BOONE, N.C. — Just two hours north of Charlotte, Boone is facing a long and challenging recovery after Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction across Watauga County.
King Street was completely flooded when the storm brought torrential rain on Friday, then high winds knocked down countless trees and power lines. Mayor Tim Futrelle announced the town is operating under a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew to reduce the number of cars on potentially flooded roads.
Futrelle urged everyone to stay home when possible, telling residents that Blue Ridge Energy crews were working tirelessly to restore power as quickly as possible.
'I've never heard the mountains groan'
As recovery efforts from Helene continue in Boone, North Carolina, a sinkhole has formed near Wilson Ridge and Bamboo Road. An example, officials say, that everyone should avoid unnecessary travel.
"The mountain exploded with water everywhere and it was like white water rafting for a couple hundred meters wide and it was just coming down everywhere that it could," Curtis Hubbard, a Boone resident, told WCNC Charlotte. "I've never heard the mountains... groan... you could hear the trees rushing."
Hubbard says his street, Pinnacle Drive, is no longer passable by car.
"I don’t know how they are going to get vehicles up there to even fix the power because there's only one way in and one way out," he said."
The scars left behind from the storm will be long-lasting.
"The closer to the top the worst it seems to get," Joe Baumhover, another Boone resident, explained. "As far as trees that look like they have been there 100 years they're no longer there."
Neighbors are helping neighbors get supplies and other necessities.
"I've gotten rides in pick-up trucks and people are bringing up stuff," Hubbard explained.
Other supplies are coming straight from nature.
"The neighbors are using spring for water for bathroom and for drinking because it straight out of the mountains," Hubbard said.
Just down the road, Tammy Kowalczyk is using a ladder to cross a spring. It is the only way for Kowalczyk to get to and from her home after her driveway collapsed.
"You see something like this and it's amazing how people come together," she said. "That’s what's so overwhelming for us."
Some people are not sure how long it will be before they will have power again
Where to find help in Boone
In the meantime, a water distribution center has been set up at Watauga High School and an emergency shelter is open at Appalachian State University. The shelter is located at the Holmes Convention Center at 111 Rivers Street. The shelter has food, water and dry beds available. Off-campus students, faculty and staff can call 1-800-RED-CROSS for information.
Classes at App State will be canceled through at least Friday, Oct. 4, due to the storm.
"The lack of communication we are experiencing currently is something we have not yet seen before," Futrelle said. "Our network providers are working together to repair all damaged towers. Our primary issue, however, is off the mountain where a relay switch to fiber connectivity has been damaged. The repairs for this part of the network currently do not have a timeline."
Residents are still stunned by what they saw during the storm.
"People losing buildings, people losing items, Walmart got flooded," one App State student said. "Those sources are good, not just for college students, but our local community who don't have another place to go."
"It was complete devastation with this flooding," another student said. "We're advised to go home but some people can't even do that because bridges and roads home are completely wiped out and destroyed."
Lowe's helping out after store flooded
Lowe’s is launching the biggest relief effort ever in the company’s history – including a $2 million donation to help those hit hard by Helene.
The Lowe’s store in Boone is just minutes from App State and store manager Chris Reynolds told WCNC Charlotte that a creek came rushing into the store on Friday.
"Our parking lot started flooding and then we had a flash flood from the creek next to our store," Chris Reynolds, the store's manager, said. "Quite a few inches came into the store along with silt, and mud and shut us down for a while it got so deep at one point in the parking lot it was up to my waste."
Within hours, Reynolds says coworkers from Charlotte and elsewhere in the region rushed to help.
"Luckily I had a lot of peers in Charlotte that came to rescue us that evening and they and other teams worked through the night and made sure we were ready to open in the morning and safe for the customers," Reynolds said.
With so much damage across the town of Boone, Reynolds said customers were at the store first thing in the morning, desperate for supplies.
"We took care of them at the front door one at a time," Reynolds said. "It wasn’t safe for them to come in the building but I wanted to make sure they had everything they needed so they could save their homes it's really a privilege to serve this community and make sure we are taking care of the people that take care of us every day."
Lowe's is also going to be hosting bucket brigades throughout the south where they give away supplies - those are planned for later this week.