Chimney Rock

The storm smashed into the North Carolina mountains last September, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage. Chimney Rock, a hamlet of about 140 named for the 535-million-year-old geological wonder that underpins its tourism industry, was hit particularly hard.

Nearly 400 miles from where Hurricane Helene made landfall, the hamlet of Chimney Rock Village on the banks of the Broad River has been all but wiped from the map.