ASHEVILLE – For two days after Tropical Storm Helene struck Asheville Sept. 27, Elizabeth McLean cut through three miles of downed trees and shrubbery to reach the nearest road.
McLean had been sheltered at the Biltmore Estate and had one goal: reach the Biltmore Equestrian Center. Four of her crew members and 54 horses were stuck there beyond the fallen trees after the French Broad River rose within feet of the stables.
“It was just one right after the other, after the other,” McLean, Biltmore’s director of equestrian activities, recounted to the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. She estimated there were 60 toppled trees just on the gravel road leading to the barn.
Before the storm hit, four volunteers from the equestrian team made beds in the main stable’s offices and breakroom to ensure the horses had enough food and water to make it through Helene. They had planned for one night, which quickly turned into three.