“(It was) A very meaningful day when we celebrated the great reopening of our Asheville office nine months after we had destroyed by Helene,” said Budge Huskey, CEO of Prime Minister Sotheby’s International Realty, in a statement.
“Asheville is completely open to business and tourism, and our incredible team of advisers is overlooking to welcome you back in the Blue Ridge.”
The event served both a reopening and a dedication, in which the efforts were recognized from employees, customers and locals who supported each other during the recovery.
“The people who help others find a house lost all of them. Yet their resilience is both humiliating and inspiring,” Huskey said. “The rebirth of Western North Carolina has brought an unmistakable sense of beauty and grace.”
Agents and employees of the Asheville office of the company continued to collaborate with customers during the reconstruction process, despite the damage to their workplace.
“If someone who calls Western North Carolina at home, I have never been so proud of our team – not just for their professionalism, but for their courage and compassion,” said managing broker Beatrix Masotti.
“This reopening is more than a return to the business world. It is a celebration of how far we got and the bonds that have brought us here. We are ready to welcome our customers, stronger and more than ever.”
The reopening follows renewed efforts of national and federal leaders to promote the economic revival of the region. In a recent PBS -State Lines Special – “The economic impact of Hurricane Helene” – officials emphasized that the majority of the area is operational.
“90 percent of the mountains are open to business,” said Senator Tim Moffitt, with our rep. Add Chuck Edwards: “We are open to business. The lights are on again.”
After a first rejection of a required hurricane recovery plan because it was looking for more than $ 200 million in federal funds, the revised plan of the city of Asheville last month received approval from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
At the end of September 2024, Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern US and is one of the most destructive storms in recent history. It was the most powerful hurricane ever included in the Big Bend region of Florida and the deadly Atlantic Storm since Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The storm, which was combined with a separate weather system that contained heavy rain shower, powerful winds and landscapers unleashed western North Carolina, especially in Asheville and the Appalachian Region. More than 100 dead were reported in the state.
