Chimney Rock welcomes visitors a year after Hurricane Helene's devastation

CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. (WTVD) -- One of the mountain towns hit hardest by Hurricane Helene is finally welcoming back visitors one year later.

Chimney Rock , a popular tourist destination in Western North Carolina, was cut off for months after floodwaters from the Rocky Broad River tore through the heart of the town on Sept. 27, 2024.

"It looks like an ocean coming through there," Shelly Banz-McCormack, a lifelong resident, recalling the day Helene struck. "I never thought I would see anything like this in my lifetime."

Her family owns The Riverwatch Waterfront Bar and Grill , along with three other shops in town.

During the storm, water didn't just surge from the river behind the restaurant -- it came rushing down Main Street, flooding their business from the front doors to the back