Hurricane Helene Survey: The Uncertain Path Forward
- Carolina Small Business Development Fund
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Following Hurricane Helene, the CSBDF research team conducted a survey of almost 140 WNC entrepreneurs that received services from its Western Women’s Business Center in order to learn more about how they were impacted by the storm. This is the fifth and final post in a series based upon the results of that survey.
As small business owners turned their attention to the road of recovery ahead, they contemplated the challenges that remained, including the pressing need for additional financial support. Despite these hurdles, many remained optimistic, buoyed by community rebuilding efforts, and committed to restoring their businesses.
While the WWBC and its partners with the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative grant program have provided essential capital and technical assistance to WNC entrepreneurs, the testimonials below indicate that additional grant funding is needed to ensure that businesses in the region survive, recover, and thrive.
Hurricane Helene Survey Blog Post 5: The Uncertain Path Forward
Key Takeaways
WNC entrepreneurs face deep uncertainty about the future of their businesses and industries, with many questioning their ability to recover or remain in their current careers.
Access to financial support remains a critical barrier, as many business owners reported being denied grants and loans or resorting to high-interest debt to stay afloat.
Entrepreneurs showed a strong preference for grant-based disaster assistance over loans, citing ineligibility, startup status, or unwillingness to take on additional debt.
Despite setbacks, many entrepreneurs expressed hope and determination, creating contingency plans and exploring relocation or business model adjustments.
Community resilience and solidarity emerged as key themes, with entrepreneurs participating in and drawing strength from collective recovery efforts across the region.
The Long Road Ahead
Occupational & Regional Uncertainty
Several entrepreneurs expressed concern about how the recovery process would unfold for the Western North Carolina region.
“[The] long-term unknown recovery pathway is very concerning.”
“Just learned about the phases of disaster and we have a long road ahead of us.”
Others described uncertainty about their ability to return their businesses to profitability or find alternative employment if they were unable to do so.
“I am trying to determine whether or not I need to leave this industry and find another career or move from Asheville altogether and start a new [career]. Either way, [it is] extremely challenging to do when income is but a trickle.”
“I really want to get back to [providing] home health low vision services but have begun to have serious doubts if I can make the business sustainable. My potential clients are (understandably) more concerned about the destruction of their own surroundings than they are about their macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc. that are causing decreased functional vision and independence...”
Need for Financial Support
Dozens of entrepreneurs expressed an urgent need for financial support due to lost revenue resulting from Hurricane Helene.
“I feel that the hardest thing is waiting for financial help.”
In some cases, entrepreneurs resorted to desperate financial measures in order to keep their firms afloat.
“I was forced to max out all my credit cards in order to rebuild my property in order to start functioning as a business again. It's December, right before Christmas, and [my] brain simply is still recovering from paralysis, trying to organize finances and figure out a way to get out of high-interest rate credit cards.”
Insurance Coverage
Numerous entrepreneurs either lacked insurance coverage or found that damages that their businesses sustained as a result of Hurricane Helene were ineligible for reimbursement.
“We paid a lot for business insurance, but in the end, they couldn't help us due to it being a flood issue.”
“We have paid into insurance for years, however the insurance companies find a way not to pay.”
Disaster Assistance Loans
Several entrepreneurs that sought disaster loans were unable to find lending opportunities that their businesses qualified for and that made sense for them financially.
“There are not enough grants or at the very least low interest loans for business owners to help rebuild our community.”
In addition, some businesses that applied for loans failed to qualify.
“I have been spending many days and hours applying for grants and loans to help with the financial burden this disaster has caused my family and my business. But I am denied due to this being my first year in business.”
Other entrepreneurs expressed disinterest in taking on debt.
“We don't need loans, we need direct support, similar to COVID times.”
Disaster Assistance Grants
Many entrepreneurs argued that additional grant funding was needed to prevent businesses from closing and to help them move towards recovery. Some business owners argued that delays in the funding process could result in additional firm closures.
“All of the grants are taking so long; it may be too late once they are distributed for people to survive that long.”
Several entrepreneurs found that they were ineligible for grants, either because their firms are start-ups, or for other reasons.
“I have been spending many days and hours applying for grants and loans to help with the financial burden this disaster has caused my family and my business. But I am denied due to this being my first year in business. This has been a very stressful time and I worry about losing my business I have worked so hard to purchase and remodel...”
Moving Forward
However, in the months following Hurricane Helene, many entrepreneurs made plans to resume and rebuild their businesses.
“We continue to believe in our work, which includes producing nutritious, non-toxic foods, but we are hopeful that relocating our business to a space that will already be ours will allow us to open up new opportunities.”
“[I am] creating an emergency/downtime plan for future events where I am not able to contact my patients [in order to] make sure they're ok.”
Through their participation in the recovery process–as volunteers, donors, fundraisers, and/or recipients of support–many entrepreneurs evidenced a deeply held belief in the strength and resilience of the WNC community.
“I think it's not an easy task; however, with passion and determination, anything can be done. The sense of community was here during the hurricane. It can definitely be present while we are still trying to recover.”
“This experience has only strengthened the bonds of my community, and I actually feel more supported and seen, and clearer about my mission, than before.”
Conclusion
Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the facilities, equipment, supplies and surrounding infrastructure that many WNC rely on. At the time of the survey, more than 80% of participants had experienced a decrease in revenue, resulting from sharp declines in their customer bases and available employees. These negative impacts were compounded when many entrepreneurs found themselves unable to secure sufficient financial support through insurance payments, grants, and loans.
Entrepreneurs’ professional struggles were exacerbated by personal experiences of trauma, displacement, and environmental hazards that threatened their health and safety. Despite these experiences, many entrepreneurs participated actively in post-storm recovery efforts: raising funds; providing in-kind services; and organizing, packing, and delivering supplies throughout the WNC region. Numerous entrepreneurs also volunteered informally and through established organizations, in some cases helping their community members while they themselves were still suffering from the storm’s impacts.
At the time of the survey, entrepreneurs felt uncertainty regarding the economic future of Western North Carolina and the outlook for specific industries. Many reported needing financial support, advocating for disaster assistance grants rather than loans.
Numerous entrepreneurs reported that they were either ineligible for, or unable to find information about, disasters grants. However, as evidenced in the Moving Forward section above, many entrepreneurs were heartened by the solidarity their communities displayed during the recovery process, and felt confident about the region’s ability to rebound. In the words of one entrepreneur:
“We can recover! I have faith in this beautiful community.”
Carolina Small Business Development Fund and the Western Women’s Business Center will continue to support entrepreneurs in Western North Carolina with small business capital and technical assistance. Questions about the survey? Email CSBDF Director of Economic Development Policy Adam Safer at asafer@carolinasmallbusiness.org.