Through striking before-and-after images, see the vibrant River Arts District community marked by the harsh realities of devastation following Helene.

Asheville's River Arts District, one of the liveliest arts hubs in North Carolina, was flooded during Hurricane Helene's devastating sweep of the southeastern United States. According to FEMA, water from the bloated French Broad River rushed into the gathering of businesses and artists' studios on Friday,

Residents living near Asheville's River Arts District are surveying immense damage left by flooding triggered by Hurricane Helene. WRAL's Brett Knese reports.

Asheville's River Arts District businesses assess damage and consider next steps after historic flooding from remnants of Hurricane Helene.

I don’t even know how to describe how I feel,” a gallery worker said. “I feel hopeless and helpless, like I need to be doing more to help other people.”

Buncombe officials warn "this will get worse" after Tropical Storm Helene passes through. In the River Arts District, whole streets are submerged.

The city and its artists were hard-hit by the storm that tore a deadly path of destruction from Florida through inland Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee.

The river that runs through Asheville, North Carolina, is littered with artwork drifting downstream after deadly floods from Hurricane Helene decimated the mountain city's arts district, a linchpin of tourism in the area that some residents fear will never recover.

David Sheldon, an artist who showcases his work in Asheville's famed River Arts District, escaped from Helene's devastation to Raleigh with his insulin-dependent cat.