Tear it down! Hurricane Helene Recovery & Rebuilding

Landslide piled on the back of the cabin

And so it begins! Choreographed destruction to finally wipe things clean. The first step in the process of wrapping up our Hurricane Helene recovery projects. The Old Cabin. It's a little complicated, but it started this week and we can't be happier to finally see this huge unmistakable reminder of the disaster gone, and to see what we have left to work with once it's been hauled away. We have some needs and we have some ideas...but first things first. Clear everything away so we can see what we have to work with.

The original cabin on our property, sitting as it had since last year

Behind the cabin where the landslide came down, dropping trees on and through the structure

This is the beginning of what we'll see as the end of our recovery and rebuilding from Hurricane Helene. Not that every tiny project we still have will be complete, that's generally not possible with this much space - projects are always ongoing - but the big damage, the huge scars, the overtly visible reminders will be gone. We got the call last Friday that the first of two crews would be heading out to begin the demolition of the 1950's cabin at our place. A bittersweet call for sure, but it's too far gone to rebuild or restore, and it will be nice to see this enormous reminder of the storm gone.

Sometime either at the end of last year or beginning of this year we found out about a program being administered by Buncombe County, funded by FEMA and managed or directed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) was implemented to assist in removing "condemned or unrecoverable" structures damaged by the hurricane from private property.

The landslide filled the small stream behind the cabin, rerouting it across the porch and across our driveway

We submitted our application and 3 or 4 months later an inspector came out, walked the property, and verbally told us we'd be approved for assistance through the program. We thought we qualified, getting confirmation was great. We could quit stressing about how to address this huge problem. This would be one large looming project effectively off of our plate. We'd still have to coordinate with the contractors and when the demo happened our property would be torn up again, but the assistance was imperative, we couldn't afford this on our own. Estimates we'd gotten last year ranged from $30,000 to $50,000 and no doubt it would cost every bit of that high end.

With approval for this demolition to be taken care of through PPDR we were able to move on and do everything else that was needed on ourselves and with the funds we had. We didn't know when it would be done, we didn't have any control over the scheduling or timing, but knowing it would happen at some point was enough. As we worked on everything else, the garden, the pond, the fields, the debris piles, the driveway, etc, we effectively quit "seeing" the huge home with trees laying across the roof, the boarded up windows, and stream now flowing across its' porch and across our driveway.

The inside of the cabin, first floor filled with mud, upper level with a tree through it, lower level crawl space flooded

(where our well system is)

We've walked past it for over a year now. And in a week or two we'll have a newly cleared area on our property. They can't tear it all down, one part of the founation, under the screen porch, houses our well system. Not the well itself, it's nearby, but the expansion tank, the pump, the lines, etc, are all under there. Once the main structure is gone we'll see what we need to do with this. Either move it or build a better well house around it.

Would love to be able to save the fireplace (the top is damaged) and BBQ

We'd also love to save the foundation of the structure and the huge wishbone fireplace at the far end. We have no idea if these can be left as they tear the rest down, they said they'd try, but we'll be happy whether they can or not - just glad this is being done for us. BUT if they can we'll build likely build a covered pavilion and deck on that foundation and center a huge outdoor kitchen around the fireplace.

Regardless of what we have left when the PPDR folks are done we'll be happy. It'll be nice to have such an overwhelming part of this finished and it'll also be nice to be able to plan for whatever comes next on this spot - we've not really been able to make any plans until we knew what we'd be left with. These folks, this crew, are just the first step - clearing the trees from the roof, removing all the stumps and trees that are laying against the back and side along with the soil from the landslide. The next crew will remove the structure.

For now we'll be seeing more destruction. The equipment is tearing up the driveway, the landscaping, and the lawn. When they are done we'll have an open area with exposed dirt and a visible scraped hill behind it. It'll actually look much like what everything did last year just after the storm, before things took root and began growing back, slowly reclaiming the damaged spaces, hiding the story from just a year earlier. But like last year, this is when we get to come back in and create a space we'll love even more than before. In a couple weeks, when they are done, is when the fun begins, planning for what's next. I'm not normally excited about destruction, but I am right now...let's get this done!

Tear it down Hurricane Helene Recovery and Rebuilding