Asheville photographers capture humanity in the wake of Helene’s destruction

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Folks in western North Carolina are still processing the scope of historic havoc caused by Hurricane Helene.

Jaw-dropping, heartbreaking; by now, we’ve almost run out of adjectives to describes the images coming out of the mountains.

Photographer Michael Freas lives in Asheville’s River Arts District, one of the areas inundated by Helene.

“Grabbed my camera, went outside to document what was going on in my neighborhood,” said Freas.

“You know, I’ll probably break down talking about it,” he told Queen City News.  “Like I’ve got the tremors, I get the shakes when these things go on.”

The former news photographer-turned-documentary-wedding-photographer reverted to his roots. He shares his storm-related snaps via Instagram.

“You know I’ve had people tell me, they say like, ‘You’re getting out what’s going on,’ so people understand it,” says Freas.

With western North Carolina in shambles, he and fellow shutterbugs feel a call to action.

“For me, I just can’t stand and watch, I don’t know, for me it’s something that has to be preserved,” Freas explains.

“I also wanted to capture what the aftermath was of what we have to reconstruct,” said Carol Spagnuola.

She’s also an Asheville photographer , usually specializing in headshots in portraits.

Post-Helene, some of her pics show people overwhelmed by the disaster.

In one, the owners of White Duck Taco look across the floodwaters at what’s left of their livelihood.

She also gives Instagram followers uplifting content. That includes residents handing out bottled water, or grilling hotdogs for whoever wants one. Her posts show Sunny Point Cafe serving free breakfast and the line for free pizza at Mellow Mushroom.

“I’m just a positive person, and my heart is crushed, as the rest of us are,” Spagnuola said. “But to be able to share that piece as well is what I hope we can all remember beyond all the devastation.’

“That’s the beautiful part of the humanity that comes with every disaster,” says Freas.

He was in perfect position with his camera when a mother and son hugged at the sight of a water truck.

Somehow, he’s gotten snapshots of smiles along the way, too.

One that Michael didn’t get is his own reaction, when the Luminosa Italian restaurant gave him water to take back to his neighbors.

“They gave me a safe space,” Freas says, becoming emotional. “And allowed me to let out some tears that I needed to let out.“

Carol’s son Esrick shot video when she and others banded together to lift a van away from the flooding.

“They’re pushing the car,” Esrick says, narrating the video as he recorded.

“Just shows you how strong our community is, physically and mentally,” Spagnuola says.

One of her most poignant shots is a message scrawled on a west Asheville sidewalk.

“There will be better days than this,” it says.

“Anything positive we can see out of this brings hope, shows love, shows strength, shows perseverance,” said Spagnuola.

Both fear it could be months before they get paid photography gigs again.

Sometimes, a natural disaster like Helene sparks an instinct to chronicle the unity that follows, revealing a flicker of the bright side at a dark time.

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