It’s been just over two weeks and much of the region will never be as it once was.
Some parts of the 27-county disaster area have recovered well, even welcoming back the seasonal tourists on whom their economy depends. Others are getting there rapidly.
But for several counties, search and rescue for storm victims and perhaps survivors continues, along with a reckoning of the scope of damage to homes, businesses and roads, as well as water and electrical infrastructure.
One county has too many supplies being donated, while an adjacent one is in desperate need. Some counties began recovering before the downstream flooding on rivers like the Catawba really began in others. The situation is as complex and different from one part of the region to another as are the many counties that make up the Blue Ridge Mountains and Western Piedmont of North Carolina.
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Carolina Public Press reporters reached out to public officials or prominent business, health and education leaders in most of the counties affected, as well as the tribal jurisdiction of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Some counties were more responsive to others – they do have other things to do than talk with reporters. Three counties that appeared to have relatively minimal damage were not included.
What follows is a roundup of what the CPP news team learned about what happened in each of those counties and how they are faring two weeks after Helen. They are presented in alphabetical order.
Alleghany County
Alleghany County, on the Virginia border, has a population of just over 11,000. On Oct. 4, phone lines at the county government office were restored.
“We were one of the fortunate ones,” Alleghany County emergency management director Daniel Roten told CPP.
“Things are going really good up here,” Roten said.
“We have most of our power back on. 911 call volume has returned to normal. Debris clean up will be ongoing for some period of time. FEMA officers will be on the ground as well.”
Ashe County
Ashe County is a mostly rural mountainous county north of Boone, located on the Virginia and Tennessee lines. The county’s two largest population centers — Jefferson and Lansing — had disparate experiences during Helene.
“We were very lucky,” Ashe County finance officer Kayla Jones told CPP.
“We lost power and water after the storm, and there were several water leaks that popped up, but I drove into other parts of the county, and it was way worse than Jefferson.”
“Lansing got hit hard,” Jones said.
“It was absolutely heart-breaking to drive through there, because entire houses were just washed away. Compared to that, it’s been a piece of cake in Jefferson.”
Jones said one thing at the top of her to-do list is getting FEMA reimbursements for the cost of gravel to repair the roads. “Gravel is expensive,” Jones said.
Ashe County confirmed one storm-related death.
Avery County
Avery County, located south of Boone on the Tennessee border, has four confirmed storm-related deaths.
Avery County residents continue to operate under a boil water advisory — in rare cases where water is available — and a 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
“We do not believe water will be restored for some time,” a Wednesday, Oct. 9 statement read. “As water is restored, the Town of Banner Elk will be under a boil water notice.”
There is no timeline for when K-12 students in Avery County will return to school, as power, water and sewer have not yet been restored at all school buildings.
A state of emergency is still in effect for the county and the town of Banner Elk. Duke Energy is reporting 205 customers still without power.
“We ask that residents stay off the roads unless travel is essential,” the statement said. “There are numerous downed trees and power lines, as well as damaged roads, bridges and culverts, that are creating serious hazards to travel.”
As for visitors, Avery County is asking them to stay away.
“As much as we’d like to welcome you, we request that you refrain from traveling to Banner Elk until further notice for all the reasons listed above,” reads the county’s Wednesday statement.
“Tourism is a crucial part of our local economy. It will be a crucial part of the recovery. We look forward to the time we can welcome you with open arms.”
Buncombe County
Buncombe is the most populous county in the primary disaster area with 270,000 residents. The city of Asheville and the smaller municipalities of Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville and Woodfin experienced landslides and major floods on the French Broad River and the Swannanoa River, as did several unincorporated communities, such as Swannanoa.
As of 4 p.m. on Thursday, 42 deaths as a result of the storm have been confirmed in the official tally. Sheriff Quentin Miller was reporting a death count as high as 72 people last week, before the county started deferring to DHHS’s official count. The reason for the difference in the counts remains unclear.
According to a press release from the county on Friday, urban search and rescue teams have conducted more than 13,000 structural damage observations as of Oct. 8. Of those, 686 had minor damage, 636 were affected, 901 had major damage and 560 were destroyed. Urban search and rescue teams aided in 3,133 resident assists, 200 rescues, 183 resident evacuations and 35 pet evacuations.
Asheville experienced catastrophic damage to its water treatment and distribution system, which provides running water to much of the city’s residents and as well as many outside the city limits and in neighboring counties.
Assistant City Manager Ben Woody said there has been progress on the repair efforts, but those without water will likely have to wait weeks to get it back.
Some residents in the southern part of the county do have running water, thanks to a plant that is operating there.
Residents who are on well water have been advised to test them for safety. Home well water testing kits are available at 30 Valley Street from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Buncombe County Schools and Asheville City Schools are closed for the time being, as are county-owned parks and libraries.
FEMA has opened a disaster recovery center at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville. Disaster victims can come to the center to speak with FEMA staff about applying for federal assistance. A comfort care center will also be available at A.C. Reynolds, where survivors can shower, do laundry and access the internet.
Burke County
One man died in Burke County after striking a fallen tree with his truck the day after the storm.
According to a county government press release from Friday, debris clean-up remains a major part of storm recovery in Burke. Free debris pickup services will begin on Monday, Oct. 14 and continue over the coming weeks.
FEMA representatives are also going door-to-door in affected neighborhoods to assist residents with assistance applications and connect them with other organizations that are offering relief services.
Caldwell County
DHHS has not confirmed any storm-related deaths in Caldwell County, nor is the county aware of any missing people according to public information officer Paige Counts.
Phone and internet services were down for about three days following the storm, but some remote areas experienced longer outages.
Currently fewer than 20 homes remain without power, and no homes that receive county water are without it.
Downed trees blocked many roads immediately following the storm, but much of the debris has been cleared at this point.
A bridge on Brown Mountain Beach Road washed away and several private bridges were destroyed. The county is still working to determine the number of people displaced, but building inspectors have checked more than 100 homes for structural damage.
The Wilson Creek Visitor Center, which is a tourist attraction maintained by the county, sustained significant damage including broken windows and water damage in the interior of the building.
Catawba County
The worst flooding in Catawba County occurred in the Lookout Shoals area along the Catawba River. About 100 homes were directly impacted by the river flooding and 50 more across the county had major storm-related damage.
Catawba County had one confirmed storm-related death: a 4-year old girl in a car crash on a closed, flooded road.
Duke Energy is only reporting one customer without power in the county at this time.
Clay County
DHHS has not reported any deaths in Clay County, which borders Georgia and is the westernmost county in the disaster area.
The county declared a state of emergency on Sept. 26 but has not published any more notices on its website.
Carolina Public Press reached out to County Manager Debbie Mauney on Friday to ask for a comment on the storm’s impact, but she did not respond before the publication of this article.
Cleveland County
Cleveland County had two confirmed storm-related deaths, both a result of falling trees.
Duke Energy reported Thursday, Oct. 10 that just 13 customers were still without electricity. Cleveland County kids were back in school as of Monday, Oct. 7.
The Broad River, which experienced severe flooding upstream from Cleveland County, passes near the town of Boiling Springs, a town of about 4,800 near the South Carolina line. Roads are open and power is largely restored in Boiling Springs. Residents never lost water or sewer service.
Boiling Springs Town Manager Zachary Parker said many basements flooded in town, but street flooding was minimal. The wastewater treatment plant flooded as well, but waters receded just a couple of days after the storm.
“We didn’t have bad flooding, but we did have a good number of trees down,” Parker told CPP. “The overwhelming majority of our damage came from vegetation. Trees took power lines and communication lines down.”
“We were very aggressive in our response effort last week,” Parker said. “We reassigned a significant portion of the town’s workforce to debris removal and clean-up. We reassigned folks to work on damage assessment activities on our storm-water and road infrastructure. We are working with our insurance company and FEMA on next steps.”
The biggest ongoing project for the county is debris removal, Parker said.
Duke Energy reported Thursday, Oct. 10 that just four customers were still without electricity across Cleveland County.
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians lives on the Qualla Boundary, which overlaps primarily with Swain County and Jackson counties.
The storm decimated the tribe’s fish hatcheries and damaged surrounding roads. Helene took the tribe’s entire fall stock of rainbow trout — 23,000 pounds of fish.
The Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority has been operating at something close to normal. The hospital’s main concern is its staff, some of whom live in the more seriously impacted counties like Haywood and Buncombe, hospital spokesperson Brittney Lofthouse told CPP.
“We have employees applying to the employee association’s Heart Program, which employees contribute to and then apply for funding in an emergency situation,” Lofthouse said.
“We’ve seen an increase in those applications.”
The hospital’s internet system was fully restored on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Gaston County
Gaston County, on the southeast edge of the disaster zone, confirmed one storm-related death, due to falling tree debris.
Largely, though, the county made out well in terms of overall damage. School kids, for example, were already back in classrooms on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
County officials say to expect some delays in landfill operations, and to carefully track and document any expenditures and damage related to the storm for FEMA individual assistance forms.
Haywood County
Haywood County, which borders Buncombe County to the west and is home to more than 60,000 people, endured brutal impacts from Tropical Storm Helene.
Haywood’s towns include county seat Waynesville and Maggie Valley, Canton and Clyde.
Haywood ranks fourth among NC counties in numbers of storm-related deaths in the official tally, with five confirmed deaths.
Compromised private wells and damaged septic systems are a major problem in the area, and county officials urge residents to apply for FEMA assistance to help cover the cost of repair.
“Flooding can introduce dangerous bacteria and mold into homes,” public health director Sara Banks told Haywood County residents on Monday, Oct. 7.
“We strongly urge residents to take precautions by wearing proper protective equipment and avoiding direct contact with contaminated water.”
During the Oct. 7 meeting of the county’s Board of Commissioners, the board approved budget amendments for the public health department to accept $71,888 from the state, the Haywood Housing Initiative to accept a total of $2,612,840 from HUD, and $185,000 from the Natural Disaster Fund.
All Haywood County courts are canceled this week, though they were open on Monday, Oct. 7 to address emergency matters.
A curfew remains in effect from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Duke Energy reported Thursday, Oct. 10 that 236 Haywood customers were still without electricity.
October is generally a cash-cow for tourism money in the area, but this year, the county is encouraging visitors to stay away.
The county’s energy is entirely dedicated to restoring essential services and rescuing those in immediate need, said county spokesperson Dillon Huffman. Popular roads for fall foliage sight-seeing are closed, as are hiking trails.
Henderson County
The city of Hendersonville, which is home to about 15,000 people, experienced major flooding on Mud Creek, which is a tributary of the French Broad River. The floodwaters cost at least seven people their lives during and in the days immediately following the storm.
At the height of the storm, 74,000 total households experienced power outages. Now, that number is down to 2,400. Many roads were damaged or made impassable by debris, and many secondary and private roads still have major issues.
Hendersonville is the main water provider for people in the county who do not use private wells. The city announced on Thursday that the city’s water system has been “substantially restored to normal operations.”
Some other parts of Henderson County rely on Asheville for water. While the plant that services those areas is operational, residents are advised to boil water.
Jackson County
Jackson County, with a population of less than 43,000 people, is home to towns like Sylva, Webster, Dillsboro and Forest Hills, as well as unincorporated communities like Cullowhee, Cashiers and Cherokee. There were no storm-related deaths in the county.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 8, the sale and purchase of gasoline is no longer restricted in Jackson County. Duke Energy reported Thursday, Oct. 10 that 42 customers were still without electricity.
Western Carolina University is in Cullowhee. The school kept power and water during the storm, a rarity in the western counties. Campus was never evacuated, but classes will not resume until Oct. 21. The school has more than 12,000 students.
“In only a few days, we’ve received hundreds of requests from students who need emergency assistance,” WCU spokesperson James Hogan wrote in an email to the WCU community. “Our students have lost housing, cars, computers, and income they need to pay their bills.
“Further, hundreds of our faculty and staff live in counties that were devastated by the storm. They, too, have lost houses and goods — and in some cases, tragically, loved ones.”
Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, and Highlands-Cashiers Hospital near Cashiers, remained operational throughout the emergency, providing care to many when other medical facilities in the county were closed.
Macon County
One person in Macon County died after driving his truck into a flooded road on Sept. 28. That man was retired security officer Jim Lau, who was swept away by floodwaters after leaving the Macon County Courthouse where he worked, according to the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page.
Inspections for damage to homes and other structures were completed this week, according to an Oct. 8 press release from County Emergency Services Director Warren Cabe. Two residential structures were deemed uninhabitable, 24 require extensive repairs and 28 require at least some repair.
The county established a distribution center to collect donations and hand out critical supplies at the vacant Ingles location at Holly Springs Plaza.
FEMA representatives are available to speak with residents about assistance applications and registration inquiries at Hudson Library in Highlands this weekend.
Madison County
Madison County, northwest of Asheville on the Tennessee line with nearly 22,000 residents, confirmed four storm-related deaths. The county’s biggest towns are Hot Springs, Marshall and Mars Hill.
According to a statement from the town of Hot Springs, its downtown “faced severe devastation from the flooding” caused by Tropical Storm Helene.
“The storm left much of our downtown in ruins, with numerous businesses destroyed and critical infrastructure, including water, sewer, electricity, and communication systems, heavily impacted.”
As of Wednesday, Oct. 9, the boil water advisory for Hot Springs was lifted after water samples came back clean. Duke Energy installed a temporary substation the same day which will power the town until a more permanent solution is found. Town meetings are being held every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at the Hot Springs Elementary School.
Mars Hill University, a private Baptist School, is located in Mars Hill. CPP spoke with university president Tony Floyd.
“If you drove through (campus), you would think it’s a normal situation,” Floyd said. “Of course, if you go 8 miles down the road to Marshall or if you go to Hot Springs, it’s a much different situation.”
Unlike many other colleges in the region, Mars Hill never lost water, and only lost power for a couple days. Staff is back on campus and crews have cleared trees that fell in the storm.
Communications from Madison County officials about the state of affairs after Helene have been sparse. Phone lines are apparently still down at the Madison County government office in Marshall. Downtown Marshall straddles the French Broad River and experienced substantial flooding during the storm.
McDowell County
McDowell County experienced major flooding along the Catawba River, and DHHS has reported one death as a result of a collapsed house.
The county has hired a contractor to remove storm debris from public roadways in Old Fort and Marion and along state secondary roads in the county.
FEMA opened a disaster recovery center in Marion on Friday, where representatives will be available to help survivors apply for disaster assistance.
The center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Comfort stations, where residents will be able take showers, use the bathroom and do laundry, have been established at Old Fort Baptist Church in Old Fort and New Horizon Baptist Church in Marion.
Mecklenburg County
Mecklenburg County was not in the original 25-county disaster area, but it was added alongside Swain County on Oct. 5.
That happened after Duke Energy, which manages a chain of several hydroelectric stations along the Catawba River, moved large amounts of water through the system, causing flooding from Lake Norman to Lake Wylie through Mountain Island Lake.
Mecklenburg issued a mandatory evacuation order for affected areas near Mountain Island Lake on Sept. 27. DHHS is reporting one death in the county on that same day, caused by a tree falling on a home early that morning, although the incident appears to have happened before the aforementioned flooding.
A video published on the Emergency Management Office’s Facebook page on Oct. 7 shows images of destroyed homes around the flooded area.
Mitchell County
Mitchell County suffered severe damage to its utility infrastructure following the storm.
Much of the county went without electricity, water, internet or phone service in the days following the storm. DHHS reported two deaths in Mitchell on Oct. 5 and Oct. 7.
County Manager Allen Cook posted a video update to the county’s YouTube channel Friday morning. About 50 percent of households in the county, or about 6,000 residents, are still without power, but Cook said Mitchell has made significant progress in repairing the devastation to the county’s utilities.
“We were basically in blackout mode for about four or five days straight,” Cook said in the video.
The county has received so many physical donations that it is running out of warehouse space.
FEMA is activated in the county and has participated in search and rescue operations. They are now connecting with residents to work on assistance applications. The county is maintaining a list of resources on its Helene webpage.
Polk County
DHHS reported one death in Polk County on Sept. 27 as a result of a landslide.
Christina Hallingse, a former Asheville public information officer who is assisting Polk County with its communications, told CPP that the several county-owned buildings sustained damage, though the extent remained unclear.
Polk County provides water services to a small portion of the county. Hallingse said infrastructure was unaffected by the storm.
FEMA representatives are offering assistance with disaster relief for personal losses at the Columbus Library through Friday, Oct. 18.
Rutherford County
The Rutherford County communities of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure were largely razed by rampaging flood waters in the Broad River, making for some of the most shocking devastation from Helene. Emergency efforts are still underway in these areas.
Shower trailers, restrooms, a hand-washing station, a charging station and a public Starlink WiFi network are available at the Lake Lure Resource Center. Boil water and no-flush advisories are in effect for anyone on the town water system. Cell service is still unreliable.
There were three confirmed storm-related deaths in the county, and 30 ongoing missing persons investigations. Welfare checks are still in progress. Duke Energy reported Thursday, Oct. 10 that 1,722 customers were still without electricity.
Rutherford County Schools opened back up for students on Wednesday, Oct. 9 on a two-hour delay.
“Several of the roads in the upper part of the county are not fit for our (school) buses to travel on,” Rutherford County Schools spokesperson Richard Garland told CPP. Some students in these areas could not make it to their first day back.
“Other than the buses, it was a pretty smooth first day. It was great to see smiling faces, and get kids back into somewhat of a normal routine,” Garland said.
“There are still some families who do not have power, so bringing kids to a place where there is power, running water, and two hot meals was something we felt was really important.”
Swain County
Swain County, home to Bryson City and much of the Qualla Boundary, was added to the list of counties in the disaster declaration area more than a week after the storm.
The county’s addition to the list allows residents to apply for FEMA’s individual assistance and the state’s disaster unemployment assistance.
Swain was originally included in Governor Roy Cooper’s Sept. 27 federal request for an expedited major disaster declaration in Western NC.
As to why Swain was added late to the list of counties in disaster, Bryson City mayor Thomas Sutton told CPP that he thinks FEMA personnel are rightfully occupied with some of the harder-hit counties.
“I think we just got left off,” Sutton said.
“I don’t think there was any ill intent or dismissiveness. They’re doing everything so fast. Everybody’s office was kind of ad hoc for a while. But we made the right calls, and got on the list, so we’re good.”
Sutton feels lucky in comparison to the counties just east of Swain.
“We had impact, and it’s not been the best two weeks ever,” Sutton said. “But we did not get the kind of damage that other communities had, and so we are able to come back a little quicker. We didn’t have any water and sewer damage, and our water was potable the day after the storm.”
“We have some mud to clean up from flooding on the Tuckasegee River, which runs right through town. But we are not in bad shape.”
Unlike some other Western North Carolina jurisdictions, Bryson City is encouraging tourists not to cancel their fall vacation to the Smoky Mountains.
“Far Western North Carolina in the Smoky Mountains … were primarily spared from storm damage and are open for visitors, including Bryson City,” reads a Facebook post from Bryson City.
“Our shops, lodging, restaurants and attractions showcase the best of the Smokies, support the economy of Far Western North Carolina and are eager to welcome you now and for years to come!”
Swain Community Hospital remained open throughout the storm, though it did lose power and staff had issues reporting to their shifts.
Transylvania County
Transylvania County, south of Asheville on the South Carolina line with a population of nearly 33,000, reported no storm-related deaths.
CPP spoke with the mayor of Brevard, Transylvania’s county seat.
“Brevard was pretty fortunate when it comes down to total destruction,” mayor Maureen Copelof said.
“The center of Brevard — our downtown — is like this oasis that survived with no real damage, other than loss of power for a number of days. But we are a very small part of the county.”
“If you go outside the immediate center of the city, though, into the county, you’ve got devastation everywhere. There were some areas of our town in a flood plain that got hit pretty badly. There was one neighborhood where houses were totally destroyed and we had to evacuate 85 people.”
Brevard’s downtown small businesses are structurally sound, but staying afloat a complete loss of their biggest month of revenue — October — will not be an easy undertaking.
There is an open shelter at Transylvania County Parks. The county has distributed 200,000 bottles of water and 90,000 MREs to residents so far. There are nearly 1,000 homes and businesses without power, as of Wednesday.
“Some of our Transylvania families have lost everything and now face the challenge of finding temporary housing while repairs or replacements process,” reads a post on the Transylvania County Facebook page.
County officials are still working with neighborhoods to remove flood waters, contaminated household items and other flood debris. Free curbside pickup of debris is underway. The landfill is open.
Courts, libraries and child development offices reopened on Monday. Transylvania Public Schools welcomed students back on Friday, Oct 11. The Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway remain closed.
Brevard College, a private college with a student population of about 800, weathered the storm well, but struggled with communications in Brevard.
Watauga County
“Where we are two weeks out is a bit of a complex question in Watauga County,” David Jackson, president of the Watauga County Chamber of Commerce, told Carolina Public Press.
“Ridgeline to ridgeline, the situation is different. In our city centers, Boone and Blowing Rock, infrastructure is largely back together again. It’s out in the county — places where most of our residents live and that are popular tourist destinations this time of year — that are still undergoing recovery, and just beginning the rebuilding process.”
Classes at App State in Boone resume Wednesday, Oct. 16. This weekend, students from all over the region will be traveling back to Watauga County. Figuring out a way for that return to campus to happen without placing strain on the community is one of Jackson’s focuses.
“The thing I worry about the most is the mental aspect of it all,” Jackson said.
“A lot of these students were in some of the worst areas in Boone in terms of flooding, and told ‘pack up your belongings, get out of town, and we don’t know when you’re coming back.’
“These were the kids impacted by COVID in high school, so they’ve been disrupted on the front and back end of their college career. They’re kind of tip-toeing back here, going, ‘I just want to finish the semester and go home.’”
Many students at App State work at restaurants and hotels in Boone or surrounding areas.
“I’m worried about the tourist that comes too soon after the storm, expecting Normal Rockwell Americana, and doesn’t behave empathetically toward a student or other resident standing behind a counter,” Jackson said. “That could be a breaking point.”
Jackson is concerned with communicating the right message to tourists who usually flood the county in October.
“We are not at our best right now, so don’t come looking for that,” Jackson said.
“But if you want to come be a helpful part of our recovery process, that probably means day-tripping and being mindful that people you are interacting with might be sleeping on someone’s couch because they’ve been displaced from their home.”
He warned tourists not to go looking for the destruction they might have seen on Facebook, and to listen to authorities about which areas of the county are cleared for travel.
“It’s only been two weeks, and it’s still a very hard scene to be a part of,” Jackson said
“We are making some positive progress, and the way our community is designed, tourists have to be a part of that progress.
“But this is not the same community we were two weeks ago.”
Jackson hopes that by ski season, the county will be able to welcome tourists with more open arms.
Watauga County confirmed two storm related deaths. One was a drowning, and the other the result of a landslide.
Yancey County
Yancey County, located north of Asheville on the Tennessee line has the second highest official total death count after Buncombe, with 12 confirmed fatalities as of Friday at 4 p.m.
Some parts of the mountainous county experienced severe flooding and landslides, and bodies were still being recovered from debris as recently as Thursday.
Yancey County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeff Whitson gave an update on the county’s emergency management Facebook page on Thursday, Oct. 11.
Blue Ridge Hospital in nearby Mitchell County is operating a field hospital in Yancey County, which does not have its own hospital, at the Burnsville Fire Department. The facility is equipped with nurses and physicians who can write prescriptions.
Whitson said the hospital is treating about 30 to 40 people per day. The county’s health department is also providing full medical services out of Blue Ridge Elementary School, which is also being used as a shelter site.
The county also has an oxygen refill station operated by Samaritan’s Purse at the shopping center off W Main Street across from the TD Bank.
FEMA representatives are offering assistance with disaster relief for personal losses at the Burnsville Library at 321 School Circle Monday through Saturday.
Davis Farm on Cane River School Road in Burnsville is offering a variety of livestock supplies, including hay, to help farmers in need.
Editor’s note: CPP news team members Jane Winik Sartwell, Lucas Thomae and Frank Taylor contributed to this report.
Source: This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Photo by Darya Sannikova: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-2-storey-house-2422464/
