ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Water is returning to Asheville this week, and for one neighborhood power came back at the same time. 

What You Need To Know

  • Water restoration in Asheville started earlier this week

  • The Botany Woods neighborhood has running water now, but earlier this week not everyone had power back

  • Monday, neighbor Kathy Brady documented a helicopter delivering utility poles for power restoration to her backyard

  • Those closest to the Swannanoa River in this area lost their homes, and Brady said one person died

The Botany Woods neighborhood in east Asheville, located near the Swannanoa River, was one of the hard-hit areas from Helene. 

Tuesday, downed trees and power lines were a common sight on the main stretch of road leading to the neighborhood. 

Some residents have power and water back now. 

Kathy Brady has water. 

“Getting water is the most important thing,” Brady said. 

Tuesday, she was waiting for power to come back on. A day earlier, she saw a helicopter carrying a utility pole from her backyard. 

“I was just shocked at the ability of that helicopter pilot to position itself so specifically where he needed to be,” Brady said. 

The nearest utility poles for her are in the woods. 

“We’re used to losing power, but not having poles completely taken out. And it's usually not the entire neighborhood that loses power like this time," Brady said. 

While her neighborhood is getting power and water back on, those closest to the river are without homes after Helene’s floodwaters destroyed them. 

Brady said they also lost a beloved neighbor after he was swept away. 

“[I] heard people yelling and went out to my driveway. And there was a whole crowd of people running down the street because they were searching for the man who owned the house with the bamboo forest. And he had been swept away with his dog down the river, and they were searching for him, trying to rescue him, but that was not successful,” Brady said. 

She said that wasn’t easy.

“That was the worst, most difficult thing for the neighborhood to hear and deal with,” Brady said. 

She added there are 27 houses completely gone and the few left standing are likely not viable. 

“That has been very traumatic to see the pain that those people have been suffering,” Brady said. 

Brady said it wasn’t just her neighborhood either. Her daughter, who lives across town, had a difficult experience while making it to safety. 

“My daughter had to escape for her life out of an apartment on the river, and her boyfriend's car floated away, and they got out in her car, which has now been totaled,” Brady said. 

Since the storm, Brady’s neighbors have come together to support one another, meeting daily in a central location to share resources, information and even skills.

Neighbor Johnny Shields shows a binder they created in the aftermath of Helene with information about places to find water, cellphone service and needs of the community. 

“Our neighborhood has really rallied together,” Shields said. 

Brady became the secretary of the group. 

While she waited for power to come back on and dealt with cleanup, she was already thinking about more ways to help her community. 

“We are retired. Our house is OK, we need to get out there to support everybody else,” Brady said. 

According to the city of Asheville, any water intended for consumption should be boiled for at least one minute beforehand. In addition, they remind people to flush their home plumbing by running the bathtub’s cold water faucet.