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Hurricane Helen Recovery: Students Return to School in Asheville, North Carolina

Hurricane Helen Recovery: Students Return to School in Asheville, North Carolina



CNN

As communities devastated by Helena in western North Carolina work to recover from the storm and dare to dream of a return to normalcy, students in the Asheville area have begun returning to classrooms.

The Asheville School District will reopen on a modified schedule Monday, according to the district.

Asheville is in Buncombe County but operates an independent city school system. Buncombe County students returned to school Friday.

“We learned from Covid that we can’t just go back as if everything is normal,” Asheville City Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman told CNN’s Amare Walker on Sunday. “So we developed lessons that focused on mental health, allowing students to share and express their feelings about what happened and how they plan to move forward.”

Almost exactly a month ago, Helen hit western North Carolina as a tropical storm, causing devastating flood damage.

The storm dumped so much water over the southern Appalachians over three days that it became a catastrophic, once-in-1,000-year rainfall event for the region, according to the National Weather Service.

Helen unleashed an unprecedented torrent of up to 30 inches of rain that swelled rivers and dams, washing away almost everything in the water’s path. In Buncombe County, 42 people were killed and others were missing, authorities said.

None of the Asheville schools were damaged during the storm, Ferman said, and all have power, internet and running water. But the water from the pipes was not considered potable, so the school system partnered with a humanitarian organization to provide clean water.

Despite the progress, Ferman said many students are still struggling.

“We have several students who have lost family members. We have employees who have lost family members,” Ferman said. “We really stick together in Asheville City Schools, we are a small district and it’s nice that we all know each other and can help and support each other, but many of our students are still struggling to meet the basic needs of their families. »

The superintendent said 15 to 20 families still use the district’s resource center only for basic necessities.

“After the hurricane, a lot of work and thought went into the reopening plan. As of last week, non-potable water service, electricity and internet service have been restored to all 45 schools,” Buncombe County Schools said in a statement.

“We have started delivering drinking water to all schools for staff and students. Repair teams are completing repair and restoration work, and technology teams are connecting security and communications systems.”

Classes in Buncombe County are being held on a two-hour delay to give bus drivers time to navigate new bus routes and public stops due to storm-damaged and washed out roads and bridges, the school district said.

But not everyone is convinced it’s time to return to the classroom.

Candace Duke has three children in Buncombe County schools and didn’t want to send them back, she told CNN affiliate Spectrum News.

“Yes, school is important. They need to be at school, but I think they are in a hurry,” she said.

Others say the timing is right.

“We went back to school on Friday. It was great to see all the students and staff again,” North Buncombe High School teacher and coach Robbie Parker wrote in a Facebook post. “The stories told were very powerful to hear. The healing continues. Buncombe County Schools got it right. What a great school system to work in.”

Student support services are a key part of the school reopening plan, the school district said.

“Our student affairs team has worked equally hard to ensure the emotional well-being of our students and staff,” the district said in a statement. “Thank you again for your grace and strength.”

CNN’s Jillian Sykes contributed to this report.