Helene recovery continues in Chimney Rock

Описание: Nearly a year and a half after Helene ripped through Chimney Rock, the town is continuing to rebuild, with leaders pointing to visible signs of progress across the community.

The sound of construction now fills parts of town as businesses continue working to get back on their feet.

“We've got a little mini building boom going on. We’ve got eight businesses that are actively trying to rebuild and reopen by this summer,” Chimney Rock Mayor Peter O’Leary said.

He added that everyone in the area felt the storm’s impact.

“We lost 15 out of 45 businesses, so 30% of our business community was washed away. We had five bridges in town, four vehicle bridges, one pedestrian bridge, that were all washed away, every bridge in town,” O’Leary said.

Rebuilding efforts are underway throughout the village. O’Leary said a temporary riverwalk is being built for visitors, and the local post office, which had been closed for several months, is reopening this month.

The construction on the riverwalk will be done by Precision Grading & Disaster Relief.

Business owners like Matt Banz are working every day to rebuild their livelihoods.

“You’ve got to want to come back every day and just face the challenges of the rebuilding efforts and a lot of it is behind the scenes, where you don’t see some of our merchants are struggling financially, hopefully that it’s going to come back in the spring stronger than ever,” Banz said.

Banz owns multiple businesses in Chimney Rock Village, all of which were affected by the storm. He spent the last year working to reopen and was finally able to welcome customers back in late 2025.

With tourism season approaching, business owners say the coming months will be critical.

“A lot of us really need to have this happen. We’ve spent a lot, we’ve borrowed money, we’ve received grants, we’re kind of getting to that point where we’re at the end of the road with the rebuilding process and financially for some of us and we’re really looking forward to the season,” Banz said.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said road work is ongoing, including bridge replacements along U.S. 64 and grading and drainage improvements within town limits.

“We've got a long way to go, but it's an exciting journey we love for people to come and look at it as we move along that journey,” O’Leary said.
#helene #business
_______________
Follow WLOS on social media:

WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook:   / news13  
WLOS ABC 13 News on X: https://x.com/WLOS_13
WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram:   / wlos_13  

Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABC13Cha...

For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit www.wlos.com
Stream our newscasts LIVE: www.wlos.com/watch

Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:
Email us: [email protected]
Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340

--

WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.

This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information contact us at [email protected]