DAMASCUS, Va. (WJHL) - A press conference was held in the Town of Damascus on Tuesday, where town leaders and representatives from multiple organizations spoke on the recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene almost a year after the storm came through.

Damascus Town Manager Chris Bell spoke on the resilience of the community during the storm and how residents were able to bounce back after catastrophic flooding.

"There were swift rescue teams in town rescuing folks off their porches or even out of windows," Bell said. "But there were a couple local residents who took it upon themselves [to] grab some rope and rescued a gentleman out of his house as the water was up to their waist level."

Bell also spoke on the importance of tourism in Damascus. He said that, along with taking care of resid

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