Chimney Rock, a tiny village in Rutherford County known for its large granite outcropping high above all else, witnessed catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene.
The massive storm swept through the Carolinas on Friday, Sept. 27, devastating western North Carolina.
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, 11 days after Helene hit Chimney Rock, reporter Claire Kopsky traveled to the town to tour the unimaginable destruction left behind.
“Everybody that comes here says the same thing. This is so much worse than we could have imagined,” said Mayor Peter O’Leary. The mayor, who has lived in Chimney Rock for 34 years, said he estimates 40 businesses were lost as well as 20 homes. The village had one fatality in the storm -- a woman who despite efforts to evacuate by local firefighters -- refused to leave her home which was later pulled into the Broad River.