Possible impacts of government shutdown in North Carolina

Will the government shutdown have any impact on tourism in North Carolina?

A government shutdown triggering the furlough of about two-thirds of National Park Service employees across the country. The National Park Service sent a statement saying, in part, that they will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible during the lapse in appropriations.

Friends of the Smokies took to Facebook, sharing which areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are closed because of the shutdown and which are still open.

Carolyn Widner, the CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, says that though most of the staff are furloughed, she’s hearing that sections of the parkway that were open yesterday will remain open.

“What it means for us really as community members and neighbors is that it’s on us to take care of our park,” Widner said.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center is still open and Gary Handle, an Asheville resident, asking him if he’s seen any impacts because of the government shutdown.

“My daughter is a nurse at the VA. So far, nothing there,” Handle said.

Joanna Weber with Western North Carolina VA Healthcare System says the shutdown will have no impact on veterans health care.

“For our employees here and in Asheville for the Western North Carolina VA healthcare system, we will not have any impacts to staffing,” Weber said.

We also reached out to a TSA spokesperson to find out how the shutdown is impacting them and received an automated response, saying, in part, “as of Wednesday, October 1, I am out of the office due to the current federal funding hiatus.”