A story of hope and resilience has emerged from the shocking aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The storm swept over several US states last week. One of the worst areas hit was the western part of North Carolina. In particular, the city of Asheville. It experienced flooding worse than anyone there had seen before.
Four weeks ago, Brandon Davis and his husband, Davie, opened an inclusive, welcoming LGBTQ+ space in the city. They put all their money into the venture and took out further loans to make their dream a reality.
The social media for their “DayTrip” bar and coffee shop shows their excitement and joy at launching their business (see the photo above).
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And then Helene swept into town and destroyed it all.
The New York Times recently caught up with Brandon and featured him in a short video, surveying the damage to his bar. It’s since gone viral online.
@nytimes We were with Brandon Davis when he returned to his business in Asheville, North Carolina, for the first time since Hurricane Helene devastated the area several days ago. #Helene #hurricane #Asheville #NorthCarolina ♬ original sound – The New York Times
Many were moved by Brandon’s final words, saying, “I had a dream come true and it lasted 32 days.”
One person commented, “I met this guy in Asheville just a week before Helene & he was so excited to tell me about this place & such a nice person. This is so devasting.”
GoFundMe launched
A friend of Brandon and Davie’s has now launched a GoFundMe.
“Our community faces a long uphill road to recovery, and there are so many people who need assistance. Part of what makes this community so vibrant and wonderful are the small businesses that provide us with unique and fun places to come together. And if you know Brandon and Davie, you know how much of their heart and soul went into creating their bar and coffee shop, DayTrip which just opened a little over a month ago,” states the fundraiser.
“They spent countless months and so much blood, sweat and tears renovating the space and realizing their dream of creating a cozy and quirky place for friends and neighbors to come and feel welcome. And it was that place for a sweet brief time. But when Hurricane Helene hit Western N.C., DayTrip, along with so many other small businesses along the French Broad, was completely destroyed.”
The fundraiser states that besides covering their business loans and rebuilding, Brandon and Davie want to continue to offer some assistance to their employees.
Daytrip has reshared the fundraiser on its official social media. After the New York Times story, donations poured in. At the time of writing, $152,000 of the $180,000 target has been reached.
Brandon took to Instagram yesterday to thank everyone for their support.
“We cannot tell you in words how grateful we are for the kindness you are showing us. Their is a light at the end of the tunnel for Daytrip, and we will rebuild. We will come back stronger. And we are eternally thankful for all of your support.
Futher ways to help
Brandon went on to say that the region is still struggling in the aftermath of the storm. This includes access to gas, clean drinking water and baby food. He directed people to the Blue Ridge Public Radio Instagram page for further ways in which people might help the local community.
The true cost of Helene remains to be calculated. Besides wrecking homes and businesses, at least 135 people are known to have been killed across six states. Many others remain unaccounted for and the death toll is likely to rise.
As of yesterday, hundreds of roads remain closed, hampering rescue efforts in the worst-hit parts of North Carolina.
USA Today suggests other ways you can help with monetary donations.
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