Helen’s devastated Mountain Town opens again to visitors
Almost nine months after Helen destroyed western North Carolina, small towns like Marshall are finally open for visitors. Some companies say they are thriving after months of rebuilding.
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Marshall, North Carolina – It’s been almost nine months since then Hurricane Helen It went through western North Carolina and washed away homes and businesses.
In Marshall’s small mountain town, just 30 minutes north of Asheville, business owners are keen on visitors. The main towns sit along the Broad River in France. It rose nearly 25 feet Calculated by the US Geological Survey during the Helene storm.
The town reopened to visitors in May, with more businesses opening their doors each week.
Some business owners remember the layer of mud painted on the floor, covering their belongings like blankets.
“I had no words, I was crying,” says Connie Moland, co-founder of Flow Gallery. “Everything we stepped into this space and saw what we had left behind was falling and covered in mud.”
Popular North Carolina destinations still recovering from Helen
Moland says she tried to gather as much handmade art as possible before the storm. The gallery lost about 30% of the artwork from Helen.
The gallery wasn’t the only business crushed under Helen’s rage.
Many businesses report thick layers of mud covering the floors of their facilities.
Zuma coffee owner Joel Friedman says he had to climb the window just to enter the coffee shop.
“All these windows were destroyed, and all the contents came out using it. All the tables, chairs, equipment. It was total destruction,” he told Fox.
Friedman and Moland say volunteers from all over the country have appeared at their gateway. He wears protective gear, carries tools and is ready for work.
Co-founder Connie Moland says more than eight inches of mud filled her gallery after Helen.
Want to welcome tourists every summer in a North Carolina town destroyed by Hurricane Helen
“That’s what kept us going for the rest of the time,” says Moland.
Nine months later, Marshall, North Carolina, small businesses are reopening.
“As soon as everyone came downtown they were here with shovels and wheelbarrows and they went to work.”
The Flow Gallery opened at the end of March and has been six weeks since Zuma Coffee invited locals.
“It felt like a victory, there are only a few wins every day, up to the final.
“It could be back where it was, or maybe it would be a little better.”
People across the country are volunteering to help repair the damage.
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Some businesses are still preparing to rebuild and reopen the doors.
