CLYDE, N.C. — This Veterans Day is taking on a special meaning for one couple in western North Carolina.
Tim Glance is the owner of Old Grouch’s Military Surplus, and it’s a gig he’s been running after serving 24 years in the U.S. Army.
Their business in Clyde was flooded more than six weeks ago during Hurricane Helene, and it finally reopened on Monday -- Veteran’s Day.
Channel 9′s Dave Faherty spoke with Glance and his wife, along with their friends and family who worked hard to make the reopening happen.
Glance took over the store after working there as a kid for his father. The family has had the business for more than 30 years.
Never before had they seen flooding like what happened during Helene. Several feet of water came into the store, and even more filled the storage area out back after the Pigeon River flooded.
After the storm hit, folks from across the community pitched in to help, including local veterans who helped survivors of the storm.
Faherty asked Glance and his wife, Kate, about people helping out and what Monday meant for them.
“Thank you for everything, especially ones in this county because a lot of the people in this county doing relief efforts ongoing were the veterans that just picked up and saw it as another mission,” Glance said.
[ >>What you can do to help after Helene’s devastation in western NC ]
“It means everything. This business has been here for 35 years and this is the longest it has ever been closed. This is the flood you never thought would happen,” Kate said.
Tommy Miller is a veteran, and after the storm hit, he and other veterans began organizing ways to get help to people impacted by the storm. He showed Faherty some of the relief efforts in Newland, Spruce Pine, Burnsville and right here in Clyde where debris is still piled up outside of homes.
“It’s an honor to be a part of it. You know, as veterans we don’t just come home and sit on the couch. We are always trying to keep serving in much capacity as we can,” Miller said.
Kate says they’re appreciative of the help they got from the local veteran community.
“It meant everything. Honestly this couldn’t have happened if they didn’t show up the way that they did,” Kate said.
The owners also said 20% of Monday’s sales are going to a veterans group called Warrior Clan, which is helping with local relief efforts.
(VIDEO: Duke Energy built solar in a mountain town to improve reliability. Helene was its biggest test.)
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