NEWLAND, N.C. — Nearly a month later, many people are still without a place to stay in our mountain communities due to the impacts of Helene. People have had to turn to shelters and friends to find a place to sleep.
One Avery County business, The Inn at Shady Lawn, is stepping up to help.
The sun peaked through the wooded blinds inside Grace Calhoun and her daughter's room. It's a room originally meant just for a few days, but that timeline was extended.
They lost their homes to Helene.
"Total devastation and unbelievable shock," Calhoun said. "I never thought that Avery County would ever see this kind of devastation. I had to go 250 miles to get a hotel room.”
They found sanctuary at The Inn at Shady Lawn.
“It’s a blessing, it’s an absolute godsend we had this availability," Calhoun said.
Sarah Hartzog with the inn said since the beginning they have been helping. They gave away rooms and gave anyone laundry access and showers.
“The first day, the night that it happened, one of our maintenance people was just throwing keys at people and said 'go here, there’s a bed, you have a roof,'" Hartzog said. "People who were states away, who had reservations, were saying 'we aren’t coming up, but we are not going to cancel. Take our money, we will pay and give it to someone who needs it.'”
Communities in the mountains of western North Carolina continue to reel in the aftermath of Helene. WCNC Charlotte has an easy reference page to show ways you can help our neighbors in their time of need.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.