One month after tornado, Caldwell County residents continue to rebuild

CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — It’s been nearly a month since a tornado touched down and ripped through Caldwell County, destroying homes and tearing down trees.

Eyewitness News meteorologist Vicki Graf returned to the area Thursday and found that cleanup from the storm is still in its early stages.

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Resident Karrie Goudelock told Channel 9 that memories from the Oct. 23 storm are still etched in her mind.

[ [PHOTOS: Storm damage in several NC and SC counties] ]

"You could hear the trees bouncing off the house and hitting, and after five minutes it was over, but it looked like a complete war zone,” Goudelock said.

Goudelock was home with her husband and four children when an EF-2 tornado packing winds of 125 miles per hour passed over her house.

"Oh gosh, it was just so scary,” Goudelock said. “But we were just so thankful and blessed that the house wasn't damaged any more."

Goudelock and her family weren’t alone – the tornado damaged 658 homes in Caldwell County, and destroyed five.

Channel 9 found on Thursday that trees are still toppled across the county and homeowners are continuing to rebuild.

Residents said the cleanup costs are overwhelming, even with friends lending a hand.

"The trees are just real expensive to clean up paying someone, so we came up and volunteered to do it," said Brian Huffstickler, a friend of a homeowner.

On Wednesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper requested a disaster declaration for Caldwell, Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. If the declaration is approved, families could qualify for U.S. Small Business Administration loans, which would grant residents low-interest federal loans to aid in the rebuilding of their homes.

Eyewitness News meteorologist Vicki Graf will have more on the cleanup efforts in Caldwell County on Channel 9 at 5:37 p.m.

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