Urgent Aid Needed for Isolated Bat Cave Residents

My name is Michael Hoffman. My wife Rachael and I are asking for help to acquire and hike in resources to the town of Bat Cave, NC.

Bat Cave, NC is a small mountain town near the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area. They have been cut off from vehicular traffic caused by the wreckage of Hurricane Helene. Just making it in through the destruction is horrific. The town of Chimney Rock, NC is gone. The towns of Bat Cave, NC and Gerton, NC are cut off from everything. There are no accessible roads leading into these towns. The storm washed the mountains out from underneath the roads. Homes are gone. Beloved businesses are gone. Main thoroughfares are gone. This town is completely cut off. They have no power, no water, and very limited resources.

As of Sunday 9/29, at least 200 people were still unaccounted for. The Bat Cave Fire Department is incredibly low on resources to share with the community. They believe that the National Guard will get a supply drop to them by helicopter in "about a week, but things are running out now." We are hiking things to them in backpacks and duffle bags. Helicopters are only evacuating folks that are in critical condition at this time. That means hundreds of people are landlocked in that area with no means to escape, except by foot. There are many elderly folks and people that cannot hike out. They desperately need help! We are working sun up to sun down to get them what we can. Anything helps!