As torrents of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene cascaded down the Blue Ridge Mountains, latte-colored water churned through the Yancey County community of Micaville at the confluence of Ayles and Little Crabtree creeks.
The water carried away the post office, filled the basement of the Presbyterian church with mud and pushed seven feet deep through the old general store, which had been converted into an art gallery and museum called the Micaville Outpost .
And somehow the flood lifted the big white water tank next to the old Taylor Togs textile plant . The steel tank bobbed along for about 100 yards before it became lodged on a culvert where the Micaville Loop road meets U.S. 19E. There it sat for months as a symbol of the power of the flood, shared around the world in photos and videos.
Even before the storm, the tank was a landmark in Micaville, a crossroads community that, like many in Western North Carolina, was born from industry and evolved into a destination for tourists and others drawn by the beauty of the mountains. After the storm, when Noah Styles finally made his way back to the Micaville Outpost to see what was left of his business, it was the tank that first made an impression…