(This column originally appeared in The Hill)
I love living in Philadelphia. But when people ask me if there’s any other place in the U.S. I’d like to live, my first choice is always the same: Asheville, N.C.
It’s a beautiful town in a beautiful state. It has culture, nature and commerce. The autumn there is, in my opinion, better than New England. Its summers are never as hot as Florida’s, its winters never as cold as Illinois’s. Asheville has been booming over the past decade, and there’s good reason why.
If you’re a small-business owner in Asheville, unfortunately, you’re reeling right now. Hurricane Helene has wreaked damageon Asheville not seen in recent memory. We’ve all looked at the photos. People lost their lives. Homes have been carried away. Countless small businesses have been destroyed or damaged.
What’s next?
You will apply for insurance. That means contacting your carrier, getting a visit from an adjuster, and providing photos and documentation about your business. You will be filling out the forms and then waiting for approval, and then payment. The time this takes varies, but typically a check can come within 30 to 90 days.
In the meantime, there’s individual aid from FEMA and resources from your state, which also received federal emergency funds. Many businesses will get federal loansthrough the Small Business Administration. These are low interest loans — the only loans the SBA actually extends — and are used for losses not covered by insurance or funding from FEMA for both personal and business, as well as to cover business operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
These are hard times. But, like the small businesses in other cities and towns that have been devastated by natural disasters in the past, Asheville’s small businesses will ultimately recover. And they will be be better than ever.
In 1989, Hurricane Hugo wrecked Charleston, causing $3 billion in damages, killing scores of people and destroying countless buildings and businesses. 2005’s Hurricane Katrina killed 1,800 people and put 20 percent of New Orleans under water, causing more than $160 billion in damage. Other major hurricanes like Camille, Michael, Andrew and Donna have wiped out homes and businesses from Florida to New Jersey.
But have you been to Charleston lately? New Orleans? The Jersey Shore? You wouldn’t even know that a hurricane had been there. All of these areas — and every other place devastated by such storms — have recovered. And, with modern equipment, technology and systems, these recoveries get faster and faster each time they happen.
I expect to see the same in Asheville.
If you’re a small-business owner in Asheville and want to know what’s in store for you, just take a look at Sanibel Island. This beautiful area on Florida’s Gulf Coast was crushed by Hurricane Iantwo years ago. But it’s coming back — fast.
Yes, it’s still a “work in progress,” according to one travel bloggerwho visited there recently. But, she reports, many businesses have re-opened. Many others are being rebuilt. There’s still a lot to do. But let’s not forget that Hurricane Ian struck the island exactly two years ago. Rebuilding takes time, and considering what’s happened in just two years, I’m betting that Sanibel will be almost fully back on track in another two years.
That sounds like a long time for Asheville small businesses, and it is. But during this time, we’ll be seeing some of these businesses boom. These are the local construction firms, architects, hardware stores, contractors, excavators, transportation companies, equipment rental providers, pavers, bricklayers and others.
This will be a chance to fix the things that should have always been fixed, to build where there were plans to build and to rebuild the infrastructure that should have been rebuilt. Some businesses and properties will be sold to forward-looking entrepreneurs and investors who are (correctly) looking at a brighter future. Where’s there’s tragedy for some, there’s opportunity for others. Asheville isn’t going anywhere. It will become an even better destination for tourism, new residents and investment.
In the meantime, many retailers and restaurants will have to shut down, sell more of their products online or out of their homes, or create makeshift properties while they bide their time during this rebuild. Other companies will send their employees home to work and look for other places to store their inventories and equipment.
During this time, I’m betting the smarter business people in Asheville will use the opportunity to reflect, re-think and renew their business plans. They’ll re-visit their products, their processes and their future. And when they do fully return to business — and most will, eventually — it will be in new buildings with modern systems, an updated decor and a better strategy for the future.
Over the next few months, business owners will witness (and perform) acts of kindness, graciousness and civility. North Carolina is a swing state,equally divided between red and blue voters. Disasters like this bring communities together. They have a long-lasting effect. They connect people who would otherwise not be connected.
This will improve personal lives. It will also create new relationships, foster new ideas and produce new ventures.
Hurricane Helene may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime affair, but all businesses in Asheville will learn that no one is immune from a natural disaster. I’m betting many will be updating (or creating) their continuity plans and making sure they’ve got a playbook if something like this ever happens again. And it could. Like so many of us, we’re told to do this, but it always gets put off in lieu of other, more pressing matters. This will change in Asheville. Small business owners across the country should also take note.
Make no mistake: no amount of good cheer can make up for what has happened in Asheville. But as a disconnected outsider who lives more than 600 miles away, I look at this amazing city and can see the future for its business community. And the future will be brighter than it’s ever been.
