Western North Carolina ‘open for business' to highlight tourism industry after Helene

BOONE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — It's 'Open for Business Week' in western North Carolina as state leaders want to drive business to the area hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.
Officials want to highlight businesses, festivals, destinations and other events to promote the community.
Improvements, full closure Blue Ridge Parkway postponed to accommodate Helene recovery
'Visitors are the lifeblood of the area, tourism, hospitality,' said Will Johnson, co-owner of The Todd Mercantile in Watauga County. 'Boone, West Jefferson, Todd, we're right in the middle. We rely on tubers for the river in the summer just to keep our business going.'
North Carolina First Lady Anna Stein visited Watauga County Monday to highlight the initiative. It runs through Sunday, June 8.
Chambers of Commerce in towns throughout WNC have individual plans on how to highlight businesses. In Boone, there will be multiple outdoor events and ribbon cutting ceremonies from mid-to late week.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

a day ago

Flooding and rock slides close heavily damaged I-40 section in Smoky Mountains

HARTFORD, Tenn. -- Heavy rain, flooding and a rock slide have again closed a section of the major cross country highway Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains. The slide and flood happened Wednesday afternoon around mile marker 450 in Tennessee, just to the west of the state line with North Carolina, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said on social media. Crews continued to work Thursday to get the water and rock off the highway and had not released when they think the road could be reopened, the DOT said. The flooded section is part of 12 miles (19 kilometers) of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee that was washed away or heavily damaged by flooding that roared through the Pigeon River gorge during Hurricane Helene in late September. Crews repaired and shored up enough of the old highway to open one narrow lane in each direction in March. The lanes are separated by a curb several inches high that had to be removed to let vehicles stuck by the flooding and rockslide to turn around and go the other way. About 2.5 to 3.5 inches (63 mm to 89 mm) of rain fell in the area over about three hours, according to the National Weather Service. The permanent fix to stabilize what's left of the road will involve driving long steel rods into bedrock below the road, filling them with grout and spraying concrete on the cliff face to hold them in place. It will take years. I-40 runs from Wilmington. North Carolina to Barstow, California, and any detour around the Great Smoky Mountain section is dozens of miles. Trucks have gotten stuck on twisty narrow mountain roads and are banned on another major highway through the area U.S. 441 through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

Flooding and rock slides close heavily damaged I-40 section in Smoky Mountains

HARTFORD, Tenn. (AP) — Heavy rain, flooding and a rock slide have again closed a section of the major cross country highway Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains. The slide and flood happened Wednesday afternoon around mile marker 450 in Tennessee, just to the west of the state line with North Carolina, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said on social media. Crews continued to work Thursday to get the water and rock off the highway and had not released when they think the road could be reopened, the DOT said. The flooded section is part of 12 miles (19 kilometers) of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee that was washed away or heavily damaged by flooding that roared through the Pigeon River gorge during Hurricane Helene in late September. Crews repaired and shored up enough of the old highway to open one narrow lane in each direction in March. The lanes are separated by a curb several inches high that had to be removed to let vehicles stuck by the flooding and rockslide to turn around and go the other way. About 2.5 to 3.5 inches (63 mm to 89 mm) of rain fell in the area over about three hours, according to the National Weather Service. The permanent fix to stabilize what's left of the road will involve driving long steel rods into bedrock below the road, filling them with grout and spraying concrete on the cliff face to hold them in place. It will take years. I-40 runs from Wilmington. North Carolina to Barstow, California, and any detour around the Great Smoky Mountain section is dozens of miles. Trucks have gotten stuck on twisty narrow mountain roads and are banned on another major highway through the area U.S. 441 through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Yahoo

2 days ago

• Yahoo

I-40 shut down along Tennessee-North Carolina border due to flooding, landslide months after Helene

COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. - A significant stretch of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee-North Carolina state line was closed in both directions Wednesday evening after heavy rainfall triggered flash flooding and a landslide, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Doppler radar indicated that a locally heavy thunderstorm produced more than an inch of rain in a short period, leading to standing water along the main thoroughfare between Cosby, Tennessee, and Clyde, North Carolina. Photos shared by TDOT showed a tractor-trailer and several other vehicles stopped in the mud and debris that had overtaken the interstate, rendering the roadway impassable. Engineers were reported to be en route to assess the situation, but transportation officials warned that the closure could last for an extended period. No injuries were immediately reported, but officials expressed concern about the risk of additional slides and unstable terrain in the surrounding area. Treasured Discoveries Surface As North Carolina Lake Is Drained During Helene Revitalization A nearby portion of I-40 was previously closed for more than four months following severe damage caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. While emergency repairs allowed for the interstate to reopen early in 2025, full restoration is expected to be a multi-year process and not finish before 2028. Interstate 40 is a vital east-west corridor connecting the mountainous regions of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. With the latest closure, drivers are now facing significant delays, with detours that may add an hour or more to travel times through the region. Transportation officials are urging drivers to use I-81 and I-26 as an alternate route until the affected stretch of highway can safely reopen. Chimney Rock, North Carolina, Recovery Shows Progress Post-helene The National Weather Service office in Morristown, Tennessee, issued a Flash Flood Warning for the area after receiving reports of stranded motorists. The alert has since been rescinded, but forecasters continue to emphasize the dangers of flash flooding during summer thunderstorms. According to NWS forecasters, just six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet, and a foot of floodwater is enough to carry away most vehicles. Transportation officials are encouraging the public to stay up to date if their travels take them between Knoxville and article source: I-40 shut down along Tennessee-North Carolina border due to flooding, landslide months after Helene