The town of Canton was badly damaged by Hurricane Helene with three deaths in Haywood County during the storm. Mayor Zeb Smathers says the region is still waiting for federal resources but that he is focused on the future.
BPR spoke with Smathers in 2024 at J-RO’S Restaurant in Canton on Oct. 3. As Smathers ate lunch with his son Stone, he told BPR that he felt guilty that so many people in the region had lost their homes and loved ones or still lacked power and water.
Earlier this month, Smathers told BPR that the word he keeps coming back from that time is “trauma.”
“There's not even words to describe the character and resiliency of these people. At the same time there's frustrations,” Smather said. “There are promises made following about funding and it is completely unacceptable how many resources are existing in places like Washington with our name on it that are still sitting there.”
Smathers says that he keeps his son, now 5-years-old, and the legacy of this time in mind as he continues to work on recovery.
