Old Fort – This small town, hit hard by the floods from Hurricane Helene, still needs help for people who lost their homes and belongings.
At the bottom of a mountain going east from Black Mountain is the small town of Old Fort. To the east, the mountains fade away into flatter terrain. Downtown sustained the greatest damage, according to volunteers Dwight and Susan LaCharite’-Otwell, members of First Baptist Church of Murphy who visited the area Jan. 19.
They brought a sundry of supplies to those who lost everything. Numerous trailers were destroyed and crushed together like pickup sticks.
The Otwells visited Nick Smith, who helps coordinate relief efforts in western North Carolina through directing donated items to the people and places that need them most. Smith pointed the Otwells to Old Fort.
Smith is pastor of Lake Junaluska Baptist Church in Clyde. He is also a native of Murphy, where he founded Center Church.
Mike Tipton’s house, on the edge of this area, appeared to be unharmed. He never fled the storm. His was the only house left in the block.
“Everyone had to leave but my wife and I stayed because of our cats,” Tipton said. “We looked out the window and saw a wall of water headed toward the house. We got towels and rags and stuffed them at the bottom of the front door. Our house was barely harmed.”
Brothers Scotty and Tracey Swann lost their homes in the flood. Scottie was rescued from his roof by a helicopter. Tracey was out of town. Tracey said the water line was eight feet.
“We are the only ones left in this block. Our family home is here,” Tracey said, pointing to an older, two -story home across the street. “We grew up in that home. We are working to restore it. It was built in 1905. We are about 60% through with restoration.”
Scotty told the story of the Bible on the fence post. When the water receded, he found a Bible that lodged on a fence post. The fencing was gone. The Bible’s pages were crumpled but still readable. It was open to the Book of Revelation. The brothers enclosed the Bible with material to guard against the weather.
Joey Brown from South Carolina heard about the Bible and traveled to Old Fort to see it. He built a cross from cross-ties and positioned it just behind the Bible.
Chanda Davis was working at a Hardees restaurant up the street from the Swann brothers. She had lived in one of the trailers that were destroyed. Two other employees lost their homes.
“The cops rescued me in a boat and took me to Hardees,” Davis said. “The water knocked my trailer down the road into another trailer. Everything was knee-deep and too cold. I stayed in a tent for a while, but now I have a place to live.”
Volunteer help is still needed, Smith said. Workers must remove the mud that seeped into so many homes. Before that, items such as sheetrock, paneling and plaster must also be removed before restoration can begin.
Details: Nick Smith can be reached at 828-342-3138.