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On the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene residents of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village joined other guests and volunteers at commemoration ceremonies September 27, 2025.
Lake Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett told a standing room only crowd at Roosevelt Hall, the community remembers and are re-connected on the anniversary of Helene.
The storm was the costliest natural disaster in the history of North Carolina, causing more than $60 billion in damages.
Pritchett said words she kept hearing immediately after the storm were, "I am here. What can I do?" as hundreds of volunteers came to help.
The Army Corps of Engineers arrived to begin work at Lake Lure while Spokes of Hope arrived and promised residents of Chimney Rock Village, they would be there until all the work is done.
Baptist on Mission, youth and other church groups, civic organizations and individuals showed up to help.
Brad Morgan, Col. With the US Army Corps of Engineers, talked of the task of removing more than a million cubic yards of debris from the lake and the work continues. Daily, dump trucks are at the lake property continuing to clear debris.
Plans to reopen the lake are for 2026 as the Army Corps of Engineers continues its work.
Special music was presented by the Lake Lure Classical Academy students and prayers were offered by Pastor Alex Heafner, Chimney Rock Baptist Church.
Matt Calabria, director of the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, spoke at the Lake Lure ceremony and at the Chimney Rock Village gathering Saturday afternoon.
"It is great to have 'no parking' here today," Calabria said of the crowd in the Village. "This place is really special, the Village and Lake Lure will come back stronger and will "rebuild stronger," he said.
"Hope has been re-ignited, 365 days later," said a Chimney Rock State Park ranger. He reminded the crowd of the sirens blasting warning of the storm, but even those sounds were drowned out by the roaring of the river as it rose 30 feet.
Chimney Rock Village Mayor Peter O'Leary also addressed the crowd in Lake Lure and the Village. He said much has been done since the storm and there is so much more to do.
"Chimney Rock Village is gone," he said, adding "But it will come back stronger than ever."
About 90 percent of the businesses in Chimney Rock Village are reopened, he said.
Town Councilman Buck Meliski talked about how he saw the river rising the morning of Sept. 27, taking out the village and the hurts he felt as he witnessed the Village wash away.
A Town Councilman and firefighter, Meliski thanked all volunteers for their work, including his wife Barbara, former mayor. Barbara and Buck kept the fire station open for more than 45 days after the storm, cooking meals for the community and providing a safe haven for those needing rescue.
Jay Meliski, the couple's son, spent his personal time after the storm trying to locate the Village's infrastructure, digging through mud with a single shovel to find water lines.
O'Leary said Chimney Rock Village "is full of community."
O'Leary, and the Town Council, presented the first-ever key to the Village to Shane Zoccole of Spokes of Hope. The organization continues to be instrumental in bringing thousands of volunteers and building supplies to support the cleanup and construction efforts.
Steve Gale presented Spokes of Hope with the first American flag flown at Chimney Rock State Park after Helene. Park staff hiked to the back of the mountain Sept. 30 to raise the flag on the Chimney.
Among the themes for the day was "gratitude" for the outpouring of volunteer work from people across the country, who arrived with a question, "What can we do?"
The work is not completed and will continue in years to come, but town's leaders reiterated "we are open for business" and are grateful.
