ASHEVILLE – Clambering over downed trees and walking along the trails that thread the 45-acre property in January, Starr Silvis Metcalf pointed to the new disturbances that have appeared in recent weeks — excavator tracks, boreholes and cut vegetation. Work at the beloved wooded parcel, located on UNC Asheville property in the Five Points neighborhood,…
ASHEVILLE – Nearly 200 Buncombe County residents have applied for assistance through a state-managed program assisting owners whose properties were damaged when Tropical Storm Helene swept through the region Sept. 27. Dozens are hoping to have their properties purchased outright. During the Dec. 2 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners briefing, County Manager Avril Pinder updated…
A wildfire near Marion, in McDowell County, an area hard hit by Tropical Storm Helene that downed trees and complicated firefighting operations, is now 100% contained as of Dec. 10, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire, which grew to 518 acres, mostly affected agency land in Pisgah National Forest. The fire started Dec….
In the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 tsunami, which claimed over 19,000 lives, entire towns were destroyed, and critical infrastructure — including roads, power systems and communication networks — was crippled. The Japanese response went beyond simple rebuilding; they reimagined their communities with resilience in mind, moving towns further inland and creating natural buffers along the…
ASHEVILLE – On Nov. 1, Wicked Weed Brewing’s staff for its sour and barrel-aged beer-focused Funkatorium brewpub and adjoining Cultura restaurant at 147 Coxe Ave., were called by management to the South Slope property for a mandatory meeting that ended with most of the service industry workers unemployed. Conor Tormey, who worked for Wicked Weed…
Downtown Augusta restaurant managers say business is getting back to normal more than three weeks after Hurricane Helene slammed the region. “We are actually busier now than before the hurricane,” said Barry Blackston, co-owner of Nacho Mama’s and Stillwater Taproom on Broad Street. The businesses closed the day before Helene hit on Sept. 27, when…
The phone wasn’t working. Power and cell service had been out for a couple of days after Hurricane Helene, and Jeff Twersky was trying − again − to see if he could get a connection. Twersky, 69, a retired trial lawyer, was with his wife, family and friends in Weaverville, North Carolina, just outside Asheville,…
Telling an Asheville volunteer leader “we’re here for the long haul,” Vice President Kamala Harris visited North Carolina on Saturday to be briefed on the damage the state suffered from Tropical Storm Helene and meet people dealing with the aftermath of its catastrophic flooding. The record high water tore apart major districts of Asheville and…
WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday in North Carolina praised the federal, state and local governments coming together to help communities recover from the catastrophic damage wrought by Hurricane Helene. Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, said the work to bring resources together from all levels of the government are what produces results….
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — If she had known the rivers would swallow whole towns and neighbors would be swept away, Lindsey Miller would have better prepared – or left her home altogether. Her home near Boone, North Carolina, survived but there was no power, cell service or water. Some neighbors filled buckets from a nearby river…