A deadly hurricane is the latest disruption for young athletes who already have endured a pandemic
The destruction from Hurricane Helene has disrupted the high school landscape throughout southern Appalachia
Pisgah High School in western North Carolina reopened its football stadium last year after Tropical Storm Fred tore through in 2021.
Now it has to be rebuilt again after being demolished by Hurricane Helene.
Amid the lives lost and the catastrophic damage, high schools in dozens of communities in southern Appalachia are shut down and with that the prep sports that binds so many towns together. It’s the latest disruption for young athletes who’ve already endured a pandemic.
The Pigeon River rose to record levels after Helene plowed through, taking out parts of Interstate 40 along with bridges, homes and other infrastructure in the region. In Canton, North Carolina, the high school’s football, baseball and softball fields, covered in several feet of water, were “a total loss,” Pisgah athletic director Heidi Morgan said.
