KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Almost a week after Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina and devastated communities across the region, one mountainous area was still practically inaccessible Thursday.
Mitch Kolbe, an artist who lives on a 100-acre sheep farm in Fairview, said the roads were impossible to pass. He drove on an ATV to pass through the damage, navigating past holes, crumbling asphalt and downed trees.
"It changed this landscape forever," he said. "It's total chaos. You have mountain slides that have pushed houses into roads, and giant boulders have been pushed off the mountains into roads, into houses."
He said some houses were pushed as far as 200 yards from their foundations. Days after the storm hit, he said he saw a helicopter lift a body out of area after it had been found by a dog.
"It will never be the same," he said. "It might be a relative of some of these people. We don't know."
The National Guard is flying Chinook helicopters filled with water and meals into mountain towns like Fairview. They have to land on any open land they can find, such as Kolbe's sheep farm.
"I couldn't believe it. My whole house shook. This think was coming over. It was like a Star Wars movie or something," he said.
Despite witnessing some of the region's darkest days and having to travel by ATV through demolished roads to access basic supplies, he said he finds comfort in his family.
"Thank God we've got each other, and that will get us through. We're survivors up here," he said.
