Weeks after Helene, Biltmore Estate announces reopening in North Carolina

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – More than three weeks after remnants of Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina, Biltmore Estate, one of the area's most popular tourist attractions and largest employers, announced it will reopen on Nov. 2, the company said in a statement.

Helene's historic flooding ravaged portions of the Biltmore grounds, including its entrance and multiple low-lying buildings. Several of the estate's animals were killed in the storm, according to a statement the estate released on social media, adding the vast majority of the animals are safe and accounted for.

Many of the attraction's other facilities, including the gilded age Biltmore House, the conservatory, winery, gardens and the estate's hotels, received minimal or no damage.

The reopening marks the beginning of the holiday season for the 8,000-acre estate employing approximately 2,400 people. While the Biltmore House, restaurants and other estate attractions will be open to visitors, the company is still cleaning up roads and wooded areas ravaged by the deadly storm. The company said its trails and outdoor adventure center will remain closed until further notice.

“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support for our community and the determination of our first responders, utility workers and community volunteers,” Bill Cecil Jr., president and CEO of Biltmore, said in a statement. “As recovery unfolds, welcoming guests back to Biltmore not only means we can open, but also brings critical support to our region’s economy to aid area employees, local businesses and friends."

No storm-related fatalities were reported among staff, Marissa Jamison, a Biltmore spokesperson, said in an Oct. 19 email to the Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. All staff have been accounted for, though several employees lost their homes in the storm, Jamison said.

Some are also out of work, at least temporarily.

Citing “a significant decline in tourism that is expected to persist in the near term,” Biltmore, one of the largest employers in Buncombe County, furloughed an unspecified number of employees, according to Jamison.

But the furlough is temporary, she said, and staff members will return to work “in phases after reopening.”

Helene made landfall along the Gulf Coast of Florida on Sept. 26 before it barreled inland, carving an immense trail of destruction across the Southeast. The storm wrought billions in damages and killed at least 228 people, making it the deadliest hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Biltmore Estate announces reopening date after Helene