BOONE, N.C. — Business owners in Boone are working around the clock trying to salvage anything they can after Helene battered the North Carolina mountains last week, bringing catastrophic flooding and high winds that toppled trees and power lines all across Watauga County.
Things are looking much better downtown, especially on King Street, which was under several inches of rushing floodwaters at the peak of Helene. However, some businesses worry it could take months or even years before the charming mountain town is back to normal.
Some stores are back open but customers are sparse as many folks are dealing with their own cleanup or have no transportation because roads are washed out or unsafe. Many Appalachian State University students have also returned home and there's a curfew in place keeping many people away from town for their own safety.
"It will drastically slow things down," Tim Knight, the general manager of Social on Main, said. "I know the local governments ask people to stay away for a little while so they can take care of what they need to take care of here in town. October is typically our busiest time of the year."
Just a few minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain, Boone is usually preparing for leaf-peeping season, but several businesses say Helene's timing will jeopardize their bottom line for the entire year. The town of 19,000 relies on tourism, especially in the fall.
"I don't know if anyone wants to come up here if they were normally coming to look at one of the prettiest places in the whole country, and now they're coming to look at devastation," Paul Tuttle, the owner of brunch spot Melanie's, told the Associated Press.
Some are noticing warning signs that could spell trouble for tourism in Boone and surrounding mountain towns.
"Man, there's no telling," Matt Blackburn, the public works director in nearby Blowing Rock, said. "Definitely months. I don't know. I don't think there's a true understanding of the extent of how catastrophic this was, so it'll be months before things even resemble normal, or whatever normal is going to be."
Kurt Kaunath, 60, rode out the storm with his wife in their camper overlooking Watauga Lake in Tennessee. They had no cell service, and at one point, he said he was worried the winds would topple the camper into the lake — but the couple made it out safely.
When they returned to his home in the outskirts of Blowing Rock — about 8 miles (13 kilometers) south of Boone — on Sunday, there was still no power. His job as a part-time paramedic in downtown Boone has become a refuge — giving him access to running water and air conditioning.
But Kaunath said there's been “cancellation after cancellation” for an Airbnb he owns in the area. It was almost fully booked for October before the storm hit, he said.
“That's when all these businesses make their money, and that's when all the people are here supporting the hotels and all the infrastructure that's here," he said. “And that's not going to happen.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.