State, federal aid surge in western NC as residents grapple with whether to stay after Helene

Both North Carolina and federal government are stepping up their presence in western North Carolina, trying to connect businesses and people to the aid they need.

In downtown Boone, there is a Small Business Administration pop-up office.

Western North Carolina residents Lisa Wilkins and Caitlin Jipson are among the people unable to work.

“We clean vacation rentals up here, [in] Banner Elk [and] Beech Mountain, so we can’t get to any of our houses,” Wilkins said. “A lot of our houses are destroyed, so it’s a stressor of paying bills.”

Wilkins owns her own cleaning company. Jipson is an independent contractor.

With the scale of the devastation outside the tourism-heavy Boone area, both women are worried about what comes next.

“Winter is coming too,” Jipson said. “So, it’s rough up here anyways, especially if you don’t have a lot of money. So, we’re all worried about that.”

On Tuesday, Beech Mountain Ski Resort announced it planned to open on Nov. 29. Several nearby ski resorts in North Carolina are planning to open in late November or early December.

As of Wednesday, travel to and from western North Carolina remains a challenge.

After Hurricane Helene in late September, both the state government and federal government have been surging in aid to people and small businesses. They’ve added personnel and pop-up offices throughout the area.

In Buncombe County, FEMA has approved 24,500 applications to residents for a total of $27 million.

The Small Business Administration alone is offering up to $2 million to repair businesses, and up to $500,000 to homeowners.

However, getting people connected to this aid remains a problem. Roads around the county are still washed out.

Power outages are widespread. It includes Wilkins’ and Jipson’s houses. Both women say they’re not even aware of the aid that’s out there, and instead, are considering leaving the mountains altogether.

“I don’t know,” Wilkins said. “I’ve put in applications to McDonald’s and other places like that, even down in the Charlotte area. If I have to move or I have to travel to get a job, that’s what it’s going to have to be.”