Support Louis and Kathy After Devastating Flood

Last year Louis and Kathy made the joyous decision to complete their dream by buying an historic church and preserving it for all time, renovating it into their dream home for retirement. It would be built to host friends and family, sit among little blue-line trout streams and just a quarter mile from a smallmouth river. It would serve as the home base for countless angling friends to explore the beautiful North Carolina mountains. Louis, having lost his right eye, would need to be conservative in his decision-making. There is no safety net of a return to work so a mortgage was out of the question. Instead, assets were sold, savings were drained and soon they were within months of moving in.

With Hurricane Helene bearing down on their house in Atlanta, Louis and Kathy made a fateful decision. Packing up the Sprinter Van they headed to the Church to dodge the storm. Seventeen inches of water would soak the mountainside in the days leading up to Helene changing course and hitting the mountain. Another thirty inches of rain and twenty-four hours later, Louis downstairs ferrying the clean drinking water jugs through bellybutton deep water. That’s when the flash flood hit and the sunlight went out.

Peering out of the windows, for a split second, was like looking into an aquarium. And then the windows exploded. A million and a half pounds of water rushed in instantly, while Louis fought to reach the stairs. Only a fishing raft, wedged against the ceiling, gave him purchase to drag himself to the steps saving him. The crushing flash flood filled the basement, and then the first floor of the church, eventually putting a foot of water into the second floor. Eleven total feet of water above ground and a full basement. Louis and Kathy, two dogs, and two cats rushed down the wheelchair ramp from the second floor and into the van. He and Kathy were eventually trapped on the top of the mountain in the van with only a half can of peanuts between them.

The church still stands. Barely. The only structure in the valley to survive. Because the church was not yet Louis and Kathy's primary residence, FEMA assistance will be effectively nothing. Being so far from the river means they weren't in a flood plane and thus, floods aren’t covered by insurance. Putting their life savings into the church rather than borrowing the money means there is no walking away.

The damage is extensive. Well over a million pounds of water weight sat on the foundation. Much of it drained away eventually on its own, meaning the likelihood of washouts under the foundation are high. All the walls have had to be torn down to studs, bleached and left to dry; the carpet and flooring is ruined. Every cabinet, appliance, door, window, and piece of furniture are ruined. All the systems that run a house are completely destroyed; plumbing system, HVAC system, electrical system including fixtures, septic system, water pressure tank, filtration system. The fuel tank is completely gone. There will be mold remediation. The yard and parking lot are blanketed in two feet of toxic mud. Even the life-saving wheelchair ramp is severely damaged. The church is effectively a shell of a building surrounded by contaminated sludge. Repairs will top $150,000 if Louis does most of the work himself. Every dollar of help we can raise will go directly to the materials required to make the church livable again.

My name is Dan Frasier. Louis and I have been friends for over a decade and I've contributed many articles to Gink and Gasoline. Louis has devoted himself to serving the Flyfishing Community; running Gink and Gasoline for free, entertaining, informing and showing us all the beautiful world of flyfishing through the lens of his camera and his words. He’s hosted strangers, supported thousands of guides and conservation causes and rescued dogs. It’s just who he is. Giving. And now he needs our help putting his life back together.

Here is a 60 Minutes piece, documenting the destruction in Green Mountain.