North Carolina town destroyed by Hurricane Helene hoping to welcome tourists back by midsummer
The vacation town of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, is unrecognizable after Hurricane Helene left a line of destruction across the southeast back in September, according to the town's mayor, Peter O'Leary.
"It destroyed the village," O'Leary said. "It took away the old Chimney Rock."
Thousands of visitors visit the mountain town on a typical summer day, but damage left behind by Helene blocked Chimney Rock off to everyone except residents.
"I've got meetings with FEMA inspectors that are here inspecting the damage so they can move forward on some of the FEMA projects," O'Leary said.
A task force made up of business owners and residents was created to oversee the planning of the new Chimney Rock, the mayor said.
While Helene changed the town forever, O'Leary said the rebuilding process is underway with a goal of welcoming tourists back by midsummer.
Residents like Lidya Gongage said there is a long road left to recovery.
"A few months later and it's still just as bad," she said. "I think it'll be a two-year recovery. And it'll never be the same."
Contractors are working on getting new running water, sewer services and electrical lines set up throughout the town, while the Department of Transportation is rebuilding area bridges because Helene wiped them all out.
O'Leary said over 2,000 volunteers, including some with heavy machinery, have come into the area to help speed up recovery efforts.
One of those volunteers was Jake Jarvis, owner of Precision Grading, which specializes in building roads and clearing off house sites.
Jarvis said he is working on a boulder wall for a lot where the home was washed away by the storm.
"Trying to build back the best we can and give people back what they lost. If we can't give them [a] house, [we] can give them a place to build a house," Jarvis said.
Jarvis said the work being done to rebuild is fueled by donations, which allows them to afford the materials needed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
As summer approaches, Asheville eager for return of visitors
Asheville is open in time for the summer after Hurricane Helene, and business owners will tell you they're eager to see the return of visitors. Cass Santander with Explore Asheville says they're looking at the number of people coming to visit the area, but one trend stood out. While the hotel demand in March was consistent with last year, the vacation rental occupancy rate was down about 6 points from 2024. Channel 9's Mark Taylor decided to visit one of the hardest-hit areas in Asheville, Biltmore Village, to check out how businesses are doing. Biltmore Village is part of Asheville's rich history. It was established in the late 1800s and sits right at the foot of the Biltmore House. Visitors can dine, go shopping, or even stay at a local hotel like the Grand Bohemian Lodge, which was hit by Helene's relentlessness. 'That was the devastation: feed of mud, debris, everything from signage and furniture,' said Grand Bohemian Lodge General Manager Matthew Lehman. 'We completely rebuilt the first floor, so everything from the handcrafted woodworking, all new electrical, plumbing work, rebuilding our bar, rebuilding our gallery.' The hotel is fully open but as we toured the area, we found some businesses were still boarded up. We saw crews making repairs after the severe rain and catastrophic flooding destroyed livelihoods. In the midst of it all were signs reminding folks that most of Asheville is open. But as Lehman explains, the community he's a part of is determined to bounce back harder than they were hit. "This little niche community is so special, and that's something we noticed after the storm. We really came together, a lot of recovery and support efforts; and as we come out of recovery towards new growth, we've got a lot of plans to further strengthen those ties and bonds," Lehman said. Santander says 75% of hospitality and tourism-facing businesses have reopened. 'There's a determination and a grit to come back better than ever, and it's an exciting time to come and visit,' Santander said. (VIDEO: Asheville artists find new home after Helene)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Ryanair threatens ‘unruly' holidaymakers with £500 fines
Ryanair has threatened 'unruly' holidaymakers who disrupt flights with £500 fines amid rising concerns about drunken behaviour. The budget airline on Thursday said the 'major conduct clampdown' was aimed at a small minority of passengers who cause trouble at the expense of everyone else on board. It said anyone thrown off a flight would now be hit with a £500 fine as a minimum, with the carrier then pursuing them for damages. A Ryanair spokesman added: 'It is unacceptable that passengers are made to suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger's behaviour. 'While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable, and we hope that our proactive approach will act as a deterrent to eliminate this unacceptable behaviour onboard our aircraft.' The airline has been campaigning for tougher curbs on the sale of alcoholic drinks at airports in the past year, with Michael O'Leary, the chief executive, warning of a rise in disorder. Last year, a Ryanair flight was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Tenerife after several passengers became unruly, with one reportedly urinating in the aisle. In April, police also dragged a woman off a plane that had to be diverted to Bologna, Italy, following 'disruptive' behaviour, including a reported fight between passengers. Ryanair has accused European governments of failing to act 'when disruptive passengers threaten aircraft safety and force them to divert'. Mr O'Leary has called for passengers to be limited to two alcoholic drinks each at airports. On Thursday, a spokesman for the airline said: 'To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
FOX 56 News to explore Somerset in Home Town Summer Series
SOMERSET, Ky. (FOX 56) — Summer is here, and FOX 56 News is hitting the road to tour towns across the Bluegrass State. For the first stop, the FOX 56 morning team is headed to Somerset on Friday, June 13, to explore the Car Cruise Capital of Kentucky. Watch FOX 56 News from 5–9 a.m. to learn more about these Somerset gems, events, and updates: FEMA's tornado assistance Deez Spudz food truck The Virginia Cowboy Church Occupational tax Fishing charter Baxter's Coffee Nightmare Gallery Hear from Mayor Keck Lee's Ford Marina Chamber of Commerce SomerSplash Waterpark And more! Read more of the latest Kentucky news Stay tuned for where we'll be visiting next in our Home Town Summer Series. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
