Helene Survivors in Hard-Hit N.C. Town Roll Up Their Sleeves to Rebuild: ‘Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way’

Mar. 15, 2025

The day afterHurricane Helenebarreled into the tiny western North Carolina town of Barnardsville on the morning of Sept. 27, homebuilder Quincey Brock was worried.

But in those chaotic hours after the storm passed — and as it was only just becoming clear how catastrophic Helene had been for parts of Appalachia, killing hundreds and destroying vast swaths of property and infrastructure — Brock, 50, couldn’t get in touch with his crew.

“I didn’t know if they were alive,” he says. “We had no communication because there was no cell phone service. It was really stressful.”

One of the company’s excavators removing debris from what’s left of a road in Barnardsville, N.C..Courtesy of Brock Mountain Land Company

Courtesy of Brock Mountain Land Company

Over the course of that day, as Brock approached locals to see if anyone had seen his workers, he was puzzled to hear people congratulating him, telling him, “Hey, you guys are heroes.”

Determined to help their community move forward, the couple and their crews say they have since worked around-the-clock continuing to rebuild upwards of 10 miles of roads, clearing away downed trees and landslide debris and even erecting cellphone towers to help the hard-hit North Carolina community of nearly 500 residents.

“Once we got the roads rebuilt,” says Cindy, 50, “people were delivering everything from diapers to insulin to tanks of oxygen. It’s like a well-orchestrated machine.”

Quincey adds: “Probably every home within a 10-mile stretch has been affected. There are places around here that just are no more. That’s mind-boggling to me.”

One of numerous destroyed roads that the Brocks' construction company eventually rebuilt.Courtesy of Brock Mountain Land Company

Cindy (left) and Quincey Brock.Courtesy of Brock Mountain Land Company

Megan Naylor, a 36-year-old lifelong North Carolinian and farmer in Barnardsville who has been busy delivering supplies to those in need, says that even amid the death and disaster, the hurricane has brought out the best in the community.

“We’re not waiting for people to come save us," says Naylor, whose parents lost their home in the storm.

“They were rebuilding roads before any government agency could get here. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she says. “I mean, how do you just build a road? I guess where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

In recent days, the Brocks say they learned that the state would be compensating them for some of the recovery work they’ve done. Not that it mattered.

“Right after the storm I told my wife, ‘We’re going to do this. We may go bankrupt, but if that’s what it takes to save these people, so be it,’ ” Quincey says.

“It’s going to take years,” says Quincey when asked about how the area will rebuild. “But we’re resilient. And everyone here in our little town has come together.”

To learn more about how to help with relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Helene,click here.

source: people.com