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Family-Owned Country Store Serves as Beacon of Hope in Hurricane-Ravaged Old Fort

The Davis family, who have Old Fort roots dating back to the 18th century, are providing housing for residents displaced by Hurricane Helene.
Family-Owned Country Store Serves as Beacon of Hope in Hurricane-Ravaged Old Fort
Robert Davis (L), Amy Davis (R), and their two sons, Anderson and Henry, operate Davis Country Store and Cafe in Old Fort, N.C. Jeff Louderback/The Epoch Times
Jeff Louderback
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OLD FORT, N.C.—A month has passed since Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina, reducing homes to piles of rubble, washing away roads, and changing the landscape of communities and mountainsides.

In Old Fort, a village of 800 located 30 miles east of Asheville that was heavily impacted by flooding and mudslides, the family that owns Davis Country Store and Café has shifted its focus from offering hot meals and supplies to providing short-term housing for displaced locals who are sleeping in their cars and tents.

Jeff Louderback
Jeff Louderback
Reporter
Jeff Louderback covers major news and politics, including the Make America Healthy Again movement and regenerative farming. Since joining The Epoch Times in 2022, he has covered national elections, the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign, the East Palestine train derailment, and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Jeff has 30-plus years of professional experience as a reporter, editor, and author.