With reports of at least 166 deaths throughout six Southern states and countless others displaced due to flooding and other storm-related damage, the impact of Hurricane Helene last week is unbelievable—and still unfolding.
The Category 4 hurricane pummeled the Southeast beginning last Thursday, Sept. 24, from Florida to Tennessee, up through the Carolinas and Virginia. Hardest-hit states were Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia also experiencing flooding and destruction from heavy winds. According to Associated Press reports, nearly half of the deaths occurred in North Carolina; dozens more died in Georgia and South Carolina. The death toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue.
Sustaining the most destruction and loss were Asheville, Boone, Lake Lure, Canton, and other communities surrounding the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, along with the Upstate region of South Carolina. In Asheville, at least 50 are dead—and more still missing.
Associated Press reports note 1.2 million in the Carolinas and Georgia are still without power, many without communication or access to clean water. Others remain stranded or unaccounted for, with rescue teams struggling to reach them. Rescue and relief efforts are expected to pick up as flood waters recede.
President Biden visited North Carolina and South Carolina on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Also reported by Associated Press, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is delivering two million ready-to-eat meals and more than one million liters of water.
Local impacts
Spartanburg and Greenville, S.C., part of the Upstate region, were severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. Crystal Hendrickson is vice president of sales and public relations for Pinnacle Partnership in Spartanburg and Greenville. “The damage is bad and extensive,” she says. “Our communities are without power, gas, food, and lodging. We have been working since last week to get our hotel partners back online. Storm crews, FEMA, and the National Guard are here to help us clean up, provide emergency assistance, and begin the process of rebuilding.” Hendrickson and others in the hospitality community have been working tirelessly to find lodging for storm crews and displaced hotel guests, ahead of their own clean-up and recovery—a testament to the selfless and service-first spirit of hospitality workers.
Pinnacle Partnership is a leader in the Spartanburg and Greenville collaboration, along with South Carolina Restaurant Lodging Association, on Hubitality, a nonprofit program designed to provide emergency assistance to hospitality industry employees in Spartanburg County in times of personal crisis. Hendrickson says the program’s grant is likely to be severely depleted after Hurricane Helene. “Pinnacle Partnership has set up supplies’ drops for our hospitality workers at Hampton Inn Airport in Greenville and at 1881 Event Hall in Spartanburg,” she adds. “We will continue to support the hospitality community and our community at large in this way for as long as needed. We will take a large drop to our partners in western North Carolina this Friday, Oct. 4, and will continue to do so weekly, as their recovery will be much slower in those hardest-hit areas.”
Though not as tragic as loss of life, home, or other property, travel and tourism also are, and will continue to be, impacted by Hurricane Helene. Will Tuttle, director of Visit North Carolina, expects the mountain regions of western North Carolina to lose more than $1 billion in fall tourism alone. “Based on 2023 visitor spending in the mountain region (western and northwest prosperity zones) and the fact the region saw 24 percent of the year’s visitation in the fall,” he says, “our best estimate is this storm has the potential to cost western North Carolina approximately $1.8 billion in visitor spending for the fall.”
As Tuttle explains, it is hard to know the hurricane’s impact on meetings, as local destination marketing organizations work closely with meeting planners. “Asheville and Harrah’s Cherokee Resort in Swain County would be the places most likely to have had meetings impacted,” he says, adding, “Boone might have had some smaller meetings as well.”
Tuttle notes the central portion of the state is more associated with hosting meetings, in such destinations as Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Hickory—“all of which are open for meetings,” he says.
Beyond the headlines
While much coverage has been given to Asheville, N.C., the devastation extends to numerous other cities and towns far beyond. Other areas also severely impacted include Bakersville, Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Vilas, Sugar Grove, Elk Park, Flat Rock, West Jefferson, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Sylva, Cullowhee, Crossnore, Brevard, Bryson City, Hendersonville, Cherokee, Waynesville, Burnsville, Candler, Canton, Spruce Pine, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Linville, Marshall, Maggie Valley, Newland, Grandfather, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Old Fort, Morganton, and Marion. Many of these communities have experienced severe flooding and complete destruction, Tuttle says.
He adds, “North Carolina counties of Yancey, Mitchell, Avery, Ashe, Watauga, Transylvania, Burke, Caldwell, Alleghany, Madison, Buncombe, McDowell, Rutherford, Polk, Henderson, Wilkes, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Clay, Cherokee, and Swain, for example, are in dire need of assistance. Some areas are even more impacted than Asheville.” Additionally, Tuttle explains the broader region of western North Carolina, also including Alexander, Catawba, Cleveland, Surry, and Yadkin counties, forms a vast area of roughly 11,750 square miles—comparable to the size of Massachusetts—and accounts for 11 percent of North Carolina’s population.
“We are truly heartbroken over the devastation we see in the steady stream of reports from western North Carolina,” Tuttle says. “The loss of each life is soul-crushing, and it is distressing to see people in the cities, towns, and communities we love deprived of all the things we take for granted: drinking water from the tap, food from the kitchen, electricity and Wi-Fi at the switch, and roads to wherever we want or need to go. At the same time, we are heartened by the stories of heroic rescues and by the generosity of those contributing to relief efforts. We also find hope in the resilience that has seen North Carolinians through hard times in the past, and we look forward to reaching higher ground over time.”
Show your support
For those who are interested in showing support, Tuttle notes several reputable relief organizations offering assistance and accepting donations, including:
North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund
NC Hospitality Workers Relief Fund
Airbnb is partnering with local nonprofits in North Carolina to connect those displaced by the storm with temporary free housing. Visit the website to learn more about how to provide free or discounted stays, or make a donation to relief efforts.
Southern Smoke Foundation is also offering emergency assistance to F&B workers in North Carolina who have been affected.
Hendrickson suggests three ways the public can help:
1. Donate to reputable relief efforts: Consider donating to such organizations as American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Samaritan’s Purse.
2. Amplify awareness: “Contact media outlets to encourage coverage of the entire western North Carolina region,” she says. “It is essential for the public to understand the true scale of this disaster, as many are still awaiting rescue or support. Additionally, spreading the word can help those searching for their loved ones: #WNC.”
3. To donate food, cleaning supplies, or funds to buy supplies for Hubitality’s weekly drops in Greenville, Spartanburg, and western North Carolina, donate at Hubitality.org, or email crystal.hendrickson@pinnaclepartnership.com.
“This is more than just a region,” Hendrickson says. “It is home to families, friends, and communities needing support. My heart breaks for everyone affected.”
ConventionSouth extends our heartfelt condolences to those areas in the South devastated by Hurricane Helene. During this difficult time of tragedy, the meetings, tourism, and hospitality industries come together to support our community partners and friends.
