The Return to Boone and Watauga County

In the two weeks since Hurricane Helene arrived in Boone and Watauga County, we’ve seen devastation fuel unity and adversity build strength throughout these hills. Residents in the High Country always rally to help our own, but it’s the kindness of friends and strangers from afar that has provided the hope and energy our community has relied upon to persevere through some of the most challenging experiences we’ve ever faced.

This weekend we begin to welcome Appalachian State students back to Boone and our fall visitors are beginning to seek the beauty of autumn in the mountains once again. While the circumstances we’ve sustained over these last weeks have left many areas of our community looking and functioning differently than you last experienced, know that our local businesses are eager to provide a heartfelt welcome to those that have provided such kindness and support.

Thanks to the tireless work of utility and construction crews, Boone and Blowing Rock have largely recovered from the storm’s impacts. Primary and most secondary roads have been repaired, though occasional lane closures and the need for alternate routes still exist in many areas, including along NC 105 in Watauga County and on US 421 North toward the Tennessee line.

As you make plans to return to the Boone area, we encourage you consider the following guidelines:

• Tread lightly and stay away from the areas that are still deeply involved in recovery and restoration activities, particularly on the northern and western ends of Watauga County. Some of these areas still have a great deal of road work, power restoration, and debris removal ongoing, and unnecessary traffic will delay these efforts. Note the Blue Ridge Parkway sustained considerable damage and remains closed in North Carolina indefinitely.
• We praise our hotel and lodging community for being so immediately accommodating with the spaces they had available in the wake of the storm. Know that many of those properties are housing displaced families, aid workers, and construction crews. As time moves on and circumstances improve, our available occupancy will also evolve, but for now, your favorite property may be full, so please consider other options in the area as needed.
• Many of our retail and restaurant partners are open for business, including those in downtown Boone as well as other popular areas across the community. Please note that a curfew remains in effect from 11PM to 7AM daily throughout Watauga County.
• Consider ride share and public transit opportunities to lessen the impact on traffic. AppalCART will resume its full schedule once classes at Appalachian State resume. We have lots of extra traffic coming from relief efforts and supply deliveries. With several popular cut through roads currently unavailable, please be patient and allow extra time to travel across the community.
• If you are not yet able to travel to the area, or maybe missed your planned trip over the last two weeks, we encourage you to continue to support our local businesses from afar. Amplifying their social media posts, buying online merchandise and gift cards, and then supporting them with your hugs and purchases when you are able to visit.
• Be empathetic toward those you encounter in our community. Many of our residents are still dealing with major disruption as we are also trying to restart our economy and maintain our local workforce. The store or restaurant employee you come in contact with may very well be displaced from their home and trying to rebuild their life here. Please be respectful and pack plenty of grace and patience.

In many ways this is the same community you saw in mid-September, but in some ways, we are not at our best, and won’t be for some time. Know that you have been an important part of our recovery! The resilience of our community and the outpouring of support from off the mountain has gotten us to this point. Time will not allow us to thank you enough. We only ask that as you begin to return to our area, you follow the guidelines that we are suggesting, to ensure we can take careful and mindful steps forward in the days and weeks ahead.