Zeb Smathers checks activity in the Gulf of Mexico whenever he looks at the weather in Western North Carolina. He began this practice after Tropical Storm Fred inundated Canton in August 2021. In September 2024, he saw something concerning. A storm was developing that would soon become known as Hurricane Helene.
In the months bef ore Helene reached Western North Carolina, the region was in a drought. Prayers for rain were answered the week before it hit land as upward of 8 inches fell, saturating the soil and swelling creeks. What many didn’t consider but now know is that the mountains were primed for catastrophe.
Smathers, Canton’s mayor, considered the worst-case scenario. Before Helene was even named, he prepared for what such a storm could do to a town that had already been through so much. He coordinated with leaders at all levels of government. Emergency responders were put on alert, and businesses near the Pigeon River were encouraged to move inventory and equipment.
