Hurricane Helene’s destructive path has killed at least 107 people in six states, according to the Associated Press, and 30 of those were in the county that includes Asheville, NC.
Asheville and its 93,000 residents have suffered unprecedented flooding and landslides, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has predicted the death toll will rise.
Jessica Drye Turner of Texas said on Friday that her parents, sister, and 6-year-old nephew were stranded on their Asheville rooftop amid rising floodwaters, and had called 911 for rescue.
“They are watching 18-wheelers and cars floating by,” she wrote on Facebook.
In a heartbreaking follow-up message, she said, “My parents and nephew drowned because the roof collapsed. My sister got wedged between something. She was rescued an hour later.”
Hers is just one of the gut-wrenching stories that are likely to emerge as the hard-hit city regains cell and internet service, and residents are able to communicate again.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell plans to be in North Carolina on Monday.
“It’s still very much an active search and rescue mission,” Criswell says.
More than 50 search teams are reportedly looking for stranded people throughout the region. Damage to roads and bridges in the mountains have cut off access to many areas, and Asheville’s water system was severely damaged. Supplies are being airlifted to Asheville on Monday.
(Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Hurricane Helene has caused billions in property damage
While estimates for Asheville haven’t been released yet, Helene likely caused $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage overall in the United States, according to Moody’s Analytics.
Last week, we shared tips with readers on how to prepare for a natural disaster and how to financially prepare for extreme weather before it happens.
When it comes to hurricanes, wind damage is typically covered by homeowners insurance while flooding is not.
“Flood insurance is commonly misunderstood, and an Insurify survey found 13% of homeowners erroneously believe that their standard home insurance policy covers it,” says Cassie Sheets, a data journalist for Insurify.
Sheets says that homeowners insurance covers water damage from a burst pipe or leaking appliance, but not weather-related flood damage like storm surge flooding.
Homeowners can buy separate flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program or private insurers for that.
“Less than 1% of residents in Buncombe County carry flood insurance, which is common across much of southern Appalachia,” Mark Friedlander, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, tells Realtor.com®.
That means homeowners will bear the brunt of the astronomical rebuilding costs there, according to Sebastian Hov, CEO of 18 Insurance.
But there is a bit of good news: “As the property losses from Hurricane Helene are flood-related and not wind-related in the area, the storm should not impact home insurance rates,” Friedlander says.
Not right away, at least.
But Hov believes premiums are almost certainly going to rise in the aftermath of Helene, since the insurance industry is already facing mounting losses from to climate-related disasters.
“Even before Helene, the North Carolina Rate Bureau had requested a 20.5% increase for homeowners insurance rates in Buncombe County, which includes Asheville and 10 other Western North Carolina counties,” says Hov. “The severe flooding and damage caused by Helene will now likely reinforce the perception of Asheville as a high-risk area.”
What the city was like before Helene
Asheville is nestled in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, and its magnificent mountain setting has long attracted nature lovers who enjoy biking, hiking, horseback riding, and zip-lining.
The eclectic city is known for its thriving arts community, and its great live-music scene has earned it the nickname of “Nashville of the East.”
The city is also home to dozens of sublime restaurants and craft breweries—though it’s not yet known how many of those establishments have sustained damage from Helene.
What the real estate market was like before Helene
In July, Asheville nabbed the No. 8 spot in the “luxury” section of our Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com Housing Market Ranking.
The luxury market has exploded here in the past few years, with the median home price skyrocketing to $579,000.
In August, there were 1,219 homes for sale, ranging in price from $39,500 to $20 million.
It’s too soon to tell the exact impact that Helene will have on the real estate market, or the extent of damages on the homes there.
However, Helene has caused “extensive damage” to high-end coastal real estate, according to AccuWeather.
“The scale of this historic flooding disaster in the southern Appalachians cannot be understated,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter says. “The majority of homes and businesses in some communities are destroyed, and some have been washed away. Pictures and video from the scene, as limited as those reports have been due to ongoing major communication infrastructure damage, suggest one of the worst flooding disasters in United States history.”
What happens next
As more information is released about Asheville’s recovery efforts, people are encouraged to donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, which will go to nonprofits working to meet the immediate needs of storm victims such as providing them with food and water, cleaning supplies, and other emergency materials.
This story is developing.
