The hurricane that has devastated a city in Asheville, North Carolina, the Hurricane Helene. However, the damage that the storm brought to Asheville, which was hit by the tropical storm on September 27 was quite significant. More than 200 people died due to the flooding, heavy rainfall, and strong winds that caused widespread destruction, with millions being displaced or facing dire situations of hunger, lack of electricity, and water deprivation. This has been the sector that was historically supported mainly by small and family-owned companies, as well as tourist related businesses.
Businesses such as small ones in Asheville are affected very badly by this hurricane. Flooding has indeed ruined several businesses in the same vicinity as well as caused several homes in one town to be flooded. An example of the tragic happenings occurs when Brian Fetting and Dan Juhnke were killed while working for New Origin Brewing. They both, as the two people, personally went through the process of renovations that greatly changed not only the looks of the brewery, but also, transformed a place of leisure in the residents and tourists alike. They were all so interested in woodworking and welding at school until they got the chance to work on the tables and chairs at the brewery.
The first store opened in 2021, which was an attempt by the business community of Asheville to express their growth and diverseness as a group of small stores. Also, as a stop one would need to try one of their popular local brews as sold only in brewery shops. ‘It turned out that this wonderful place became my home, and it’s so cool to have this amazing community by my side,” Fetting claimed. While the same storm Helene affected the brewery, it was completely consumed and destroyed. As the river water levels rose, the train carriage went floating into a building and as a result, all of it ended up as a pile of broken wooden splinter and a splintered pile of metal.
Although they had started some preparation, such as securing the building and putting up barriers to prevent damage and had even prepared sandbags for the floodwaters, they were unable to fight the flood and were eventually submerged. The company that the brewery belonged to and ran, and the relationships that was established with people were, within seconds, gone. In this case they cover only three-quarters of their losses through flood insurance, meaning that when it is covered the insurance company will be reimbursed through a loan. Some time ago, they were around $300,000 which they used to pay off their bank loans.
Despite the post focusing on New Origin Brewing, the post does explain why many businesses would rather die rather than the survival in the post. The axe throwing venue in the mall in Asheville, on the other hand, have had a severe impact on this year’s Valhalla in mall Axe Throwing competition, which took place last year. This was a big challenge for both Shane and Rachel Miller because they had to shut the malls as the malls were flooded. It should take about a month before electricity and water are brought back and the city can start to recover. As for other factors that were once in their growth phase, there was a slow down in their business which was affected more by the decline in their major industries like leisure, entertainment, recreation, and travel services. Some tourist routes like the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Smoky Mountains have been closed and the earnings for tourists on these routes is also negative this autumn.
However, because what happened in Asheville was terrible, the spirit of community and people still remain very strong and the spirit of resistance is still very much in place. Most people have come out to support each other by clearing out rubbish, donating their hard work to the struggling companies, and carrying on work as usual as much as possible with their respective actions. Another example is Salvation Army in Asheville, MANNA FoodBank and United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, and some other organizations like Salvation Army in Asheville, and recovery support.
This way, the picture is not complete with the catastrophe occurring, but Asheville is not exactly destroyed by it. There are still those willing to fight, those millers and fetter, the entrepreneurs in the business, to continue the fight for assistance in the community and outside for survival from the financial crisis that has struck the organization. However, for normal it will take some long term efforts and maybe not in the near future and most businesses may not go back to the level they were before. This is a common myth that the atmosphere in a small town such as Asheville is due to its entrepreneurs who have developed them. However, if the city is trying to rebuild itself again, then it will definitely need support from the residents, as well as help from other communities in the city.
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