BANNER ELK, N.C. — It's going to take a lot of heavy lifting to clean up the Town of Banner Elk in western North Carolina.
The tourist community is currently grappling with the devestation caused by Helene. Many roads in the area have been deemed impassible and are still littered with debris and fallen limbs caused by major flooding. The town remains under a state of emergency.
Despite the unprecedented levels of destruction, area residents are still making a point to help out their neighbors in need.
“I have some friends and family on the backside of Beech Mountain that haven’t gotten out since the storm," said Jordan Laws, a nearby resident. "Just got in touch with them today. I knew supplies were available so I figured I’d load up and head that way and see what I could do.”
Volunteers from across the state have been delivering food and water to the hard hit community in Avery County, situated between Beech Mountain to the north and Sugar Mountain to the south.
Throughout western counties, more than 800 members of the North Carolina National Guard have been deployed to aid in relief efforts. President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he's sending 1,000 active-duty Army personnel to the state to help out.
Banner Elk resident Lisa Gwyn has been grateful for the amount of resources that have been funneled to the area in recent days.
“I’ve had a couple of friends texting me from down on the coast that are sending trucks of stuff up, but they don’t know where it goes," Gwyn said. "You know we could really use more in the smaller communities.”
Gwyn and the rest of her family have been left without power or running water since the storm hit. Her husband is currently on oxygen, and volunteers came by Monday to bring him a few extra tanks.
As the entire area begins to rebuild from Helene, town leaders say tourism — which is already a crucial part of the local economy — will also be a key to recovery.
"I don’t know if you guys can tell but we’re not going to be able to have any type of presence or visitors to the area," said Lora Elder, a volunteer who is overseeing crisis communications for the town. "When you have a bulk of the community, service economies are not high paying jobs, we’re dependent upon tourism, right now we don’t have roadways to allow tourists or second home owners to get in here.”
Elder says the Banner Elk Town Hall will continue to act as a distribution hub for food, water and WiFi. Goods collected there will also be distributed to communities in neighboring counties.
Though getting back on their feet will take some time, residents of Banner Elk say the area's strong sense of community will allow the town to keep thriving.
If you have been affected by Helene, here's a list of helpful resources.
Looking for ways to support residents of western North Carolina affected by Helene? We've compiled a list of reputable organizations who are already delivering aid, and you can find it here.
If you would like to donate online to the American Red Cross, you can use the following link: WFMY News 2 is supporting the American Red Cross.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.