Two years after Hurricane Helene brought 25-foot floods that killed 43 people in Asheville’s Buncombe County and caused billions in damage, the city’s artists and business owners are finding their way back to stability. Government relief money helped repair homes and infrastructure, but wasn’t geared toward getting businesses back on their feet. Many business owners—lacking flood insurance because they never expected a hurricane to strike so far inland—did it largely on their own, reopening, relocating or starting over from scratch.

Jannette Montenegro and Rich Patino returned to their historic warehouse, Cotton Mill Studios, after it was flooded to just below the second story. They fought a condemnation order, spent a winter shoveling out debris, and poured more than $900,000 from savings and loans into repairs. Today the building is fully leased, including a first-floor space now home to their son’s Cuban restaurant.

Tourists are back, after a post-storm decline. Hotel spending through August 2025 reached $236.4 million, rebounding from $228.1 million the previous year. A new PGA Tour golf tournament debuted this month, helping lift visitor revenue. The comeback isn’t complete—total employment in Buncombe County was still down more than 2% in early 2026, rents are often higher, and some restaurants and galleries never reopened.

The River Arts District, hit hardest by flooding, shows both resilience and change. Artist Peter Roux lost more than 50 works of art and converted his garage into a studio after raising $26,000 on GoFundMe. Many artists have adapted by relocating or sharing gallery space.