09/26/2025
A year ago Helene hit our city right at the start of peak season. Fall is usually spent with the streets of downtown busy with tourists, here to explore, see the Biltmore and the incredible mountain foliage. The event industry gears up for weddings and welcome parties every weekend. It’s a time of celebration.
In the midst of devastation and loss last year our incredible community showed who we really are. Weddings were scheduled that weekend - there were brides and grooms who were supposed to celebrate one of the best days of their lives.
And vendors still showed up. We didn’t know if weddings were cancelled, we didn’t yet know how bad the flooding was, or how impassable the streets were. We couldn’t communicate with anyone so no one knew how awful everything was yet. People showed up, they showed up to see what they could do, how they could help, who needed a hand. I heard a story of a DJ who showed up to with her backup computer with music on it because her car and all her equipment was under water in her garage.
Of course when it became apparent that we were in a different realm of bad, all of that energy then became focused on rebuilding our city. And we have, and we still do. We still ask “Do you need anything? What can i do?”
We’re blessed in this town with selfless individuals. We are a true community, we help, we reach out to offer a hand, we lift each other up, we dig each other out of trouble (sometimes literally). We are a city of helpers.
