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Consultant: Helene’s economic damage concentrated in Buncombe County, recovery uneven
Summary
Raleigh consultant Dan Gerlach told the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on June 3 that the economic damage from Tropical Storm Helene was far more concentrated in western North Carolina than state estimates suggest and that recovery, especially in leisure and hospitality, remains stubborn.
Dan Gerlach, a Raleigh-based economic consultant and former state budget and economic development adviser, told the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on June 3 that Tropical Storm Helene caused a concentrated economic shock in western North Carolina, with Buncombe County bearing a disproportionate share.
Gerlach said state Office of State Budget Management estimates placed about 53% of the storm’s statewide economic damage in a hatched 15-county area that includes Buncombe County. “I believe that estimate is closer to 95% of any kind of economic development damage that you could imagine,” Gerlach said, speaking by video to the commissioners.
Gerlach told commissioners he measured business losses three ways: physical capital losses (damaged buildings, inventory and equipment), lost revenue, and human-capital effects such as workers…
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