Neighbors and strangers unite to restore Bat Cave following Helene

By Karen Zatkulak

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    BAT CAVE, North Carolina (WLOS) — In Bat Cave, Hurricane Helene destroyed homes, buildings, streets and bridges and took several lives.

More than one week since Helene, neighbors in Bat Cave are now coordinating with strangers to bring in donations and supplies in order to keep the town going.

People in Bat Cave say they still cannot figure out how or why the storm wiped out this community the way it did.

But, residents tell News 13 that they are not waiting for government agencies – they are building back one road and bridge at a time themselves.

A few miles outside of Bat Cave is where Helen Pace is. She is standing on US-64, taking in and handing out the essentials for those still stuck past the roadblock.

“The need has not been met, we might be covered up with donations but we need hands out here,” she said.

She is from this community and after 12 days, the reality of what they lost is setting in.

“A lot of these people we see all the time, but we’re not gonna see them again. It’s almost like you can’t process that yet because you’re still in survival mode. But I’m worried about that, for sure,” said Pace.

But her other main worry is the 80 people who could not or would not evacuate. That is where Joel McCraw comes in.

He picks up what each family may need and throws it in with the fresh sandwiches and cold drinks he will pass out to crews on his way in.

He checks on people he has known his whole life, riding through the river and over what he calls “ground zero” on his ATV.

He tells News 13 that it is like the town was thrown in a blender, and then homes and buildings poured back into the Broad River in unrecognizable pieces.

McCraw says neighbors and volunteers are now doing the hard work themselves to keep families safe and begin to connect the town once again.

This community is not relying on agencies or officials, just the grit and generosity that has always lived in places like this.

That feeling now reaches outside to neighboring communities and even those who had never heard of Bat Cave before Helene hit.

“There’s also a lot of really good stuff happening out here and I think if people would step back from social media for a minute and actually come out and see, they will find something they can do, and they will find something that makes them feel really good,” said Pace.

For those wishing to donate, Pace says to drop off winter clothes, work boots and blankets.

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