GREEN MOUNTAIN, N.C.—The fresh scent of rain lingers along a winding road through the Appalachian Mountains, leading to Double Island, one of the communities hit hardest by Hurricane Helene.
This scenic part of western North Carolina, known for its red barns with hex signs, cornfields, hay bales, and country roads named Possum Trot and Pig Pen, faced a tough test from the hurricane but came out stronger.
Dave Keister, 57, still lives in an RV near where his home and motorcycle shop once stood, across the road from the North Toe River.
The mid-September sun glistens on the river, a picture of tranquility as leaves drift down from towering trees on a cool breeze. It flows peacefully today, in stark contrast to the hell and high water it unleashed a year ago….