As Henderson County continues to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in the Bat Cave area, officials are encouraging residents to voice their needs during a community meeting next week.
The county will host an August 19 meeting at the Bat Cave Baptist Church to hear from residents of the Hickory Nut Gorge – which includes Gerton, Bat Cave and parts of Edneyville.
The county previously held a resource fair and commission meeting in the area after concerns from residents over lack of support from local government officials on debris removal, road repairs and public safety. The county launched a survey for residents to weigh in on their needs. The county also hired Equinox consultants to assist the county in a recovery plan.
The findings of the survey will be analyzed by a Community Partners Group consisting of nine members. They will include property owners and renters, people who work or attend school in the area and former members from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, fire departments, emergency management and Conserving Carolina.
The group will help guide recommendations for the recovery plan.
“I hope that they feel heard, that they feel part of Henderson County, that there's still a community that they belong to, and that the greater community has empathy and concern, wants to see them succeed and rebuild and become themselves again,” Janna Bianculli, Henderson County assistant planning director, said.
The county’s Hickory Nut Gorge Land Use Recovery Plan is a long-term plan to guide rebuilding and resilience efforts and will lead to recommendations on recovery tactics for the county commission. Those recommendations could include: “river and ecological restoration, hazard mitigation, transportation and utility improvements, economic development, public health, and recreation considerations, all to help the community and land remain strong and safe in the future,” according to the county.
The county’s goal is to have a final plan by December 2025.
By county estimates, just under 1,000 people live in the area, and so far, under 100 have taken the survey. County officials hope the August meeting in Bat Cave will bring more awareness to the survey and allow residents to voice their recovery concerns as well.
“ The survey information and the community meeting will help inform us on some of the community,” Autumn Radcliff, Henderson County’s planning director, said. “We've heard from some of them – some of their desires, some of their concerns. So it'll kind of give us a gauge of really, as a whole, where everyone is.”
The Aug. 19 meeting will take place from 5 to 7 p.m., at Bat Cave Baptist Church, located at 5095 Chimney Rock Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28792.
