TobyC
Patriot
Campbell and his friend Dan Lewis, 41, have been sleeping in tents for the past 17 days volunteering for the residents in the hardest hit towns.
“Different road crews came in and said ‘it’s not doable, the people who live between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock will be trapped in all winter,” said Lewis, who traveled to North Carolina from Oklahoma.
“The DOT (North Carolina Department of Transportation) said ‘yeah, we’ll send some engineers down here and assess the situation.’
“Then the West Virginia boys came in and said, ‘We’ll have this road punched in in about three days.’ No s–t,” he recalled.
“The Army Corps of Engineers took a look and said they’d send some surveyors and engineers, the same thing the DOT said pretty much. I told them you might as well not waste your time because the West Virginia guys will have this road built before you finish your paperwork,” Lewis continued.
“It’s a miracle. It’s unfathomable what has happened in the past few days.
Many in the area still feel abandoned by FEMA and other emergency responders.
Bat Cave resident Curtis McCart – who appeared on The Post’s cover in the immediate wake of Helene – said he still has not received any FEMA aid, but that the agency has set up in the fire department to help residents work on their claims.
“This area got left alone. I rode my horse around and talked to people who haven’t seen any officials,” Lewis told The Post.
“People in this situation should be able to rely on the government and tax dollars coming in, but it never happened.
“The first FEMA guy came in about a week ago. These people should be supplied with what was promised to them on television. They’re right here, help them.
“I’ve heard stories of people getting money from FEMA, but not one person I’ve talked to has got money from FEMA.”
View: https://youtu.be/M_DQCXJr9pI
“Different road crews came in and said ‘it’s not doable, the people who live between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock will be trapped in all winter,” said Lewis, who traveled to North Carolina from Oklahoma.
“The DOT (North Carolina Department of Transportation) said ‘yeah, we’ll send some engineers down here and assess the situation.’
“Then the West Virginia boys came in and said, ‘We’ll have this road punched in in about three days.’ No s–t,” he recalled.
“The Army Corps of Engineers took a look and said they’d send some surveyors and engineers, the same thing the DOT said pretty much. I told them you might as well not waste your time because the West Virginia guys will have this road built before you finish your paperwork,” Lewis continued.
“It’s a miracle. It’s unfathomable what has happened in the past few days.
Many in the area still feel abandoned by FEMA and other emergency responders.
Bat Cave resident Curtis McCart – who appeared on The Post’s cover in the immediate wake of Helene – said he still has not received any FEMA aid, but that the agency has set up in the fire department to help residents work on their claims.
“This area got left alone. I rode my horse around and talked to people who haven’t seen any officials,” Lewis told The Post.
“People in this situation should be able to rely on the government and tax dollars coming in, but it never happened.
“The first FEMA guy came in about a week ago. These people should be supplied with what was promised to them on television. They’re right here, help them.
“I’ve heard stories of people getting money from FEMA, but not one person I’ve talked to has got money from FEMA.”