FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell is in Chimney Rock, North Carolina where construction products are underway following the Helene disaster.
CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. – More than four months after parts of North Carolina received a devastating blow from Hurricane Helene, residents and volunteers are slowly rebuilding the village of Chimney Rock with the hope that the community will bounce back better and stronger than before.
The hurricane, which hit the area in September 2024, caused widespread destruction, washing away businesses and leaving it impassible for weeks.
“To bring hope to a community you need to stay longer than just a couple of weeks,” said Shane Zoccole, the owner of Spokes of Hope and one of the many volunteers in Chimney Rock. “We were in that initial cleanup… now we’ve shifted from a disaster site to a construction site.”
Zoccole highlighted the remarkable transformation the village has gone through, from new sewer lines going in, to construction materials arriving and the reconstruction of several buildings.
“It’s a joyous day when you can call this street a construction site now,” the volunteer leader added, noting that local businesses are being restored with materials and labor donated from around the country. “Everything you see here is free – the materials, the hands, the volunteers…It’s been a beautiful effort.”
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In some of the reconstructed properties, volunteers are even using wood from the millions of downed trees, which adds a sentimental touch to the efforts.
The village of Chimney Rock is only about 25 miles southeast of Asheville and once had an estimated population north of 200 residents before the historic storm.
Chimney Rock, North Carolina restoration efforts post-Helene 2/1/2025Chimney Rock, North Carolina restoration efforts post-Helene 2/1/2025
(Chimney Rock, North Carolina / FOX Weather)
According to state estimates, the remnants of the September hurricane damaged or destroyed more than 70,000 homes across the Tar Heel State, with most of the destruction caused by flash flooding.
Rainfall totals topped 30 inches in western parts of the state, causing many communities in and around Asheville to be completely cut off from first responders.
The cyclone was both the deadliest and the costliest of the season, claiming over 200 lives, many of which were in North Carolina.
“We are blessed to be ahead of schedule on Chimney Rock’s Main Street, but two miles up the road, there’s still devastation,” said Zoccole.
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Officials have not publicly set a date for when the main thoroughfare through will reopen to visitors, but clean-up volunteers suggested it could be sooner than later.
“There’s hope coming back,” Zoccole explained as he and an army of volunteers pledged to keep up their efforts.
FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell is in Chimney Rock, North Carolina where volunteers are arriving from all over the country to help the region post-Hurricane Helene.