Western North Carolina grapples with aftermath of Hurricane Helene

SPRUCE PINE, N.C. -- Two North Carolina facilities that manufacture the high-purity quartz used for making semiconductors, solar panels and fiber-optic cables have been shut down by Hurricane Helene with no reopening date in sight.

Sibelco and The Quartz Corp both shut down operations in the Appalachian town of Spruce Pine on Thursday ahead of the storm that swept away whole communities in the western part of the state and across the border in East Tennessee. The town is home to mines that produce some of the world's highest-quality quartz.

With increasing global demand, Sibelco announced last year that it would invest $200 million to double capacity at Spruce Pine.

Since the storm, the company has simply been working to confirm that all of its employees are safe and accounted for, according to a statement, as some were "unreachable due to ongoing power outages and communication challenges."

"Please rest assured that Sibelco is actively collaborating with government agencies and third-party rescue and recovery operations to mitigate the impact of this event and to resume operations as soon as possible," the company wrote.

The Quartz Corp wrote that restarting operations is a "second order of priority."

"Our top priority remains the health and safety of our employees and their families," the company wrote.

Spruce Pine quartz is used around the world to manufacture the equipment needed to make the silicon chips that underpin all our digital devices, Vince Beiser, author of "The World in a Grain," said in an email.

"To make silicon chips, you need to first melt down a highly-purified material called polysilicon. That can only be done in crucibles that are themselves made of a material so pure it will not react chemically with the polysilicon and is also able to withstand enormous heat," he said. "The best material for those crucibles is ultra-pure quartz. Spruce Pine is the source of the purest natural quartz ever found on Earth."

An estimated 70-90% of the crucibles used worldwide are made from Spruce Pine quartz, he said.

City officials in Spruce Pine are focused on locating people who were stranded by the storm, said Wayne Peight, a member of Spruce Pine's town council, but reopening the mines is important to more than just the companies behind the facilities.

Peight estimated that around three-quarters of the town has a direct connection to the mines, whether that is a job, a job that relies on the mines or a family member who works at the facilities.

"It's the underpinning of our economy," he said, and getting the facilities back running "is going to be extremely critical" for the people in Spruce Pine.

"If there is no cash in, especially in a county with as many people on the poverty scale as we have already, we are going to have a really difficult fall and winter if that doesn't happen quickly," Peight said.

Devastation from the remnants of Helene isn't stopping one non-profit from continuing its life-saving work.

Manna Food Bank, which provides food for the hungry in 16 counties across western North Carolina, had its facility and warehouse wiped out by last week's storm and is now operating from a makeshift location.

But despite the location change, the food bank still delivered supplies to thousands on Wednesday.

"I want to cry," said Asheville resident Janice Edwards. "I've got tears in my eyes right now."

A devastated community that is continuing to look out for each other.

"People are basically good, and you find out how good they really are," said resident Mary Dawkins.

Dawkins was one of the thousands of people that Manna Food Bank managed to deliver food to Wednesday. Efforts that keep the 86-year-old hopeful as she manages life without power or water.

"People have been so kind and they've been so generous," Dawkins said. "People have talked to me when I've not had contact before."

Edwards is also relying on the food bank's heroic efforts.

"Well, I'm having to go to the creek to get water up, flush my toilet, and I'm taking creek water for my mom to flush toilets," she said.

Jeremy Weinstein, who ran the warehouse for Manna Food Bank before it was washed away by flood waters, said he knows what's at stake.

"The need is higher now than it's ever been especially in some of the hard-to-reach counties that we typically service that are already, you know, facing food insecurity," Weinstein said. "It's already hard to get access to those communities. And now they're really cut off."

Manna is vowing not to turn anyone away as part of a message they want delivered to a community that is hurting.

"We're still here," Weinstein said. "We're going to do what we can to get to you."

President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of 1,000 active-duty soldiers from the 18th Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division that are stationed at Fort Liberty.

Those soldiers will help FEMA in creating and stabilizing essential services for communities hit hardest by Hurricane Helene.

The soldiers will provide manpower and logistics support, which will help FEMA and other partners reach hardest hit areas in western North Carolina -- some of which became inaccessible when the storm destroyed roads into and out of the area.

Other military equipment already being utilized in North Carolina include:

• US Army and US Navy helicopters, Soldiers, and Sailors providing critical capability to move personnel and supplies in areas where access via roads is not available or viable.
• US Air Force aircraft, helicopters, and Airmen providing search-and-rescue capabilities.
• US Army Soldiers and high wheeled vehicles moving personnel and supplies over roads and terrain damaged or impassable to normal vehicles.
• Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Power Teams and subject matter experts supporting debris removal, water and wastewater management, and bridge inspections.

The National Guard has also activated more than 6,500 Guardsmen as well as hundreds of boats and helicopters.

Numerous areas in western NC will take weeks even months to fully recover from Tropical Storm Helene.

One of those communities is Black Mountain which is on the way to Asheville when taking Interstate 40.

A bridge on Blue Ridge Road there has been completely washed out leaving the road impassable for drivers.

This also makes it even more difficult for those in need to get supplies that they need.

Homes along the river in that area were also left with severe water damage.