Given the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Business Technology Association (BTA) was forced to cancel the annual Fall Colors Retreat, which was scheduled for this week at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina.
The decision was made to cancel due to the impact of the storm, which carved a swatch of devastation for six states in the Southeast and left 175 people dead, causing a reported $35-$40 billion in damage. The event likely won’t be rescheduled, but the BTA will provide updates to its members as to a possible alternative in the future.
Asheville was particularly beleaguered. CNN reported the city of 95,000 was “decimated,” with highways “torn up and power lines strewn like spaghetti.” Food, water and electricity needs are at a premium after floods turned cars upside down and turned the city into a veritable war zone, according to reports.
The city that sits in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains is particularly susceptible to flooding. A pair of back-to-back storms in 1916 left 80 dead and prompted flooding of “biblical proportions,” CNN reported.
BTA members who want to support dealers impacted by the storm can make a donation to the association’s Disaster Grant Program. Click here to make a donation.
Applications for the grant are currently being accepted—click here. For more information about the program, click here.
UPDATE: You can help by providing specific items. Advanced Business Equipment (ABE) of Asheville, NC, is serving as a distribution center for the community and its own employees. Water and chainsaw blades are among the items in highest demand. The seven-gallon water containers are particularly helpful for flushing toilets, and we’ve included photos of the blades being used.
The items can be shipped to:
ABE
3072 Sweeten Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 274-1152
