Students in Helene-ravaged Buncombe County return to school a month after mass devastation
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — One month after Hurricane Helene destroyed mountain towns, swept away homes and upended countless lives here, thousands of Buncombe County’s students returned to school Friday.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — One month after Hurricane Helene destroyed mountain towns, swept away homes and upended countless lives here, thousands of Buncombe County’s students returned to school Friday.
Students were hopeful and said it was a joyous occasion to be able to reconnect with friends and see some normalcy return to their lives after the storm brought catastrophic flooding and record-breaking rain to some parts of western North Carolina. The district has more than 22,000 students and 45 schools, according to Rob Jackson, the superintendent of Buncombe County Schools.
Caleb Freeman, a senior at A.C. Reynolds High School, said he was looking forward to being “around people again” after feeling “pretty lonely and kind of helpless.”
Caleb Freeman, senior at A.C. Reynolds High School.NBC NewsHelene washed away roads and toppled thousands of trees, leaving many isolated, especially as the storm cut off internet and cell signal for weeks for some.
Freeman said it’s been difficult to hear what some in his community are going through.
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