Rebuild Bat Cave: Support Our Community

On September 27, Hurricane Helene made its way over Western North Carolina, hovering over our mountains and valleys, dumping record rainfall to the region, irrevocably altering the topography of our little section of Earth. We are left with catastrophic devastation from the cities to the hollers, where many families have inhabited these mountains for generations. Entire roads, homes, properties, and mountainsides were effortlessly swept away in the roaring waters that gushed over the ridges into the valleys where the rivers' banks had already been inundated by rains from before the storm, widening and deepening the river by hundreds of feet in some areas. It is hard to fathom the magnitude of damage Hurricane Helene caused unless you see firsthand, and even then, it is difficult to grasp the depth of devastation we are experiencing. Photos and videos just don't do it justice, and it is not getting the national coverage it warrants that could help accelerate the restoration process.

Although, Helene claimed hundreds of lives, properties, and old routines and ways of living, what remains is the resiliency of the Appalachian people who remain steadfast and determined in the reparation of our communities, and us who yearn to come together in the face of adversity.

We have started a restoration project located on what is left of locals Mark and Lynn Staton's HipHen Uniques antique store that is now mostly washed away. They have been gracious with offering the usage of their property, and they have volunteered their time and prior work experience to help organize a relief program and supply hub here. For the time being, HipHen Uniques is a place where work orders for locals' properties are being accepted and actively worked on as we garner resources to help this devastated area. Since many locals were airlifted out, this particular area is about a month behind many surrounding areas in the process of rebuilding. Families are still trickling back into their homes and assessing damage. Our hope is that as people arrive back to ground zero, they will learn they have a place to come to for any needs they may have as we broaden our resources. We are providing the community and volunteers a hot meal 3 times a day, a supply hub with various items, and a sense of unity and comfort as we navigate these difficult times together.

In efforts to rebuild our community of Bat Cave, North Carolina, we have created a GoFundMe. Because Bat Cave was hit so hard, we are finding that most work orders are requiring heavy equipment to clear landslides to access properties, remove large trees, rebuild retaining walls, rebuild bridges/install culverts, and various other reasons - all of which our community is struggling to fund on their own.

You can keep up with the progress we are making on our Facebook (Bat Cave Disaster Relief) and our Instagram (@batcaverelief). Website (and more) to come.

For more information on volunteer opportunities and coordinating donations, check out our social media pages to be directed to the correct emails. GoFundMe will not allow emails to be put in this description to avoid scammers.

"It takes a village."