Asheville woman discovers home burglarized after fleeing hurricane

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — An Asheville woman who stayed in central North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene says someone broke into her garage and stole tools while she and her husband were away from home.

Jacqui Fehl was home when Helene impacted the city. After several days of her mountain road being blocked by trees and other debris, someone with a chainsaw cleared the debris overnight.

“We were trapped for about five days with all the downed trees and powerlines,” she said. “We couldn’t get out. As soon we could, we asked why we were staying home. We had no water, no power.”

When Fehl and her husband were able to get out, they decided to stay with their daughter in central North Carolina. But after leaving, Fehl received an unexpected text from a neighbor telling her that her garage was halfway open, noting her home was still without power at the time. She believes thieves got inside and may have been trying to steal copper.

“They took all [my husband’s] power tools that were light and a bunch of different equipment,” Fehl said. “They had a pile of other things they were planning to take, but I think they got spooked because they left it.”

Fehl added she and her husband found pieces of copper in their driveway when they got home. She said she filed a police report with Asheville police.

While Fehl is disheartened about the theft, she is focusing on ways to help her community. As an artist in the River Arts District, Fehl is one of the few whose studio is untouched by Helene’s floodwaters.

“About 80% is decimated,” she said. “It’s just gone.”

To help those who lost much of their belongings, Fehl is donating all her proceeds from a special print to the River District Arts Fund. Despite the widespread impacts, she believes the district and her city will recover.

“[The district arts fund] is raising money to help these artists rebuild and find new temporary spaces,” Fehl said. “We are community. We will be back for sure.”

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