This past Saturday, September 27th, was the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s devastating attack on Asheville and the surrounding region. Flood waters, as high as 28 feet above flood stage, washed away homes, businesses and lives. There was over one billion dollars of damage to the City of Asheville alone. The storm cut off electricity, cell service, and most problematic, our water supply. Asheville was without potable water for just short of two months. Historic Biltmore Village and the River Arts District were most severely impacted. Here is a picture from one year ago of the flood waters washing through Biltmore Village.
Many churches and individuals in the CEC came to our aid, and for that we are eternally grateful. We were able to set up a hurricane relief fund with the money you sent to Church of the Resurrection. From those funds we distributed more than $22,000 to individuals and businesses, some of whom had no flood insurance. There is still a tremendous amount of recovery work yet to be done. The City of Asheville projects that we are probably five years away from full recovery from this storm.
This past Saturday, members of Church of the Resurrection did a prayer walk through the River Arts District and Biltmore Village, lifting up the businesses, studios, and the individuals each of these represent. The
historic Episcopal Cathedral of All Souls suffered massive damage. Their hope was to be back in the building for Christmas Eve Mass this year. However, as you can see from the photo below, there is yet much work to be done.
Many of the restaurants in Biltmore Village suffered irreparable damage, like this Moe’s Southwest Grill. Some, like the Starbucks at the entrance to the Biltmore Estate were completely washed away.
Other restaurants, like the unique McDonald’s near the entrance to the Biltmore Estate, had to be razed and is in the process of being rebuilt.
In the River Arts District, the waters rose to the second floor levels in all of the art galleries. Many of the artists have abandoned their studios, and some have relocated to higher ground. The photo below is indicative of the extent of the damage still evident in the district.
As we prayerfully walked, the Lord gave us many signs of His loving Presence. As we passed a temporary fence surrounding one of the micro breweries attempting a comeback, the morning glories provided a tangible reminder that Christ Jesus makes all things new!
Thank you for your prayers and support throughout this past year. Please keep Western North Carolina in your prayers as we continue the on-going task of recovery and restoration.
–The Venerable William G. McLoughlin, Rector, Church of the Resurrection, Asheville, North Carolina