Newland's resilient spirit shines as PackRats reopens after Helene

A sign outside the PackRats surplus store on Main Street in Newland reads “29 years 3 floods we are still here.” It comes after Hurricane Helene struck a year ago.“We had seen some storms, but nothing ever like that,” a smiling Julie Vernable said. “I was standing in waist deep waters, wasn’t expecting that.”One year ago, the water came. Not a gentle rise of the river, but a vengeful surge of brown, silt-choked fury, sent down from the mountains by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. It poured into the low-lying parts of Newland, Avery County, a place where people lived and worked for generations, trusting the land beneath their feet.Read more: https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/hurricane/helene/newland-packrats-reopens-western-north-carolina/275-e3f500f0-bfff-4fdf-975d-fecba23c7da9WCNC Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with news that impacts you from the team at WCNC Charlotte.  SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || iHeartAll of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.