Chestnut Flats & Hurricane Helene

I am sure everyone has been following the devastation in Western North Carolina over the past few days. I wanted to provide an update on the mountain with links to important websites that will help you keep track of the progress in Waynesville specifically and in Western North Carolina generally.

The Mountain

While Waynesville and other low-lying mountain towns have been hit hard by the flood waters, Chestnut Flats came through the storm relatively unscathed. We lost power for about 24 hours, and many trees fell across the road. Our crews will be out there this week clearing the roads thoroughly, supporting washed-out areas of the road, and ensuring the mountain is safe for travel. We currently have power, internet, and cell phone coverage.

Waynesville

It is going to take a while for downtown Waynesville to recover from this damage. Currently, gas and propane are at a premium, with long lines where there is availability. There is a curfew in place between 9 pm and 7 am in order to give the road crews free access to the roads that need repair. If you can avoid downtown, you should.

Getting Around

Huge lengths of 1-40 are washed out and closed. Judging from the aerial footage, there will not be a quick fix for the damage to I-40. Getting traffic flowing again is going to take a herculean effort. Secondary roads are also closed due to water undermining the road or tree falls. These closures change day by day and hour by hour. Google Maps and Waze are doing a pretty good job of showing the closures in real time.

Information

The best sources of information are the ones that are closest to the town. The town of Waynesville has a dynamic website with up-to-date information. The Next Door app is also a great place for neighbors to exchange information about road closures, gas availability, etc. Also, the local newspaper "The Mountaineer" is another great source of news.

Helpful Links

The Mountaneer: https://www.themountaineer.com/

Next Door: https://nextdoor.com/ (You need to sign up to prove you are local)

Waynesville: https://www.waynesvillenc.gov/news/important-information-and-resources

Gas Buddy: https://www.gasbuddy.com/

Next Steps

In the coming days and weeks, we will share some of our homeowners' best practices for disaster preparedness during this difficult time. Between solar power, generators, Starlink, and Verizon jetpacks, we have a very self-sustaining group of property owners. Our goal is to share that knowledge and increase the self-sustainability of the development as a whole.

If you can, I suggest not traveling to Waynesville until the emergency crews can get the road network back up and start getting gas and other supplies into the town. If you need someone to check in on our house, please reach out, and we can coordinate with our team on the ground or a trusted neighbor to check in on your property.

We look forward to our beloved mountain town returning to its full glory through the hard work of the emergency workers, including our own Tim Sisk. If you know a family that has been impacted by the storm and needs shelter, please shoot me an email.