Regional contractors help restore Western North Carolina after the storm
Portrait by Colby Rabon
Not all heroes wear capes. Some, like the tradespeople who have been working around the clock to repair structures damaged by Hurricane Helene, wear tool belts and Tyvek suits instead. These men and women were among the first to respond after the natural disaster in late September, patching roofs and regrading roads. Now, as the region begins its long-term recovery, these professionals are leading the charge. Here are some of their stories.
Preserving the Past on Blannahassett Island
When Brandon Bryant, president and owner of Red Tree Builders-Alair Asheville in Asheville, got internet service after Hurricane Helene, his heart sank. “[I] started seeing photos and videos of the destruction being broadcasted nationwide,” he remembers. “It was only then that I began to grasp the full scale of what had happened.” Bryant was especially taken aback by the state of Marshall, a small mountain town swallowed by the French Broad River. “Mud and debris were everywhere, and there were fears of contamination from sewage and upstream runoff,” he says. Determined to help with the “monumental task” of rebuilding, Bryant and his team loaded trucks and headed north, where they spent countless hours at Marshall High Studios, a historical art venue on Blannahassett Island. “The storm caused severe flooding there, destroying every first-floor studio and damaging the entire building,” says Bryant. “We were grateful to contribute to the cleanup, helping secure the structure to pave the way for future rebuilding.”
Red Tree Builders, 301 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. See redtreebuilders.com.
Grilling Up Hope in South Asheville
Most know Buchanan Construction as a custom home builder. But after Hurricane Helene, the crew traded their hammers for spatulas and got cooking. “Our team gathered up two gas grills and enough food to provide hot meals out in our parking lot,” says president and owner Rick Buchanan. In early October, the firm served more than 1,000 meals, 75 of which they personally delivered to hard-hit families in Swannanoa. For many, it was their first taste of warm food since the storm. “As a community, we have never experienced this magnitude of destruction,” says Buchanan. “We realized there was a desperate need for warm meals and felt led to help our community. What we found was not only the opportunity to provide food but also the opportunity to provide love and encouragement for those affected by this tragedy.”
Buchanan Construction, 1642 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. See buchananconstruction.com.
Starting Fresh in Swannanoa
Sometimes, moving forward means stripping everything you ever knew down to the studs. That’s certainly been the case in Swannanoa, where Anne and Corey Black of Mountain Sound Builders have spent hours demo-ing flooded homes. “We connected with peers in our trade and found a small street in Swannanoa that needed help,” says Anne. “So, we put on N95 masks and got to work for the next 10 days. We gutted multiple houses that had water up to the roofs but were on stable foundations.” The couple also drove a trailer full of supplies from Greensboro, where Anne’s family lives, back to the mountains and distributed them at a local church. “This place has changed, but it is rising together,” Anne shared on the company’s Instagram a few days after the storm. “As a community, we are coming together in ways I’ve never seen.”
Mountain Sound Builders, 4 Celtic Drive, Suite 1-A, Arden. See mountainsoundbuilders.com.
Photo by Karin Strickland
Healing Hearts and Homes North of Asheville
The very day Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, Brian Sineath of Sineath Construction in Weaverville started planning. Knowing many neighbors wouldn’t have the financial means to make home repairs, he and Andrew Willis of Tykke Builders established a nonprofit called Bunco Yancey Helene Relief. Through the 501(c)(3), the men have tackled a wide range of projects in north Buncombe and Yancey counties, including a full roof replacement for one Burnsville family. “There were three generations living in the house, and [the roof] was leaking and in terrible shape,” says Sineath. “It was very emotional for the family and for our team.” Of course, projects like these wouldn’t be possible without support from the community. “I’ve met so many wonderful people that the storm has brought together in different ways,” says Sineath. “People who lost everything are giving the only thing they have — time — to help neighbors. It’s really hard to describe.”
Sineath Construction, 65 Monticello Road, Weaverville. See sineathconstruction.com.
Stockpiling Strength on Sweeten Creek Road
Giving back has always been important at Living Stone Design + Build. Every first Friday for more than 10 years, the firm has volunteered with a local charity, spending the day building porches or picking up trash. But Hurricane Helene took Living Stone’s commitment to community to a whole new level. “Overnight, we went into restoration mode,” says president Sean Sullivan, explaining that their office on Sweeten Creek Road became a receiving facility for donations. “We began channeling supplies to the most dire needs of our team and trades,” says Sullivan. “Once those needs were met, we then began funneling all supplies to Biltmore Church and Hearts With Hands.” The crew also worked overtime to restore donated water tanks for Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, build shelving for Bounty & Soul, and fix plumbing at the Black Mountain Home for Children. “This was certainly the most tragic experience we have ever seen,” says Sullivan. “However, the tragedy brought out an increased appetite for our team to want to help.”
Living Stone Design + Build, 121 Sweeten Creek Road, Suite 70, Asheville. See livingstoneconstruction.com.
Photo by Karin Strickland
Raising Funds and Spirits in Brevard
When disaster struck in late September, team members with the Brevard design-build firm PLATT, interiors firm Platt Home, and the real-estate brokerage group Witherspoon Platt + Associates rolled up their sleeves and got to work. In a matter of weeks, staff raised enough money for the Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC), a nonprofit committed to providing safe and affordable housing, to purchase eight 27-foot travel trailers. These RVs were then parked on Heather and John Blythe’s property in Penrose, providing temporary shelter for displaced families. According to Karin Strickland, an employee of Witherspoon Platt + Associates and member of the PLATT Heal Committee (an ongoing volunteer group formed post-Helene), the initiative has been life-changing for many. “Just last week, two families were in the process of withdrawing their kids from Pisgah Forest Elementary with the intention of moving to Greenville, South Carolina, in search of housing,” she says. “Luckily, the school had heard about this project and contacted HAC. The families are now moving into two of the trailers, and their kids will be able to stay in school with their teachers and friends.”
PLATT, 33 West Main St., Brevard. See platt.us.
Restoring Faith in West Asheville
As a former lineman, Tim Wright of Wright Family Custom Homes has spent many long, stormy nights chainsawing uprooted oaks and gnarled pines. But no restoration effort compares to the one that followed Hurricane Helene. “We were shut down for two months, not taking on any new construction projects,” says Wright, who instead spent that time removing trees, patching roofs, and rebuilding damaged homes. “We had a widow call us and say one contractor was trying to charge $30,000 to clear her driveway [of trees]. I told her, ‘Don’t you dare pay that,” Wright recalls. “Within two hours, I sent a crew of five men over. It took them a few days to remove the trees by hand because we didn’t have equipment, but they got the job done.” Wright also worked with West Asheville Baptist Church to organize supply drives and collaborated with other area builders to demo a home in Swannanoa. “Never in my life have I seen people be so kind and good to others,” says Wright. “Everyone took care of one another — it didn’t matter your faith, your creed, or what you did for a living.”
Wright Family Custom Homes, P.O. Box 25057, Asheville. See wrightfamilycustomhomes.com.