Hurricane Helene recovery: Students return to school in Asheville, North Carolina

CNN
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As communities devastated by Helene in Western North Carolina work toward recovery from the storm and envision a return to normalcy, students in the Asheville area have begun returning to classrooms.

The Asheville City School District reopened Monday on a modified schedule.

Asheville operates an independent municipal school system in Buncombe County, whose students returned to school Friday.

“Today was a great start,” Asheville City Schools Chief of Staff Kimberly J. Dechant told CNN. “Teachers were involved in lessons where students had the opportunity to bond, talk about what they were experiencing and process all of these emotions together.”

The district is focused on the mental well-being of its students after everything they've been through, said Maggie Fehrman, superintendent of Asheville City Schools.

“We've learned through Covid that we can't just jump back in like everything is normal,” she told CNN's Amara Walker on Sunday. “That’s why we developed lessons that focus on mental health and allow students to express their feelings about what happened and how they will move forward.”

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

Over a three-day period, the storm dumped so much water over the southern Appalachians that it became a catastrophic rainfall event for the region that only occurs once every 1,000 years, according to the National Weather Service.

Helene unleashed an unprecedented deluge of up to 30 inches of rain that swelled rivers and dams and washed away nearly everything in the water's path. According to authorities, 42 people died in Buncombe County and others remain missing.

All Asheville City Schools students have been accounted for and no deaths have been reported among the district's nearly 3,900 students or its staff, Dechant said.

None of Asheville's schools were damaged by the storm, Fehrman said, and all had power, internet and running water. However, because the water from the pipes is not considered drinkable, the school system has partnered with a relief organization to provide clean water.

Despite progress, many students still struggle.

“We have several students who have lost family members. We have employees who have lost family members,” Fehrman said. “We really stick together at Asheville City Schools, we are a smaller district and it's nice that we all know each other and can support each other, but many of our students still struggle to meet their basic needs with their families.” ”

Between 15 and 20 families still use the district's resource center for basic supplies only, the superintendent said.

“A lot of work and thought has gone into a reopening plan since the hurricane. As of (last week), hot water, power and internet have been restored to all 45 schools,” said an announcement from Buncombe County Schools.

“We have started supplying drinking water to all schools for staff and students. Maintenance teams are completing repair and recovery work and technology teams are reconnecting to security and communications systems.”

The school district said classes in Buncombe County will be held two hours late to give bus drivers time to move to new bus routes and stops in the community because roads and bridges were damaged and washed out by severe weather.

“We are grateful for the opportunity for students to see their bus driver smiling or to walk into school and see their favorite cafeteria worker, their counselor, their principal, their favorite teacher. Our (Buncombe County Schools) teammates will reassure them, make them feel safe and help them reunite with their school family,” Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Rob Jackson said in a statement Monday.

But not everyone is sure this is the right time to go back to class.

Candace Duke has three children in Buncombe County Schools and was torn about whether to send them back, she told CNN affiliate Spectrum News.

“Yes, school is important. They need to be in school, but I feel like they’re rushing it,” she said.

Others say the timing is right.

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

The school district says student support services are an important part of the reopening plan.

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

CNN's Jillian Sykes contributed to this report.