Helene: More than 8 feet of floodwater decimates small mountain town

SPRUCE PINE, N.C. — A small mountain town was devastated by more than 8 feet of floodwater from Helene.

A layer of mud now blankets the town of Spruce Pine, and volunteers from across the country are now helping businesses dig out from the damage. The town sits northeast of Asheville in Mitchell County.

One of the business owners said it would take months to clean everything up. There are piles of mud throughout the town and inside some of the stores.

On Wednesday morning, volunteers and others went to work digging the mud out of a coffee shop in downtown Spruce Pine. A few doors down, Brian Myler and his wife had been cleaning up after floodwater rose around their restaurant.

“My whole patio was covered,” he said. “I had 4 feet of water on the inside. Turned all my equipment upside down.”

“This can eventually all be rebuilt, but it’s going to take a long time,” said his wife Deanna Buchanan.

Omar Quiterio showed Channel 9′s Dave Faherty the cellphone video he took as the Toe River in Mitchell County flooded. The water caused windows to shatter at this music shop.

“It’s pretty crazy,” he said. “Everybody coming together, you know, helping out each other.”

At the First Baptist Church, organizers were passing out food, and water, and rationing gasoline 5 gallons at a time.

“You’ve got to have some gas for your vehicle,” Lisa Florane said. “You’ve got to be able to come and get food and go back home and get water.”

Most people in Spruce Pine don’t have power and roads across Mitchell County are badly damaged. Faherty spotted dozens of cars near the Blue Ridge Parkway on Wednesday, one of the few spots with cell service.

“I’ve lived here 30, 40 years and I’ve never seen it like this,” Irene Boudrau said. “It’s a disaster.”

Throughout the county, crews are working on the power lines. But many believe they won’t get power back for several more days, and maybe into next week.

The town of Spruce Pine is also a major producer of high-quality quartz — a necessity for many tech products. The two manufacturing companies there, Sibelco and The Quartz Corp, are both shut down for the foreseeable future.

Now, there’s concern about the impact on the supply chain. Quartz is needed for semiconductors, solar panels, and fiber optic cables.

Both companies said their focus is on the safety of employees and operations will return when possible.

(WATCH BELOW: It could be weeks before some in Asheville area get running water again)