Flooding triggered by the remnants of Hurricane Helene inundated parts of Asheville, N.C., and forced an extended closure of the historic Biltmore Estate—part of a band of destruction that stretched from the Florida panhandle inland to the states of Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Communities in western North Carolina were especially hard hit: The historic town of Blowing Rock, for example, was hit by a tornado, 90 mph winds, and extensive flooding. Blowing Rock, Boone, and Wataugh County remain under a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. curfew as repair and restoration efforts continue, including work to reopen roads connecting the mountain communities to the outside world.
“While the extent of the damage is still being assessed, we want to assure everyone that this impact is temporary,” the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority said in a statement. “Watauga County is a resilient and close-knit community, and we are fully committed to rebuilding and welcoming visitors back as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Road closures in the region include the Blue Ridge Parkway, which remains inaccessible along its entire 250-mile course through the state of North Carolina.
“Closures will remain in place until staff can safely assess the park and clear any storm damage,” according to the National Park Service.
The Blue Ridge Mountains town of Chimney Rock, a popular detour from the parkway, was largely destroyed by flooding from the Broad River.
State and local officials “strongly advise all motorists avoid travel in western North Carolina due to the continued risk of flash flooding, landslides, damaging debris flows, slope failures, riverine flooding and downed trees. Power and cell phone service outages are also widespread. Visitors should not travel into the mountains and should call their travel provider to confirm alternative travel plans, including reservations with lodging providers, and heed any guidance from local officials.”
In Asheville, some of the city’s most popular tourist districts were devastated by high water along the French Broad River.
Asheville Recovery Will Take Time
“I think it’s safe to say that the River Arts District and Biltmore Village are the neighborhoods that have been most devastated,” said Mickey Poandl, public relations manager for Explore Asheville. “Most of the images you have seen on the news of flood waters rising to the top of buildings, and entire structures being washed away, are in those two areas. I think it will be quite some time, especially for the River Arts District, before people can visit there again.”
Biltmore Village is located at the doorstep of the Biltmore Estate, an opulent mansion built in 1895 and owned by George Vanderbilt. The mansion was “hit hard” by the storm and is temporarily closed, as well, said Poandl.
Damage from the Category 4 storm stretched from where it made landfall near Perry, FL, to the mountains of Appalachia to central Georgia, where flooding from the Savannah River has the town of Augusta—known for hosting golf’s Masters each April — under curfew.
In Tennessee, Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 are closed in both directions at the Tennessee/North Carolina border, and many other roads are closed due to flooding. Despite videos of flooding in the tourist town of Pigeon Forge and the Dollywood amusement park, however, both remain open for business.
“Our businesses are unaffected by the recent flooding from Hurricane Helene and are welcoming visitors. While there are road closures throughout the area, there are alternate routes in and out of Pigeon Forge,” according to a statement from the town’s visitor’s bureau.
A spokesperson for Dollywood said that while the park closed for a day as the storm approached, it reopened on Sept. 27 and has operated normally since then. “The theme park suffered no damage from the hurricane,” the spokesperson said.
Southwestern Virginia also was hit hard by the storm, and state officials advised travelers that “many areas are still without power or phone service, and you are likely to encounter closed roads and storm debris along the way. If you must travel to these areas, please use added caution and allow extra travel time during this challenging situation.”
The town of Damascus and Giles County experienced significant flooding from the storm.
“Assessments are still being made and we won’t know the full tourism impact for quite some time,” said Juliana Thomas, acting director of communications for the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “However, the fall tourism season is incredibly important to the communities and local economy in southwest Virginia, as visitors come from near and far to view the fall foliage, hike the trails and explore the wonderful outdoor and cultural offerings of the area.”
