ASHEVILLE - Tropical Storm Helene exposed the fragility of the systems Western North Carolina depends on when disaster strikes. Two years later, emergency agencies, utilities, hospitals, nonprofits and exhausted responders are still managing the last recovery — while preparing for the next one.
Counties across Western North Carolina quickly found out during Tropical Storm Helene that some communications equipment was not up to the task.
During Tropical Storm Helene, some counties experienced failures of 911 systems, however, calls were automatically rerouted to other counties that made contact in other ways.
Downtown Marshall, in Madison County, suffered catastrophic damage during Tropical Storm Helene. Now, substantial improvements to public safety are complete or underway.
Concrete footers for a 75-foot line-of-sight communications tower, meant to bolster communications during extreme weather events, have been poured in Madison County.
Asheville Citizen Times Growth and Development Reporter Will Hofmann interviews Asheville residents waiting in line for access to the ATM at Wells Fargo along Haywood Street in downtown Asheville the morning of Sept. 29. Tropical Storm Helene landed in Western North Carolina Sept. 27, knocking out power, water, cell service and Wi-Fi across the mountains.
In Asheville, nurses in Mission Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit worked through the night to provide care to some of the region's youngest — and most vulnerable — residents.
During Tropical Storm Helene, some counties experienced failures of 911 systems, however, calls were automatically rerouted to other counties that made contact in other ways.
Downtown Marshall, in Madison County, suffered catastrophic damage during Tropical Storm Helene. Now, substantial improvements to public safety are complete or underway.
Concrete footers for a 75-foot line-of-sight communications tower, meant to bolster communications during extreme weather events, have been poured in Madison County.
Asheville Citizen Times Growth and Development Reporter Will Hofmann interviews Asheville residents waiting in line for access to the ATM at Wells Fargo along Haywood Street in downtown Asheville the morning of Sept. 29. Tropical Storm Helene landed in Western North Carolina Sept. 27, knocking out power, water, cell service and Wi-Fi across the mountains.
In Asheville, nurses in Mission Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit worked through the night to provide care to some of the region's youngest — and most vulnerable — residents.
