Boots on the Ground After Hurricane Helene

BARNARDSVILLE, N.C.—Beautiful Western North Carolina is replete with small, charming, historic towns. However, on Sept. 27, many  suffered devastating damage due to the impact of Hurricane Helene.
Many residents’ families have lived in the Appalachian communities for generations, but they’re not used to hurricanes. People were completely unprepared when 10 to 30 inches of rain pounded the mountainous region, causing creeks, streams, and rivers to swell their banks. The destructive power wrought by the downward flow of merging waterways and mudslides uprooted trees, lifted homes, hurled vehicles, and destroyed bridges.
In the past three-plus weeks since the monumental storm affected “1.8 million people living in the 25 counties,” according to the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, rural towns have been transformed from idyllic to nightmarish.
People who have lived in Western North Carolina’s small mountain towns, whether for multiple generations or just a few years, admit they’re as focused on rehabilitating important buildings as much as their own homes.  Thus, not only is the need immense for boots on the ground to assist people with healthcare, housing, food, and other essentials, but volunteers are necessary to rescue North Carolina mountain towns’ historic structures and monuments from the ravages of moisture, mud, and mold.
Along Barnardsville’s main roadside, N.C. Highway 197, and in front of many homes and its few businesses are heaps of downed trees and piles of muddy belongings. Barnardsville, which was settled in the early 1800s, is now a command center. Booths outside of businesses, such as an old mechanics garage and a mercantile store, offer everything from missing persons assistance to first aid to solar phone charging.
Under open tents are tables filled to the brim with necessities: baby formula, diapers, non-perishable food, warm clothing, and paper goods. A few food trucks are on the premises, as are large poster boards filled with handwritten information about offered resources: firewood, cleanup, repairs, skilled workers—to name a few.
Marshall, named for U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall (1755–1835) became the county seat. The county itself was named for the fourth American president, James Madison.
This architectural marvel was considered one of the most impressive courthouses in all of North Carolina. It was designed by architect Richard Sharp Smith, who was employed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt. While he worked for Hunt, he designed the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
Marshall’s courthouse just re-opened in February 2024 after undergoing preservation and renovation efforts. Now it needs to be renovated once again—that is, after it dries out, just like almost every other building in the town of 800 residents. Practically everywhere one looks in Marshall, Barnardsville, and numerous other old, pastoral towns in Western North Carolina, there are hollowed out buildings and houses in disrepair.
Jennifer Swart, who lives in Buncombe County with her husband and five school-age children, said, “Everything feels so fragile now. All the securities we once had got washed away with flood waters and landslides. We all try to offset this trauma by looking to the future, looking to rebuilding our once safe beloved homes and towns. Looking towards the good in the humanity around us, just trying to scrape what hope we can in the midst of all the mud, debris, and death. We take a deep breath of that beautifully sweet Appalachian air and remember that these mountains we love have healing in them, they are still here. We are still here. And we will be okay.”
To play a role in saving and restoring history for future generations, volunteers can assist in the coming months. Those with historic preservation experience or skills in carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, and contracting are encouraged to volunteer. However, interested volunteers should not “self-deploy,” meaning travel unannounced to affected towns to offer services. Instead, they should link up with a logistical site coordinator through various town hall managers, historic preservation organization directors, and cleanup/restoration nonprofits such as Samaritan’s Purse and Baptists on Mission.