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YANCEY COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — The Little Creek community in Yancey County has continued to face difficulties since Hurricane Helene hit just over three months ago.
Originally, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) built a ford in the river so that residents would be able to get in and out after Helene washed access away.
But over this past weekend, heavy rain swept through and washed the temporary ford that was put in place away, leading the NCDOT to spend Monday, Dec. 30 rebuilding it.
While this rain event left residents without an official way to get to and from their homes for about one day, the NCDOT said it is just the unfortunate reality of what they are facing.
‘WE ARE YANCEY STRONG:’ OVER 7,700 STRUCTURES IN YANCEY COUNTY AFFECTED BY HELENE
“We can’t really work until the river dies down – just like with the initial part of the flooding. We had to wait, so unfortunately, it is what it is for right now and we’ll do the best we can,” said Tyler Shelton, Madison and Yancey County maintenance engineer.
Shelton said that rebuilding the ford was the fastest way to get access back to residents, but some of the residents do not agree.
Cody Bradford, who lives behind the creek, said that he has been frustrated because as a community, they put Little Creek road back together to get in and out. But, he says, they were told by the NCDOT that it was unsafe to use.
“They blocked it off and we’re stuck with this,” Bradford said, referring to the ford.
Shelton explained how rebuilding the ford is a better option for both cost and immediate access purposes. He said the next goal is to build a temporary bridge, and that they will maintain the ford until the bridge is built.
YANCEY COUNTY ON PATH TO RECOVERY FROM HELENE, BUT OBSTACLES REMAIN
Bradford said that as a resident, his main concern is that their community is not forgotten about.
“Everybody just wants to know what is going on, when are we going to get this fixed, and what is the actual answer,” Bradford said.
Shelton said that public safety is the NCDOT’s top concern, and that the ford is able to ensure that emergency vehicles can get in and out, as well as the residents themselves.
The plan was for the ford to be back operational for residents by the end of the day Monday, and for the temporary bridge to be in place in the next month.
