New River Campground and Canoe and the Heady Family

Hi - I'm Kim (Holland, MI) and my younger brother, Jesse, his wife Stephanie, their son Riley, and Riley's wife Meghan (who is also ready to give birth at any minute),

have experienced catastrophic loss of their homes and business, and I'm asking for help on their behalf.

Jesse and Stephanie Heady own the New River Campground and Canoe, in Independence, VA, and live on-site, along with their son Riley, and daughter-in-law Meghan, and Justin, who is a family friend who also works on the campground.

The campground is located on the northwest corner of North Carolina/southwest corner of Virginia, along The New River. The New River is a river that flows north, and the weather began to predict a possible storm surge pushing water up the river northward. The campground stretches nearly a mile along the bank, half in North Carolina, half in Virginia. Keep in mind, Independence, VA, where the campground is located, is nearly A THOUSAND MILES from Miami.

When they received the news that the water was rising, they immediately got to work clearing the campground of any guests, and began to secure everything. They watch the waterdata.usgs.gov website every day to help determine whether the water is safe for tubes, canoes, and kayaks, and whether the water is high or low. The prediction on Thursday, the 26th, was that the water would crest at approximately 8 feet. They had 5 feet to spare before the water crested the banks, so they moved the vans, mowers, golf carts, ATV, and personal cars to a higher point on the campground and stayed watchful while folks packed up their campsites, collected their refunds, and cleared out. They were busy calling up campers who were coming to let them know not to come, and refunding all their payments. And the water rose...

Then, the water data site showed that the prediction was 13 feet. They moved out of their campers, up the banks higher into the second floor of the full-service apartments that they offer visitors. And the water rose...

The water was getting deeper between the apartments and the exit point of the campground, so they moved higher to the campground office/store. As the water closed on the store's porch area, they saw campers, cars, and trees swirling past in the water, while the roofs of their pavilions and picnic areas disappeared under the water. They began to see the totes that they had stored on the second floor of the warehouse located half a mile up the river, float past them and on down the river. Those totes contained keepsakes, photos, and personal items. Then many of their tools - the ones they have used to maintain and build the things on the campground - floating past. And the water kept rising...

The prediction was then updated to 18 FEET, so they made the decision to abandon ship. They put Lilo the pig in a trailer being towed behind their truck, Arwen (the family dog) in the truck, and tried to get the cats into the carriers (they did NOT want to leave!), the floor began to heave in the camp store, rise, and slam down, and joists began to snap. They were able to snatch the cats as they tried to fly out the door, and get out of there. And the water kept rising...

They got out onto the roadways and tried to find a place where they could stop for a minute and think. They parked at a gas station and tried find a place to stay with no luck because everything was full, and connection was poor. They ultimately went to a small local hotel - the Allegheny - right there in Sparta, NC - to see what they might have, and miraculously the owner had one suite where they could all sleep for the night.

In the morning, they found that the water had gone as high as 28-33 feet - nearly DOUBLE predicted!!

The water started receding, and Jesse was able to go into their camper to see what he could salvage, if anything. Every drawer, cupboard, container, ziplock bag - everything meant to keep water out - had muck in it. Every piece of clothing is as if it has been dipped in a vat of chocolate pudding. The entire place is covered in several feet of muck. Trees are twisted and broken, campers, parts of houses, cars, etc. from down river are scattered the length of the property and will need to be cleared away when it dries up.

Because the business is on the water, there is no flood insurance. They carry liability in case someone gets hurt on the property, but they will not be able to claim any sort of damages to the structures or the loss of their equipment, etc., because the loss has been caused by a flood.

To add to this, just the day the warning came, Meghan had a doctor's appointment, and she is in the early stages of labor, and our family's first baby of that generation will be born at any day now. We are looking forward to the birth of sweet Baby Hank (that is his name right now).

We are eternally grateful that they are all safe. We are so grateful that they cleared the campground and no guests were there.

Jesse and Steph, and Riley and Meghan are newer members to the community where they live, but they have made many friends and are so grateful for the support they have already received in the way of offers to help with clearing debris, when it is safe, etc.

The campground has provided a safe and beautiful space for so many people - families who have been coming for many years every single year - and for generations. Boy Scout troops, church picnics, family reunions... It's a place to reconnect with the beauty of nature, one of relaxation, joy, and priceless memories for so many people.

If you know Jesse and Steph, you know they are special. They have wide open arms and open hearts, and drop their own work to help others very often. Along with this, though, they are also brave and tough, and have a type of grit that many of us wish we had. They did something with their lives that many of us wish we dared to do. They have given us a beacon to look to and feel inspired to take chances and live our lives to the fullest too, and follow our own dreams.

Stephanie retired 2 short years ago as a principle of the Willow School in Vero Beach, FL, and my brother, Jesse, has been an ICU nurse, and helped people through the most difficult and worst times of their lives. He is a rock to many people.

I know there is currently so much need that it is absolutely overwhelming right now, and so many of us know someone in the area of this devastating storm that seems to have covered at least 1/3 of our entire country at this point.

Please, if you feel compelled to help them get back on their feet and back in business, please donate. They are so grateful for those who have already asked and offered help. They will need money to replace household items, clothes, baby items, tools, everything.... You can also help by sharing this on your social media.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We will continue to keep you updated. Please follow New River Campground and Canoe on Facebook and Instagram as well for updates.