Here’s how Carolina West weathered Hurricane Helene—and more

Hurricane Helene caused devastating damage smack dab where Carolina West Wireless offers wireless services in western North Carolina. At the peak of the storm’s damage, nearly 70 percent of its network was down. Nearly a month later, only a few sites remain out of service, including a site in the mountain community of Chimney Rock, which was nearly wiped off the map. That site is now reachable but telecommunications backhaul isn’t available, so it remains off line at last check. Bringing everything back to pre-Hurricane Helene levels will be a lengthy process, but Carolina West CEO Slayton Stewart said they’re confident it can be done. The remaining sites will be restored within the next 30 to 60 days, although fully assessing and repairing all the damage at each location will take months.