BOONE, N.C. — Areas of the High Country are now dealing with a big setback three months after Helene blew through.

What You Need To Know

  • Bridges in Avery County were damaged by rain that came through Sunday night

  • Foot bridges were built after Helene, and some of those are now damaged

  • Many are hoping for a more permanent solution to the damage from Helene

Robin Ollis started building bridges for Avery County just a week after the storm. She said she wanted to help others, so she used a Facebook group to connect people who wanted to donate time and resources to those that needed help.

“These guys, all they have is this ford to get across, so they have never had a foot bridge because they can’t. It’s just never been allocated one,” Ollis said.

She said she still had people needing help. Ollis has been able to work with the Facebook group to provide 40 culverts and bridges, but since Sunday night, the calls are coming back in.

The family could drive through the ford prior to Sunday. They were using a float and string to get across.

“The river has changed, the creeks have changed. We have people reporting in that has never had flooding in their yards before that it has flooded. The landscape has changed, so while two inches may not have seemed like a lot before Helene, two inches can be completely devastating to our community,” Ollis said.

Five families are trapped on the other side. Just down the road, a man is also trapped on the other side of the river after her group helped him get a foot bridge three weeks ago.

Korey Smith built that bridge. When he heard about the rainfall on Sunday, he came back from Raleigh to check. He said the only thing holding it from washing down the river is a ratchet strap on a tree.

“There's problems that can be solved. We just need the help to do it right now. We are bleeding resources into repetitive processes,” Smith explained.

Others share Smith’s desire for a permanent solution, including Graham Avery.

Avery, his wife and their 8-month-old daughter have been staying with in laws after their bridge washed away. Volunteers built them a foot bridge, which helped them to go get clothes and necessities, but now that’s gone.

“There’s so much water coming down that you have to have a bridge,” Smith said.

It’s a lot of work they say, especially just months after a storm caused so much devastation. The hardest part is families here need help now, Ollis said.

“Here we are now because its old news. It’s like people are gone and it’s winter time and people don’t want to be in the mountains to help, so it’s super discouraging for everyone there. We just don’t have the resources,” Ollis said.