Rebuild Hope for a Family in Swannanoa

Type of initial grading needed to base the camper.

Type of initial pad prep needed on their slope of the mountain

That red is the top of the gas station at the bottom of their road, right across from the Swannanoa River

Swannanoa1

Swannanoa2

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Details of the housing situation how these funds will be used:

When Helene tore through Western North Carolina in September, she created floodwaters and mudslides that damaged or destroyed 4,200 residential buildings in Buncombe County alone. The media is filled with images of these homes and the devastating loss.

One thing you do not hear about is the number of rental properties damaged by groundwater (rather than floodwater) and landlords who refuse to repair the damage.

In this situation, my friend’s adult family member was the tenant in the basement apartment of a house belonging to his co-worker. Groundwater seeped into the basement, and the flooring squished for days whenever the tenant walked across the floor. Water was wicked up into the sheetrock walls. Water-damaged flooring and walls lead to mold and black mold, which can cause significant health issues. The basement had no windows or ventilation, but the tenant did their best to dry things out even though the house was without power for more than two weeks.

Within one week, mold and black mold appeared on the walls of the tenant’s living space. They used a mold remediation kit provided by FEMA to try to clean the walls and floor, but after a brief time, the mold returned. The landlord refused to file a FEMA claim and refused to replace flooring and sheetrock damaged by water. The tenant is not eligible to file a FEMA claim regarding housing.

The apartment is uninhabitable because of the toxic black mold. Affordable housing is harder to find than ever. The best long-term solution for this family is for the parents to purchase an all-season camper and set it up on their property for their adult family member to live in. They are already a multi-generation household, and there is no room for another adult to live in the home.

The parents have fixed incomes, and the adult family member is out of work due to the floods. The family can finance the camper but needs an additional $30,000. These funds will cover the cost of grading, installing the parking pad required because of their property, and installing water, sewer, and electric connections. The utility work requires licensed contractors because permits must be pulled with the County.

Any funds raised will be used to pay for the camper's installation and any additional materials needed to winterize it. Anything raised over those costs will be applied directly to the camper's cost.

I personally live in Chapel Hill, NC, about 3.5 hours from the mountains. My husband's family is from Spruce Pine, NC in Mitchell County, another devastated area. The needs are great, the people are mountain but the mountains literally came down on them.