Hurricane Helene devastated several areas of Western North Carolina between the night of September 26 and the early morning of the 27. One of the hardest-hit areas was Lake Lure/Chimney Rock. With the record-breaking rainfall that fell between the days of the 26th and 27th, Lake Lure and the surrounding lakes that feed into Lure did not recede to normal level until the afternoon of September 28. It has been determined that the river rose to around 15-20 feet higher than the average level and spanned across as wide as a football field. Hundreds of houses, businesses, docks, and tourist infrastructure were destroyed during the storm, leaving many parts of the area unrecognizable. 

Two members of the Lake Lure community, Dave and Yates Marsic, were fortunate enough for their home to be spared from the significant flooding that overtook the area. In the early morning of September 27, Dave recalls his and Yates’ immediate response when the storm awoke them and when to see the surrounding damage, “We heard the river well ahead before we got there and what we heard was we heard these big loud crashes, these big booms, and nothing like I’ve ever heard before. When you got close, yo u could feel it in your chest”. What Dave and Yates were hearing were massive boulders that were along the lakeside crashing down the lake as the water levels continued to rise. As they become more aware of the devastation around them, Yates notes what her immediate thoughts to seeing the damage, “We saw debris all over the place. We saw houses halfway in. We knew immediately that anyone in the river would not have made it, so it was super sad to think that we were safe on the ground there as the river continued was rage.” Both of them note that everyone around them felt united in the sense that they were all in shock and immediately realized that the road to recovery would be extremely long and require everyone to work together. 

Witnessing the damage from the hurricane first-hand, Dave and Yates’ situation became extremely emotionally draining and depressing. Yates said, “You just felt like everything had washed away and nothing was going to be normal again.” Ultimately, this crushing feeling, and the long commutes they were forced to take to church and family due to road closures led them to look into other housing options in the Hendersonville area. 

The Marsics fell in love with Hendersonville when they visited in 2014. They bought a house in the Lake Lure community and moved into it in 2019. They sold their business in Raleigh six years ago, which allowed them to retire early. However, they now have a classic car business and buy/sell real estate, so they are still uniquely making money. Due to the damage in the Chimney Rock town, Yates and Dave decided to move to Hendersonville to be there for Yates’ parents and be involved in their church and their love for student ministry. “We have discovered that we like living closer to stores, church, restaurants, etc, so Lake Lure will be a part-time place for us,” says Yates.