Small-business owners were tasked with pivoting their businesses to be sensitive to the needs of customers while also navigating the personal impacts of Hurricane Helene. We asked our business sponsors, who make Stroll Biltmore Park magazine possible, to share how they navigated their businesses in Helene’s aftermath. Their stories inspire hope and resilience as they reopen and continue to revitalize our community.

“Mission Health team members have been in awe of the inspiring stories from around WNC since Hurricane Helene. More than 1,200 of our local colleagues stayed overnight at Mission Hospital to ensure the safety and well-being of our patients during the worst days of the storm. Many were not able to make contact with their own families for days, yet were committed to a safe and calm environment within our walls. Leaders transported food and buckets of water throughout the floors, our ER treated double the usual number of patients those first few days, and every single person rolled up their sleeves and worked together to make sure our hospital was open and available for care.

“Community members and staff brought grills to our ambulance bay to cook food for our colleagues and first responders. We saw neighbors helping neighbors, clearing trees to make the roadways passable, gathering water and transporting each other for groceries, supplies or healthcare.

“There has been no shortage of volunteer efforts in our community to help recover and rebuild all that we have lost. By Sunday, support was arriving daily including from HCA Healthcare with more than 400 nurses, physicians and other colleagues from our sister hospitals to relieve our caregivers. Being a part of this larger network of care is a benefit for us all as we were fortunate to receive pallets of food, tanker trucks of water and supplies for our colleagues to recover from the devastating floods both at work and at home. The inspiration we’ve felt throughout WNC has driven our colleagues to keep moving forward and care like family for those in need.”

“Real estate was turned on its side in the aftermath of the storm. October, typically our second busiest month of the year, didn’t unfold as planned. I had several listings set to come on the market (five in Biltmore Park) and had to postpone their launch due to fallen trees. I spent the days and weeks after the storm checking in on clients, facilitating repairs and cleanup. November saw an uptick in sales and I made up for lost time. The struggle will continue for a few of my seller clients whose neighborhoods are still not readily accessible. Hopefully, spring will see more roads being repaired and people able to get where they want to go.

“I was amazed to see the Biltmore Park community come together to problem-solve and support one another. From sharing food and water to coordinating tree and debris removal, to checking on each other’s well-being, it was heartwarming to see the camaraderie and genuine concern for one another.”

—Gaia Goldman, Allen Tate | Beverly-Hanks REALTORS® and Biltmore Park neighbor

 

“Directly after Hurricane Helene, our team at Elite Eye Care adjusted our operations to support the needs of our community. We lowered the number of scheduled patients to accommodate walk-ins from patients who had broken or lost their glasses due to the hurricane. We offered bottled water to both our staff and our patients, and we also made warm coffee from bottled water, which delighted many patients who were still without power and water. For a period, we opened our office to Tunnel Vision, another optometric office in the area that experienced more significant damage, allowing them to see their patients at our facility.

“We began a winter coat drive to support those who lost theirs in the storm, as well as a drive to collect used eyeglass frames. We established a fund to cover lenses for patients who lost their glasses. We ran a one-day event to provide free eye care services and glasses to hurricane victims late last year. We (Dr. Perry and Dr. Casey) volunteered our time with recovery efforts immediately after the storm, working in soup kitchens and helping clean up in downtown Marshall.

“I’ve been inspired by the resilience and gratitude of our community. Seeing our patients’ excitement over something as simple as a warm cup of coffee reminded me of small comforts we often take for granted. Being able to offer patients a little warmth and a little normalcy was truly uplifting. Witnessing the willingness of our community to come together and support each other has been truly heartening, as has the dedication of local organizations to aid recovery efforts.”

“We have helped WNC with our health coaching and wellness services to support the community, including working with Asheville City Schools and our partners at Rogue Combat Club, a self-defense facility in Asheville teaching jiujitsu, wrestling and Muay Thai to adults and kids. We are all showing up for one another, facilitating true community and being kind. I am so grateful to live in this kind of community. Right now, Lifestyle of Fitness is offering its coaching services on a sliding-scale basis to help those in the community who want health coaching and wellness support but wouldn’t be able to access these services otherwise.”

“We closed Friday, Sept. 27, and reopened our Asheville location Oct. 7 with internet and power but no water. Our Hendersonville location, opened in February 2024, experienced significant water damage and is closed for remediation. All of our Hendersonville providers and staff are squeezing into our Asheville location. Wow, lugging around water for the restrooms took up the first two days back. It took five days to locate all of our staff. We were incredibly thankful they were all alive. We had an employee endure significant loss to her home during the storm. Staff, providers and friends met up with her and hugged her when she was still covered in river water. We brought her donations of goods, offered housing and used all resources to help this staff member find a sense of safety. Many members of our team were found helping their neighbors cutting trees with chain saws, moving cut trees to one location, serving at their community centers and providing meals.

“Our staff has shown an overall thankfulness for one another, something that is not shown as often as we want during the daily grind. It’s been amazing to see everyone come together for those we know and don’t know. Advanced Dermatology and Skin Surgery paid all staff during our closure and spent all day contacting staff to find them what they needed or point them in the right direction. The theme “mountain strong” seems to run through the veins of people who live in WNC, whether they are from here or are transplants.”

 

"We have been witness to amazing acts of kindness and selflessness. I shared with someone that one day, the rivers would run clear again, and I hope and pray that when they do, we never forget how a country and the world showed up to help Appalachia and her beautiful people. It has truly been the best of humanity on display.

 

"Inspired by this, the Marthaler team designed a cross, cast in-house, and partnered with Blue

Ridge Chicks to create shirts celebrating the beauty of WNC. Proceeds from these efforts are

directly supporting organizations like Hearts With Hands and Cabins4Christ to provide housing

and aid to those displaced by the storm. We have always believed our responsibility and privilege is to be a conduit for paying it forward to our community and others for the blessings God gives us. Supporting our business is how we help the helpers. Our commitment is to use our business as a way to give back and help rebuild and strengthen their community."

 

We’re grateful for every single person who supports this mission. Please call Tonya at

(828) 676-1625 to place an order.

 

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