Asheville 1 month after Helene faces long recovery

Energy & Environment

The Big Story

Asheville 1 month after Helene faces long recovery

One month after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on western North Carolina, the debris is everywhere. Shade trees are cut into pieces, sitting on lawns, while ruined flooring and sheetrock pile up next to roads.

Bridges are cut in half, while homes, vehicles and appliances are strewn around, glued into riverbanks or resting in unexpected spots. The remains of a camper, several feet off the ground, are wedged into the railing of a city playground. A dirty blue sedan rests nearly upright, parked on a wooden fence.

If you spend any time on social media, new images or videos with fresh stories of destruction pop up every few days.

Since Sept. 27, groups and individuals have worked tirelessly to make sure people have what they need, from food to gloves to generators.

It’s a community driven to rebuild, while honoring the dozens of mountain residents who died in floodwaters or landslides.

But the recovery will be a massive undertaking, and while there is a course of positive energy running through the region, residents say it’s hard not to be exhausted.

Read more from our colleague Katie Wadington from South Asheville, N.C. at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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