Photo / Steve Exum / Getty Images via Grist. Residents and business owners in Spruce Pine haul away some of the debris and mud that inundated downtown.
MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Flooding from Hurricane Helene (downgraded to a tropical storm) left Western North Carolina rivers and creeks filled with debris, which could cause additional flooding in the future. This photo was taken Sept. 28 on the South Toe River in Yancey County.
MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. A chance 911 call, helpers visiting from Wake County, and quick thinking among neighborhood residents helped the victims of flash flooding in Brushy Creek get out alive. The Hurricane Helene-related flooding destroyed homes and cars in Grindstaff Trailer Park.
MNJ Photo/Eric Haggart. Mitchell County Schools is in the process of selling Deyton Elementary School to N.C. Baptists on Mission. The Baptist organization plans to use the building to house volunteers coming to help rebuild homes lost to Hurricane Helene. The organization expects to be involved in rebuilding for five to six years in areas in Mitchell, Yancey and Avery counties. Residents such as those in hard hit Relief, NC, pictured above, would benefit from the work of Baptists on a Mission.
MNJ photo/Mariel Williams. Attorney Beth Holmes, center right, is sworn in as a member of the Spruce Pine Town Council, while Mayor Phillip Hise (left) and Town Manager Darlene Butler (right) look on.