1 storm, 1,400 closures: Rebuilding roads after a devastating hurricane
In February, part of the interstate reopened, but only for drivers who need to use it, and at a reduced speed.
There were more than 1,400 road closures and 10 million cubic yards of debris removed from roads and waterways. It's been eight months, and WNC continues to face the aftermath of the most damaging and costly natural disaster in the state's history.
Rebuilding has been arduous, and nowhere is that more evident than the work it took to reconnect I-40 from North Carolina to Tennessee.
'Our IMAP crews start driving from the Asheville side and noticed no traffic was coming through, so they know there's a problem. They got together with other local officials and opened a gate and sent traffic back to the Tennessee line,' said David Uchiyama with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. 'Without that emergency response in the moment, I have zero doubt that people would have died.
The reconstruction was a historic operation that took 126 days. Although the road hasn't been fully rebuilt, the massive undertaking of opening one lane in each direction was monumental for commuters and for commerce.
Some businesses are still feeling the impacts of the storm. Cass Santander with Explore Asheville says that even with 97% of the roads being partially or fully reopened, tourism is down.
'Seventy-five percent of hospitality and tourism-facing businesses are reopened, and there is a determination and grit to come back better than ever, and it's an exciting time to come and visit,' Santander said.
Some roads are still struggling to reopen. Highway 64, for example, is still closed from Lake Lure through Chimney Rock and Bat Cave. Roads in Yancey County will likely take years to rebuild.
'Yancey County was one of the more devastated areas because of the rivers,' Uchiyama said. 'The Cane River, Nolichucky River that flow through it, just wiping out everything along its way.'
So how do we prepare for future storms? Uchiyama says it's not about preparation, but more about resilience.
'Design standards have changed over the decades. So anything that is newer is better. And anything that is going in new now is going to be better than anything built even five years ago,' Uchiyama said.
But through the noise of the bulldozers and the debris still lingering, what was once seen as a near-impossible task of rebuilding has transformed into inspiring stories of what can be achieved.
(VIDEO: FEMA offers to sell temporary housing units to WNC families displaced by Hurricane Helene)
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Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Leaked Video Shows Augusta National Under Floodwaters
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Volunteers repair damaged parts of Appalachian Trail by hand almost a year after Helene
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You'll spend all your time climbing over this tree and walking around that hole." Partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service has long been a critical component of preserving the Appalachian Trail. Through contracts, Perrenod said the agencies fund equipment, gas and the wages of some Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff members like himself. The Forest Service also helps the group lug their gear up to the trail, he said. That's why Perrenod says it's imperative the federal government does not slash those agencies' budgets and workforces. Disrupting support for volunteers could be detrimental for the trail's restoration, as volunteers provide 'a lot of muscle' to complete the vast majority of its maintenance, he said. In Helene's aftermath, volunteerism across the region was 'super high' because everyone wanted to help, Stowe said. This year, interest in volunteering has dipped, Stowe said, but he's heard from people all over the country — and the world — who cited Helene as a major reason they wanted to come out and help. Among the volunteers on the July maintenance trip were three visitors from Japan who work on long-distance trails back home. They were enthusiastic to learn about best practices for improving trail longevity and take those ideas back to Japan. The trio was also motivated by their own experience with natural devastation. After Japan's massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, volunteer Kumi Aizawa said people from across the globe came to rebuild.
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Volunteers repair damaged parts of Appalachian Trail by hand almost a year after Helene
UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (AP) — In a rugged patch of the Appalachian Trail in eastern Tennessee, volunteers size up a massive, gnarled tree lying on its side. Its tangled web of roots and dark brown soil, known as a root ball, is roughly the size of a large kiddie pool. The collection of volunteers and staff from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and local organizations, doesn't plan to move the tree. Instead, their job is filling the gaping holes left by it and many other downed trees along iconic East Coast trail. Almost a year since Hurricane Helene tore through the mountains of the Southeast, restoration is still ongoing. In places like the Appalachian Trail it's powered primarily by volunteers, at a time when federal resources are strained and uncertain . That labor, made up of people spanning several generations and continents, aims to not only return the trail to its former glory but make it more resilient against future inclement weather. 'Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Appalachian Trail,' said Jake Stowe, a program support specialist with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Stretching more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) miles from Georgia to Maine, the trail attracts more than 3 million people every year, according to the conservancy. Some committed hikers traverse its entire length to cross it off their bucket list. Others visit sporadically just to indulge in its scenic views. Last September, Helene killed more than 200 people and wrecked entire towns . Many rural businesses have struggled due to the drop in tourism, Stowe said, such as in places seeing fewer trail hikers. Directly after the storm, more than 430 miles (690 kilometers) of the trail were closed, the conservancy said. That's down to 5 miles (8 kilometers) today. Hikers still have to take detours around two damaged sections of the trail, both in Tennessee, according to the conservancy. One spot where a bridge collapsed requires a 3.6-mile (5.8-kilometer) walking detour. The other location is near the destroyed Cherry Gap Shelter, where an Associated Press journalist accompanied volunteers this week making the area passable again for visitors who currently have to take a 6-mile (10 kilometer) detour. Fixing trails is hard work Local groups typically take on day-to-day trail maintenance, such as hacking back plant overgrowth, Stowe said. Larger organizations like the Appalachian Trail Conservancy step in to assist with severe damage, although in Helene's case, safety concerns delayed restoration. 'At the time, we weren't really in the position to put people in the woods,' Stowe said. 'It was such bad damage that it was just- you couldn't safely do that.' The area near Cherry Gap has already been 'sawed out,' meaning downed trees that blocked the trail have been cut and moved out of the way. But root balls are still a major problem because of how labor-intensive it is to deal with them. When a tree tips over, the root ball lifts a big chunk of earth with it. Filling that hole can sometimes take a week, said Matt Perrenod, a crew leader with the conservancy. The trail runs along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains, and that rough terrain means crews must rely on hand tools like shovels, rakes and pruners to do the job, rather than heavy equipment. The conservancy also has to consider more sustainable improvements to the trail, such as building steps or features like water bars, which are essentially little ditches that divert rainfall off the side of the trail. It's a slow process, Perrenod said, but a worthwhile venture to improve the experience of hikers. 'You don't actually want to think about the thing you're walking on very much. You just want to walk on it,' said Perrenod, who hiked the Appalachian Trail's entirety about a decade ago. 'Well, if we don't do the work, you won't be able to do that. You'll spend all your time climbing over this tree and walking around that hole.' Volunteers travel the world to help out Partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service has long been a critical component of preserving the Appalachian Trail. Through contracts, Perrenod said the agencies fund equipment, gas and the wages of some Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff members like himself. The Forest Service also helps the group lug their gear up to the trail, he said. That's why Perrenod says it's imperative the federal government does not slash those agencies' budgets and workforces . Disrupting support for volunteers could be detrimental for the trail's restoration, as volunteers provide 'a lot of muscle' to complete the vast majority of its maintenance, he said. In Helene's aftermath, volunteerism across the region was 'super high' because everyone wanted to help, Stowe said. This year, interest in volunteering has dipped, Stowe said, but he's heard from people all over the country — and the world — who cited Helene as a major reason they wanted to come out and help. Among the volunteers on the July maintenance trip were three visitors from Japan who work on long-distance trails back home. They were enthusiastic to learn about best practices for improving trail longevity and take those ideas back to Japan. The trio was also motivated by their own experience with natural devastation. After Japan's massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, volunteer Kumi Aizawa said people from across the globe came to rebuild. By restoring part of the Appalachian Trail, she's returning the favor. ___ Seminera reported from Raleigh, North Carolina.
