Henderson County commissioners will host a workshop for residents of Bat Cave and Gerton next Monday. The goal of the meeting is to hear from residents of the unincorporated areas about how they would like the county to help them rebuild their communities.
Officials this week said they’re reaching out to the two communities, which were temporarily cut off after the storm because chunks of roads and bridges were wiped off the map. Traveling in and out of the area is still limited and strenuous – so much so that the residents haven’t received mail at their post office in four months, commissioners said.
About 4,000 people live in the two communities, according to the county.
“This area experienced a higher rate of devastation, in comparison to the rest of the county, and that was just exacerbated by the isolation and the lack of access that they continue to experience on a certain level,” Autumn Radcliff, the county’s planning director, said.
The Feb. 24 workshop will be part of a day of outreach in the area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will host a mobile disaster recovery center at the Bat Cave Baptist Church starting at 1:30 p.m. to share resources and help people with applying for government and nonprofit assistance. Afterwards, commissioners will meet at 5:30 p.m. to hear from residents about recovery moving forward.
According to the county, 315 structures were damaged in the area. Another 115 were destroyed.
“County staff have come in with a very sensitive mindset and heart and [are] trying to speak to these residents who've been affected and traumatized,” Radcliff said. “Honestly trying to make sure that we're listening and hearing and trying to bring back information.”
On Tuesday, the county’s planning department presented what leaders coined the Hickory Nut Gorge Recovery Plan. It includes a proposal to hire a consultant and work with emergency agencies to help the area recover.
“This is an opportunity to reassure those residents,” said Henderson County Commissioner Chair William Lapsley. “They deserve our attention.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners also heard an update from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
Following the storm, a group from West Virginia built a makeshift gravel road connecting Bat Cave and Chimney Rock, in neighboring Rutherford County. That road has since been replaced by a temporary road built by NCDOT. The route provides critical access in and out of Bat Cave since part of US-64 was washed away during Hurricane Helene.
Sheriff Lowell Griffin said the access road is only open to residents or emergency response personnel.
That portion of US-64 is part of 839 sites in the county that need repairing after Helene. Sites are defined by NCDOT as half-mile sections of roadways that need repair. One road could have multiple “sites.”
So far, NCDOT has completed construction on 500 of these sites. The agency has also replaced or repaired 27 of the 53 damaged bridges in the county.
Officials said transportation leaders are working on a permanent road from Bat Cave to Chimney Rock, which may be part of the community input during several meetings being held next week.
