Boone faces a long and difficult recovery after Helene's devastating defeat

BOONE, N.C. — Just two hours north of Charlotte, Boone faces a long and difficult recovery after Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction in Watauga County.

When Friday's storm brought torrential rain, King Street was completely flooded, then strong winds knocked down countless trees and power lines. Mayor Tim Futrelle announced that the city will have a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to reduce the number of cars on potentially flooded streets.

RELATED: How you can help people affected by Helene

Futrelle urged everyone to stay home if possible and told residents that Blue Ridge Energy crews were working tirelessly to restore power as quickly as possible. A water distribution center has now been set up at Watauga High School and an emergency shelter has opened at Appalachian State University. The shelter is located in the Holmes Convention Center at 111 Rivers Street. Food, water and dry beds are available at the animal shelter. Off-campus students, faculty and staff can call 1-800-RED-CROSS for information.

Classes at App State are canceled through at least Friday, October 4th due to the storm.

“The lack of communication we are currently experiencing is something we have never seen before,” Futrelle said. “Our network providers are working together to repair any damaged towers. However, our main problem is outside the mountain where a relay switch to the fiber optic link was damaged. There is currently no timeline for repairs for this portion of the network.”

Residents are still stunned by what they saw during the storm.

“People lost buildings, people lost items, Walmart was flooded,” said an App State student. “These resources are good, not only for students, but also for our local community who have no other place to turn.”

“This flood was complete devastation,” said another student. “We are being advised to go home, but some people can't even do that because bridges and roads home are completely broken and destroyed.”

RELATED: Dozens still have no contact with loved ones in Avery County after Hurricane Helene