Hurricane Helene made landfall in the southeastern United States on Thursday, September 26, 2024, and tore a path northwards that ended up stretching 600 miles across four states. By Monday, the death toll was over 100 and a heartbreaking number of communities were taking stock of significant damage; some had been outright destroyed.
The mountain bike community has deep roots in the regions affected: from exemplary trails advocacy organizations to manufacturing giants like Industry Nine, so much of North America's MTB heart and soul lives in Appalachia. At this point, the true scale of Helene's impact has yet to be measured, but it is obvious the toll will be high.
Explore Brevard, the official tourism site for Brevard, North Carolina, a mountain biking hot spot destination, stated on their social media today that "All of our public lands are also closed until further notice. This includes the Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Recreation Forest and Gorges State Park." Land managers, they added, are still assessing damage, roads remain closed, communication and power outages persist, and "resources are stretched thin, here and across the region." The organization is asking the public to "refrain from travel for non-emergency purposes," including refraining from recreation-based travel to the region.
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Pisgah Area SORBA , the IMBA chapter dedicated to maintaining trails in the Pisgah Ranger District area, similarly stated in a social media post that "the devastation, damage, and loss our community is witnessing is unimaginable," adding that "when the timing is appropriate, we will communicate planned restoration efforts as we coordinate with our land managers. Right now, please help take care of each other."
Trail advocates in Knoxville, Tennessee, state that while they escaped the worst of the storm's power, they have yet to fully assess trail systems a bit further afield, especially out towards the Great Smoky Mountains, where they expect the damage to increase significantly.
And Asheville, North Carolina-based retailer Industry Nine announced through their social media channels that they are currently focused on prioritizing "the safety of our families and our staff," thanking their followers for their patience as they manage an ongoing lack of "power, water, WiFi and cell coverage" in their western North Carolina region.
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As residents struggle to absorb the weekend's true costs - emotional, physical, and financial - information about how to help from afar may feel currently limited. National and international organizations like the Red Cross , the Salvation Army , and Americares are currently accepting Hurricane Helene relief donations; Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina said on Sunday that one of the best ways to help his state was to donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund . And The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina is accepting donations specifically earmarked for recovery efforts related to Hurricane Helene.
Bike Magazine knows that community care and local advocacy are how most of the real work gets done in times of both calm and crisis; we will update our readers as we can with ways they can further help - from monetary funding to sweat equity volunteering - in the months to come. Please feel free to contact us if you know of organizations or relief efforts worth sharing and amplifying. In the meantime, know that our hearts ache for Appalachia.
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