North Carolina's Spruce Pine Quartz Mine Submerged: What's Next

North Carolina- After the massive hurricane Helene hit parts of the United States including North Carolina and Florida, two facilities that make quartz used in fiber optic cables and solar panels were shut down.The facilities named as The Quartz Corp and Sibelco, located in Spruce Pine, halted their operations prior to the incoming hurricane that destroyed several parts of West USA and portions of East Tennessee.After the Hurricane Helene disaster, the facilities are trying to confirm the safety of their workers adding that some were unresponsive due to power outages and network issues.Alongside, the Quartz Corp stated that the safety and well being of their employees will always be their first priority. And the reopening of the facility will be second most important.But adding to the seriousness of the current status after Helene disaster, Wayne Peight, a member of the city's town council said, "It's the underpinning of our economy." Furthermore he added that getting back the factories into operations would be really critical especially for the city's residents.Quartz that is manufactured in Spruce Pine is high quality quartz that is used across the globe. According to author Vince Beiser, he said, "An estimated 70%-90% of the crucibles used worldwide are made from Spruce Pine quartz."Reiterating the importance of mining jobs, Peight asserted that most people of the area are directly or indirectly linked to the mines. The connection could be a job or a member of the family working at the mining company.Currently, the City Officials are on a search hunt to find people who have been adversely affected by the devastating hurricane Helene.