One year ago, western North Carolina was forever changed by Hurricane Helene. Roads and bridges were washed out, families displaced and businesses affected. We both saw neighbors helping neighbors, organizations stepping up and our town staff working nonstop.
We are two elected leaders in western North Carolina who remember the harrowing moments on and after Sept. 27, 2024. The night the storm hit, sleep was unimaginable. Trees crashed, wind and rain howled and electricity flickered before it finally went out for good.
The power did not come back on for days, and for some, it was more than a week. In the morning, as the storm calmed, thousands in western North Carolina woke up to darkness and no cellphone service, surrounded by floodwaters and downed trees…