Laura Jorgensen is a Florida native, so she thought she knew what to expect from tropical storms.
But after emerging from her rural home near Asheville, North Carolina after Hurricane Helene swept through the area on Sept. 26, toppling trees and flooding the area with higher water levels than the region has ever seen, she couldn’t believe what she saw.
“There’s really a handful of us who didn’t lose everything, and we’re one of them,” said the co-founder and CEO of sport nutrition marketplace Fuel Goods on a call from Asheville.
The interior of Second Gear’s building, which has been condemned, is filled with mud. Photo courtesy of Rhea Lidowski.
Authorities and the community are still recovering bodies from the wreckage and finding missing people. So far, more than 230 people were killed in the hurricane, and some are still trying to locate and communicate with loved ones on spotty cell and internet service. Thousands of people still don’t have electricity.
Jorgensen’s home is on a well (“This is the first time I’ve ever been excited that I have well water at my house,” she jokes), but most of the city is not. Authorities warn that it could be Thanksgiving before running water is restored, meaning daily life and operating most types of businesses will be challenging for some time.
The view from Fuel Goods’ office after Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Laura Jorgensen.
Western North Carolina’s once thriving outdoor business community is reeling. Second Gear, a beloved consignment store in the River Arts District, was destroyed, largely by debris that came crashing through the store walls as water levels rose. French Broad Outfitters, a tubing, kayaking, and biking store on Riverside Drive, is closed for the foreseeable future as employees volunteer to deliver supplies in remote communities. Watershed Drybags, which is also located close to the French Broad River, was flooded with four feet of water. So far, employees have started sifting through the mud to salvage what they can.
Western North Carolina’s Outdoor Community Mobilizes to Help Neighbors
The outdoor community is also showing remarkable resilience, springing into action to help their fellow businesses and the community
Fuel Goods and high-performance apparel company Pressio have teamed up to raise money for their neighbors, Asheville Adventure Company and Rockgeist Bikepack USA, which have had to pause operations as it deals with the impact of Helene. Fuel Goods is also donating 10% of sales during the month of October to relief efforts.
Second Gear Manager Ryan Comer assesses the rising water levels from the rain before the hurricane hit. Photo courtesy of Rhea Lidowski.
Mountain BizWorks launched the WNC Strong: Helene Business Recovery Fund, a rapid recovery loan program to help small businesses in recovering from the devastating impacts of Tropical Storm Helene. Academy Sports + Outdoors is distributing supplies in several states that were impacted. Bass Pro Shops is working with Convoy of Hope to get supplies to communities in need and REI is connecting customers to a list of non-profit organizations that are mobilizing to help.
Second Gear has launched a Go Fund Me campaign to support its staff of 16 in the wake of the hurricane. Heavy rain in the days before the storm had already caused some flooding in the riverside store, so employees weren’t able to get anything out of the store ahead of Helene, said Rhea Lidowski, Second Gear’s marketing lead. Eventually, after the storm subsided, Lidowski’s husband and a friend used chainsaws to cut through fallen trees so they could get to town and assess the damage from a nearby bridge.
“It was like standing in a horror movie, but you’re outside your body,” Lidowski said. “You’re seeing the destruction around you. Footage doesn’t really show what it felt like to be there – knowing where the river is supposed to be, knowing how high it is now, how wide the path of destruction was. It was just next level.”
Second Gear poured $500,000 into outfitting their building, and Lidowski said the business likely won’t be covered by their insurance, which only covered a couple of feet of flood water.
Astral Footwear, which is also located on Riverside Drive, was largely spared from damage, said Cooper Lambla, who works in brand and marketing at the company’s Seattle office. Asheville employees were able to move some valuables out of the office and move the company van away from the river to a safer spot.
Western North Carolina’s ‘Grit and Vinegar’
The van has come in handy, enabling Astral’s team to help with search and rescue efforts and to deliver necessities to remote communities outside of Asheville that have been hit hard. Astral shared resources for folks who need help, and is urging anyone with the means to donate to the French Broad River Academy Salamander Fund, Beloved Asheville, and Asheville Survival Program. The brand will also donate 5% of online sales of its latest limited edition GreenJacket to RISE Erwin.
The team at Rockgeist Backpack USA tried to save as much as they could from rising water. Photo courtesy of Laura Jorgensen.
The Appalachian region is resilient, Lambla said, adding that he has no doubt it will recover from the storm.
“It’s one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world,” he said. “And the outdoor culture there is one of the longest standing in the country, and so there’s this underlying strength to the community that is built off that grit and strength and hardship.”
Both Jorgensen and Lidowski marveled at how the local community has come together to help each other in the aftermath of Helene.
“I’m telling you, these folks are made out of grit and vinegar,” Lidowski said. “They are stubborn and full of the most abundant generosity and love that you have ever experienced. And everyone has stepped up.”
Kate Robertson can be reached at kate.robertson@emeraldx.com.
