Help Grant Mtn & Creekside camping recover from hurricane

*** Please donate to help save access to our homes***

Hello friends, family, and community. We are writing this as we get a spurt of cell phone signal on day 12 after Hurricane Helene

This little mountain community rests on hickory creek, one of the main tributaries to the Rocky Broad River that feeds through Chimney rock NC into lake lure.

Grant mountain POA and creekside mountain camping have had the road systems and access to our homes completely decimated. Many of the power poles have been snapped off and the state maintained road that gives us access to the mountain roads (route 74 and chimney rock road) has been washed away in some parts. While the state gets closer to getting temporary flow to Route 74, the campsite at the base of the mountain is unrecognizable. The landscape is full of sand, mud, and rock. Our community has a small fund for maintenance, but does not have anything for a full road rebuild. We get no help from the state on this.

The entire mountain is and has been without power and water with no real time estimate on restoration.

Over 1000 feet of our roads have been impacted from wash out, landslides, downed trees, culverts and drainage systems gone, and 10 foot deep caverns cut into what used to be road systems. Weather reports estimated wind speeds half of what we were exposed to on that day of hurricane Helene.

This leaves residents with roads unpassable to get access to their homes and camps.

The good news: All 30 people on the mountain were lucky enough to have had their lives spared. Everyone was safely evacuated through either hiking, off-road vehicles, or Blackhawk helicopter evac from man baskets. 4 of us stayed back to do what we can in directing and participating in efforts of volunteers to start to rebuild.

Scores of volunteers have contributed their time and resources with astounding effort to rebuild whatever we have left of this area. Thank you all so much! We are forever grateful! But we are far from being finished and need your help! .

Anything you can contribute would mean so much to us. Your contribution will go directly to fuel for heat and equipment, gravel/aggregate, fill dirt, culverts, and outside contractors to get our roads on the mountain back up and running.

please share with anyone you can.