ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Asheville is known as an artsy, quirky and bustling city that attracted artists and dreamers eager to share their ideas with each other. Many community members would gather at the River Arts District, a place that featured art galleries, record stores and coffee shops.
After Hurricane Helene swept through the city and devastated the region, the River Arts District is gone. Entire businesses were swept away by historic and deadly flooding. The place where the city could enjoy local arts is gone.
"I didn't realize how bad it was, because I had no service. Watching it now, I can't describe it," said Joe Dela Cruz, who lives in the area. "These are people's hopes and dreams. They put their livelihoods and their time and energy into building these businesses."
Debris lines the River Arts District, replacing signs of businesses with scattered wood and cinderblock. Instead of talking about paintings and art pieces, people lined a bridge Tuesday to see the scope of the damage for themselves.
"I was worried, but not as worried as I should have been," said Hartwell Carson, who lives in the area.
He is a riverkeeper for the French Broad River, working with Mountain True. It's a nonprofit out of Asheville that focuses on environmental work. The river swelled as Hurricane Helene swept through the area, and a black line in the River Arts District marks how high the waters reached — a foot above the historic 1916 flooding that killed 80 people.
Carson kayaked through the floodwaters after the hurricane. He said he wanted to see the damage with his own eyes.
"There's an oil distribution place there, and the oil tanks were flipped over. We paddled up to a gas station, and gas was just coming out of the ground. Propane tanks floating by, trash and debris coming out of buildings," he said.
He said he expects the river to soon go back down and expects the area to be safe for wildlife. But in the meantime, the community is continuing to mourn its River Arts District.