Allison Salerno

1 month ago | theassemblync.com | Allison Salerno

When Mary Daley, 18, heard about the death of a 12-year-old camper at Trails Carolina in February 2024, she wasn’t surprised. A year earlier, her parents had sent her to the wilderness therapy camp in Transylvania County after a stay at a psychiatric hospital in New England for suicidal ideation. Mary spent 104 days at Trails. During that time, she said, she became so ill while hiking with her group in Pisgah National Forest that she was unable to keep food or water down for a few days.

Jan 10, 2025 | theassemblync.com | Allison Salerno

Behind the two-story wooden office building and gift shop of the Hot Springs Resort & Spa is a moonscape. Mounds of sand at least 10 feet high and craters 15 feet deep scar a landscape once lush with trees and flowering bushes. In a town of slightly more than 5oo residents, the 103-acre resort drew an average of 70,000 visitors annually, including hundreds of Appalachian Trail hikers.

Jan 10, 2025 | theassemblync.com | Allison Salerno

Behind the two-story wooden office building and gift shop of the Hot Springs Resort & Spa is a moonscape. Mounds of sand at least 10 feet high and craters 15 feet deep scar a landscape once lush with trees and flowering bushes. In a town of slightly more than 5oo residents, the 103-acre resort drew an average of 70,000 visitors annually, including hundreds of Appalachian Trail hikers.

Nov 20, 2024 | ajc.com | Allison Salerno

When Hurricane Helene roared through the Southeast in September, Athens, Georgia, where I live, sustained minor damage — some toppled trees and brief power outages. None of my friends, loved ones or acquaintances died or suffered injury. I was distressed by the storm’s human toll. But I wept when I learned flash floods devastated Hot Springs, North Carolina, destroying businesses and cloaking what remained of its downtown in mud and debris.

Nov 14, 2024 | plateonline.com | Allison Salerno

Forty-eight days after Helene stormed through Western North Carolina, most residents and businesses in Asheville, its largest city, still lack water that is safe to drink. The storm wiped out transmission lines and stirred up the clay and sediment in the North Fork Reservoir, which provides water to most of the city. It’s not clear when the water will be safe to drink; city staff regularly update residents on system improvements and are daily testing for... Join for free to continue reading.