BAT CAVE, N.C. — The road to recovery after Hurricane Helene remains clouded by debris and damage in western North Carolina communities such as Bat Cave.
Days after the storm, Channel 9′s Hannah Goetz hiked deep into the community as rescue crews got a first look at the devastation and searched for survivors.
Now, more than a month later, reporter Bryan Mims from our sister station WSB-TV returned to Bat Cave and spoke with residents who say their livelihood is on the line, as they promise to rebuild.
On U.S. 74-A along Hickory Nut Creek, many sections of the road are constricted to one lane because flood water washed it away. It’s also where John Eckhardt and his son Aaron are hard at work putting their longtime family business back together again.
John Eckhardt was drawn to the natural beauty of the mountains nearly 40 years ago when he moved to Bat Cave from Florida to buy Creekside Mountain Campground.
But Helene turned the stream at the campground into a tidal wave, washing away cabins and campers. Fortunately, everyone escaped, and no one was hurt.
Since the storm, he and his son have been cleaning up the area.
“It’s going to take a while here because we’ve got to get rid of all the problems that we’ve got here first before we can even start rebuilding,” John Eckhardt said.
Power was restored weeks ago and the highway is at least drivable now.
But coming from hurricane-prone Florida, John Eckhardt never thought a storm could bring such destruction to the mountains.
“It’s something that you always figure happens to somebody else. You never think it’s going to happen to you, but it did,” John Eckhardt said. “At least we’re here. That’s the important thing.”
It’s still unclear how much insurance and federal assistance can pay for rebuilding.
No matter, Creekside Mountain Campground has its stake in the ground.
“I mean, it’s a good chunk of our livelihood,” Aaron Eckhardt said. “I’ve got a couple of other jobs that I do, but this was a majority of the income.”
John Eckhardt says after being in business for nearly 40 years, he has a lot of repeat customers who are anxious to come back.
>>Channel 9 is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina for our Southeast Strong Month of Giving. CLICK HERE to help.
Channel 9 learned it could take a couple of years to rebuild the highway, but road and utility crews continue to work every day to bring some normalcy back to the weary valley.
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