NORTH CAROLINA – One month after Hurricane Helene inflicted extensive damage, North Carolina continues its recovery efforts. Residents are striving to regain a sense of normalcy amidst the cleanup.
Eric Church shared how deeply the storm’s destruction has affected him. “There was video of an area I knew intimately in western North Carolina and when they sent the video, I didn’t know what I was looking at. And it was stunning to me that this area I grew up in, that I knew, that I no longer recognized,” said Church.
On Saturday, Eric Church joined nearly a dozen other musical acts for a benefit concert in Charlotte. This event aimed to support storm victims through fundraising efforts.
Country music artist and Asheville native, Chase Rice, expressed the importance of using their platform to assist others. “We got a platform and if God’s gonna give us this ability to use that platform to raise money for people who need it. That’s, that’s the best thing you can do in life,” Rice said.
Concert officials confirmed that all proceeds will aid hurricane relief efforts, which include helping businesses trying to recover.
The Old Marshall Jail Hotel was one of those affected businesses. Owner Josh Copus described their financial challenges following the storm. “We’ve done $18,000 of refunds so far. So I’m like taking the money that we’ve raised for rebuilding the restaurant and just using it to refund the hotel rooms,” explained Copus.
Meanwhile, students in Asheville are returning to classrooms with a modified schedule. Dr. Maggie Fehrman, Asheville City Schools Superintendent, emphasized focusing on students’ well-being. “The focus isn’t going to be jumping right back into academics, but really taking time to reconnect with their friends to get back into a sense of normalcy in a gradual way and then on Wednesday we’ll be back to our full schedules,” Fehrman stated.
Fortunately, none of Asheville’s schools suffered damage from the storm. While the schools have electricity, internet, and running water, the water is not considered potable, preventing students from drinking it.
