One week after Helene in North Carolina: Photos
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A North Carolina flag hangs from a post in Bat Cave, NC, about 120 miles west of Charlotte. Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Hurricane Helene arrived on Florida land one week ago in the dark hours between Sept. 26 and 27 and quickly turned its wicked wand toward western North Carolina. By the end of Friday, it was gone, and the sun was out to show us the hell it'd left.
Why it matters, now and going forward: "The western North Carolina that existed on Thursday is no more," Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, told the Smoky Mountain News.
- Indeed, for the communities in this precious region of our state, there will be a Before Helene and an After Helene.
But the entire state of North Carolina will be part of the "after." People who lived in the mountains Before Helene will become Charlotte residents After Helene. Or Raleigh residents. Or Anywhere Else residents. Some for a month, some for a year, some maybe forever.
- Some are already trying to enroll their kids in other local schools. Others might be at the restaurant table next to you tonight, or in the checkout line behind you.
- Displaced humans without a home or even a town to put it in, calling themselves the fortunate ones.
Reality check: The main thing that matters now, still, are the lives of the missing. The storm had killed at least 215 people across the Southeast as of Friday morning, AP reports, making Helene the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina. But the number will rise, as officials connect with loved ones.
- Flocks of helicopters, civilian and military, are still scanning creek beds and hilltops, looking for flashes from people holding mirrors or words like "HELP" carved in the mud.
What's next: The survivors will have to decide their futures. To rebuild a home along the same river? To start a business again in the same downtown? To stay on this side of a rebuilt bridge, or move to that side?
The bottom line: The hashtag #WNCstrong is trending. And they are strong, these mountain people. They have been throughout history, back to the Great Flood of 1916, back to when the Scots-Irish settlers made their way down from Pennsylvania in the 18th century. And back to the original inhabitants, the Cherokee, who still live here, and still follow the belief that there are not four but seven cardinal directions:
- North, south, east and west, sure.
- But also center, below and above.
Here we look back at the past week, the first week of After Helene in North Carolina, in photos:
Editor's note: This story was published Thursday and updated Friday morning with new details.