our story
In The Wake of Hurricane Helene
As some of you have experienced first-hand, and others have seen on the news, Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction in Western North Carolina. So many lives lost, properties destroyed, businesses impacted, infrastructure damaged…the list goes on and on. It is heartbreaking to hear the stories of survivors and those who just could not hold on. The grief is immense and it has been an overwhelming and emotional time for all impacted by this storm.
We created this website to update you on our situation and ask for your help. Many have asked how they can support us in this time and, quite honestly, it would be financially. This fundraiser is just one story out of thousands of neighborhoods impacted. Thank you for taking the time to read and for your consideration in helping us through this difficult time.
While our personal structures are fine, the roads leading to our home in Black Mountain at the Eastern Continental Divide have been severely impacted, limiting access to the house. There are also other areas on the main road in our community that were damaged. While the road is currently passable, there are areas that might continue to slide and fall off with the coming temps we are expecting, which will freeze and thaw the road daily making cracks bigger and creating more instability.
Midway on our private road/driveway we had a landslide come down on a steep part of our road and fixing it is going to take considerable time and resources to rebuild the 55 ft area that sloughed off. We need 900+ tons of fill material to build the road back up and, thankfully, we have areas where we can harvest some material from our land, which will save us a lot of money. But we still need to rent heavy equipment and pay for labor. Realistically, we are looking at around $100k to fix this portion of our private road.
The landslide also took out our spring water system that supplied water to two other homes on our land. Our friend and tenant who lived in one of them has been displaced since the storm because he has no water. An experienced grader who looked at the slide area recommended abandoning the spring and drilling a well. Likely the spring water had been undermining this slope for a very long time, pulling on it from below, which caused it to slide with the torrential amount of water we received. A neighbor with a rain gauge up the mountain measured 12” during the week before the storm hit and another 21” on Thursday/Friday. So, when the storm hit around 8am on Friday, September 27th, it was just too much water for the mountain to handle.
Drilling a new well will cost anywhere from $10-15k, depending on the depth. We are not sure what it would cost to rebuild the spring system at this time, but given the amount of work needed to fix the road above it and recapture the spring water, it will likely be an equivalent figure to drilling a well. A well will also be a more reliable source for our tenant, as his water would freeze at least a couple times a year during periods of prolonged freezing temperatures.
Not only did our private drive see landslides, but also other areas in the community that impact access to our home. There are four other landslides impacting access in our neighborhood. One of the major landslides was 500-800 feet high and resulted in six houses being demolished or condemned. Thankfully, all residents are safe, but the mountainside and road—which is private and not governed by an HOA—has sustained severe damage. Landslide debris blocked the main access in and out of the neighborhood for about 5 days while we waited for Hwy 9 to reopen and a grader to come with heavy equipment to clear trees, rocks and other debris piled on top of the road.
An inspector from Appalachian Landslide Consultants, who spent three hours surveying the damage, described the situation as the most complex landslide she’s encountered, highlighting the need for immediate and extensive repairs. The stabilization of the slide area is crucial to prevent further damage and maintain access to our neighborhood.
Unfortunately, preliminary estimates suggest that the total cost to stabilize the land could reach $500k. This amount does not include the necessary repairs to Lakey Gap Acres and a new culvert, which will add another $30-40k to the total, or other repairs needed on secondary roads in the neighborhood. Purt'near all of the roads in our little community experienced either a landslide and/or extensive road damage.
Currently, our access, and that to the majority of our community is compromised by another unstable area off the main road not too far past the major landslide. This is the section we are worried about falling off this week with the rain and freezing temps we are expecting. We are still waiting for the Geotechnical engineering design but it could be an additional $100k fix. In all reality, we cannot even consider fixing our private drive until this section of the road is addressed, as we will need heavy equipment and dump trucks traveling along the road to bring materials.
These projects will be completed in phases as we secure funding, and we are still awaiting detailed estimates from contractors and engineers. We are also looking at federal and state funding options but nothing is concrete yet. FEMA initially denied our application and is requesting more information, but we could potentially get up to $40k from them to help fix our private drive. Since we cannot submit applications for more than one home or issue, the other neighbors in the community are all submitting their individual FEMA applications and we will pool the money together as it comes in. Yet, we are still not sure what, if any, funding we will receive.
There are approximately 20 homes that use Lakey Gap Acres for access, only nine are occupied full-time and the rest are small, summer mountain cabins. Through voluntary annual dues, the Lakey Gap Acres Road Fund is able to perform yearly maintenance to maintain the quality of the road. However, these dues only cover the cost of routine maintenance and never accrue to any type of nest-egg.
Given the severity of the situation, we are asking for your help. If you are able, please consider making a donation to support our efforts in repairing the road and stabilizing the landslide area. Your contribution, no matter how small, will make a huge difference and help us ensure the safety and accessibility of our neighborhood and homes.