from Helen reopen to tourists
Nearly nine months after Helene ruined western North Carolina, small towns like Marshall were finally open to tourists. Some businesses say they are thriving after months of reconstruction, “I’m back on Sunday after the storm.”
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Marshall, North Carolina – It has been nearly nine months since Hurricane Helen passed through western North Carolina and washed homes and businesses.
In the small mountainous area of Marshall, just 30 minutes north of Asheville, business owners are eager for tourists. During the Helens Storm, calculated by the U.S. Geological Survey, the main towns were located along the wide rivers in France and rose nearly 25 feet in the Helens Storm.
The town reopened to visitors in May, with more businesses opening weekly.
Some business owners still remember the dirt layers of the floor, covering their belongings like blankets.
“I’m speechless, I mean I’m crying,” said Connie Molland, co-founder of Flow Gallery. “Go into this space and see what's left of us is falling down, covered in dirt.”
Popular North Carolina destinations still recover from Helene
Morand said she tried to collect as much handmade art as possible before the storm. The gallery lost about 30% of the artwork from Helene.
The gallery isn't the only business in Helene's anger.
Many businesses report a thick layer of dirt covering their floors.
Joel Friedman, Zuma's coffee owner, said he had to climb through his window to enter the coffee shop.
“All of these windows were eliminated, everything was scattered together. All the tables, chairs, equipment. It was totally ruined,” he told Fox.
Friedman and Molland said volunteers from all over the country appeared at their doorstep. Wear protective gear, carry tools and prepare.
Co-founder Connie Molland said her gallery was filled with eight inches of mud after Helene.
North Carolina town destroyed by Hurricane Helen, hoping to welcome midsummer visitors
“That's what keeps us moving forward, people are just showing up and feel good about how they help us,” Morand said.
Nine months later, small businesses in Marshall, North Carolina are reopening.
Friedman has the same story: “Everyone can come downtown, they're just shoveling and wheelbarrows and going to work.”
Flow Gallery opened in late March, and it has been six weeks since Zuma’s coffee invited locals to come back.
“It feels like a win, and every day I've won a small victory in the finals, 'Ah, we did it.”
“It’s back to where it was, even better.”
People from all over the country volunteered to help repair the losses.
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Several businesses are still rebuilding and are ready to reopen their doors.
