On a winter afternoon at the old Methodist church in Swannanoa, North Carolina, a group of young children gathered around a special sandbox. The sand was silky and lavender-scented. The toys inside were carefully chosen: small sections of wooden fence, fist-sized plastic houses, tea lights with battery-operated flames, matchbox-sized police cars and construction machines.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene last autumn, these objects took on new meaning in the town of 5,000 about 10 miles (8,000km) east of Asheville. The storm downed thousands of trees and knocked out power and water for weeks. Driving water, wind and mudslides swept away people, buildings and fences.
Three-year old Antonio Lytle, also known as Fitz, placed a tea light atop of a pile of sand he had made. “The lights are on,” he said.
