Updated as of 6:43 p.m. on Oct. 3 to include video.
Western North Carolina is picking up its pieces following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which swept through the region in a 500-mile-wide path Sept. 27. The Category 4 hurricane left over 292,000 people without power and caused severe property damage. According to the Associated Press, the death toll has reached 200.
Asheville, Boone, Canton, Lake Lure, and Rutherford Counties experienced extreme flooding from the French Broad River — with water levels rising over 20 feet. The flooding caused water to run through many buildings, including Asheville Community Movement Gymnastics. Co-owner Rebecca Hall said that the flooding lifted up the flooring of the gymnasium.
“The water renovation guys said they'd never seen anything like it,” Hall said. “The water came under and lifted all of our carpets, and our base mats and our spring floor about four to five feet. And then that created a barrier between the water and our more expensive equipment.”
More than 25 community members, families of the gymnasium and friends helped clean off equipment and mud off the floors. Children who attend the gymnasium for after-school programs and summer camps helped by shoveling mud and finding salvaged items. Piles of debris, including muddy bars, mats and spring floors, were in piles outside and near the road. Hall said she has strength in reopening knowing that so many people came to help.
“It's been really incredible to see all of the love and energy that we poured out for 12 years to the community, to the children of the community and their families, come pouring back in,” Hall said. “It's been tremendous, and just every time I get a text of support, every time a familiar face shows up to help, we get strength from that.”
Fifteen-year-old Anna Huvschman-Slepakoff has participated in gymnastics at Asheville Community Movement Gymnastics for 12 years. She said she thinks many people came to help because they’re worried about the gymnasium.
“This is a really big part of the community. Most of the people here are gymnasts or were gymnasts or work here,” Huvschman-Slepakoff said. “It's such a great community and everyone's so attached to it that I think they really wanted to help.”
Right now, Huvschman-Slepakoff’s high school— Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College— is closed indefinitely until the town has running water. She said her high school is being used as a shelter for people who lost their homes or need a place to go during the relief efforts.
“I haven't been able to get in touch with the school or anyone,” Huvschman-Slepakoff said. “We've mainly been listening to the radio to get information.”
As of Oct. 2, the gymnasium had already received two days worth of help. Huvschman-Slepakoff said the work is getting done quickly with so many hands.
“It just makes me feel really grateful and just amazed at how much we can do if we actually were working together all the time,” Huvschman-Slepakoff said.
“If we behaved the way we do after a natural disaster during most regular times, we would get an incredible amount of stuff done.”
Hall said she hopes the debris and water will be cleared out and the gymnasium will reopen soon.
“We tend to be really optimistic people — my goal is a month. I don't know if that's realistic at all,” Hall said. “We know that the water restoration process alone could take up to a month just to dry out the entire building, and then we'll have to rebuild.”
Hall said lots of families are helping, so their children can resume classes.
“We've got a lot of kids in Asheville that are really sad right now. This is like their second home,” Hall said. “Some of our kids are here 20 hours a week, and so we're gonna try to get back and running in some capacity as quickly as we possibly can, just so that they continue to feel like they have that home and that community.”
Less than a half mile down the road, Zillicoah Beer Co. lost a lot of its property due to more flooding from the river. Co-founder and brewer Jonathan Chassner said the flooding from the river, located 200 feet away from the brewery, caused water to rush through the property.
“Typically the river stays just beyond those trees there, that tree line,” Chassner said. “It crested over, I don't know, I can't even remember the number, but 20 plus feet, and it was all the way up over our head and into our building, about six and a half, seven feet up.”
Chassner thought all inventory — especially kegs — was lost. He said he found hope when many of the kegs stayed safe on the premises. During this time, he said something that’s keeping him going is the heartwarming outreach.
“I have never really seen a community come together, never seen destruction like this,” Chassner said. “One of the things that helps keep me putting one foot in front of the other right now is community.”
Donation drives will be occurring around Elon University’s campus and throughout the Elon community:
- All houses in the Loy Neighborhood until Oct. 6
- The Elon Farmers Market on Oct. 3 at Elon Community Church Parking Lot from 3 to 6 p.m.
- The Burlington Fire Department began Oct. 2 and is currently accepting donations at 215 S. Church St.
--
Fiona McAllister contributed to the reporting of this story.