The $78.7 billion in damage that Hurricane Helene inflicted on western North Carolina in September 2024 made it the fifth costliest Atlantic hurricane on record when adjusted for inflation.
The Biltmore Estate, one of the Asheville region’s top tourism generators, was largely spared from the brunt of the damage due to its higher elevation. However, in Biltmore Village — a popular commercial district that evolved from a sort of shantytown for the employees of the Vanderbilt family — 20 inches of excess rainfall led the French Broad River to severely flood the lower-lying areas.
In the weeks and months that followed, overturned cars and mountains of debris, along with a carpet of mud and dust, left the village a virtual ghost town…