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A year since Hurricane Helene rocked the mountains, communities in western North Carolina are still reckoning with the devastation it caused.
Buncombe, Henderson, Yancey and other counties will hold memorials on the anniversary, Sept. 27, to honor the 108 lives lost in the state due to the storm.
The hurricane first made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 and churned its way through Georgia and South Carolina before arriving in North Carolina the following day.
Helene dumped a record-breaking 5 inches of rain per hour on the western part of the state, whose soil was already soaked from downpours earlier in the month, according to the National Weather Service. This led to historic flooding that triggered nearly 2,000 landslides.
North Carolina’s Governor Office estimates that Helene caused a total of $59.62 billion in damage in the state.
Some deadlines for individuals or businesses to apply for Helene recovery assistance passed earlier this year, but applications for a North Carolina housing rehabilitation program are still open.
Gov. Josh Stein recently requested $13.5 billion more from Congress to aid recovery efforts. Stein said he’s grateful for $5.2 billion in federal funds the state has been allocated so far but North Carolina has not received “anywhere near what it needs.”
The requested money would help rebuild homes, support small businesses and repair roads, he said.
More than 1,400 roads were closed after the storm. Now, 34 remain shut down, but the majority are back online according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s regularly updated map of roads effected by the storm.
As roads reopen, the areas connected to them have as well, just in time for the mountains’ upcoming tourism season.
As the leaves turn bright yellow, orange and red, many are drawn to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway to take in the views of the fall foliage.
The National Park Service has an interactive map that shows which parts of the parkway are allowing through traffic. The scenic 26-mile section from Asheville to Craggy Gardens reopened last week.
Several other state parks reopened this summer. In June, Chimney Rock State Park welcomed back its first visitors since last year to climb the 499 steps to the American flag atop the chimney-shaped outcrop.
Visit North Carolina has an online tourism guide with a list of autumnal attraction recommendations in western North Carolina.
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Caroline King
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