‘We didn’t wait for anyone to save us’: A western NC town’s post-storm revival

In Marshall, a small town in western North Carolina, the community stands together as they rebuild their businesses and homes. 

On the morning of September 27, 2024, after Tropical Storm Helene struck Western North Carolina, Josh Copus stood alone on the steps of Marshall’s courthouse, the highest point in town. He’d prepared his businesses, the Old Marshall Jail Hotel and Zadie’s Market, for floodwaters—but not for 11 feet worth.

Water from the French Broad River surged over the railroad tracks. Copus’ evacuation route, his car parked on a hill above the courthouse, got him to safe ground. 

“I lived through it, and I can’t believe it,” Copus says. “In an hour, the whole town was under water. I was watching the water rise and shatter the windows of the businesses. I watched it all float away.”

September 27, 2024, in Marshall, North Carolina. (Josh Copus)

Marshall’s central business district lost about 15 buildings on the south end of town that day. Several people were stranded on the second floor of buildings. One resident in Marshall’s Rollins community, Bruce Tipton, lost his life after his trailer home was washed away.

“This is a very tight-knit community,” he says. “I know everyone. It’s not just the buildings; it’s the people. I know how hard everyone worked to make this town special.”

The community’s resilience

With no way to communicate with anyone because cell service was down, Copus headed back downtown on the Sunday after the storm. Hundreds of Marshall residents showed up, too. They brought dump trucks, shovels, tractors, and wheelbarrows. 

“We didn’t wait for anyone to come save us,” Copus says. “I think that speaks volumes about the resiliency of Marshall and the Appalachian people.”

Two weeks after Tropical Storm Helene hit Marshall, North Carolina. (Josh Copus)

When Copus first saw the destruction, he thought the town was finished for good, “It felt insurmountable.” But the town’s quick response may have saved not only the town but the community’s spirit. 

“We started shoveling the mud out of the buildings,” he explains. “What grew out of that was this incredible unifying emotional connection. Those were some of the best days when we were all down there. No one needed to say it; we all got it—this is messed up.”

Residents of Marshall, North Carolina gather in front of the courthouse a few days after the storm. (Josh Copus)

The road to Marshall

Downtown Marshall sits on the eastern bank of the French Broad River, with railroad tracks running in between the town and the river. The town is 30 minutes north of Asheville and serves as the county seat of Madison County. Marshall was a bustling town until a bypass was built in 1960, leading potential visitors away from the town. By 2000, most legacy businesses were gone, Copus says.

Copus moved to Marshall in 2007 when the small mountain town was seeing an influx of artists move to the area. He opened his studio, Copus Ceramics, in 2007.

“A lot of Marshall’s renaissance came from creatives in the Asheville ecosystem moving north into a town that had a lot of opportunity,” Copus says.

Old Marshall Jail was decommissioned in 2012, and Copus purchased it alongside investors to create Old Marshall Jail Hotel and Zadie’s Market. After a five-year renovation, it opened in 2021. The hotel has been closed since the storm, but Copus is now accepting reservations for overnight stays beginning on April 1, 2025. The restaurant will likely reopen in stages.

September 28, 2024, in Marshall, North Carolina (Josh Copus)

“The extent of this destruction is so extreme that it’s beyond what we can actually do without outside help and assistance,” Copus says. “We’ve come a long way, but it’s important to acknowledge that we have a long way yet to go. Things are not back to normal.”

For more information on how to help the town, check out HelpMarshall.org.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.