‘Monumental': Campground celebrates post-Helene reopening
A campground in Boiling Springs celebrated its post-Helene reopening just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Several campgrounds in the area were shut down by damage caused by Hurricane Helene when it swept through western North Carolina in September.
Many of the affected campgrounds were in remote areas near rivers. Boiling Springs, winner of a national Glamping award, suffered heavy damage, even though it only lost power for a week.
'There was a lot of data about closed roads, which concerned people about getting to campgrounds that were even open,' co-owner Tyler Watts told Channel 9's Ken Lemon.
But, like many other campgrounds, Boiling Springs was packed for Memorial Day weekend.
'Monumental for us on the weekend to be fully booked and have people here still showing up,' Watts said. 'Very big for us.'
READ: FEMA offers to sell temporary housing units to WNC families displaced by Hurricane Helene
One campground owner cried tears of joy as she spoke with Lemon about how grateful she was to reopen Rose Creek Campgrounds in Morganton with no vacancies.
But after Helene, it wasn't so easy to have hope.
'I was ready to throw my hands up and walk away,' she told Lemon. 'We put our heart and soul into this campground.'
For Boiling Springs, it was Charlotte residents turning to outdoor life that made a difference.
Scott and Shay Costin were out camping during the holiday weekend. They said they were glad to help a business in recovery.
'We try to help small businesses, local businesses, family-owned,' Scott Costin said.
Watts said he knows how lucky he is. He said some of the campgrounds that were wiped out are still rebuilding.
WATCH: FEMA offers to sell temporary housing units to WNC families displaced by Hurricane Helene
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘PWC Beach,' Echo Bay pipe mat latest Lake Mead improvements for boaters
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Lake Mead is 8 feet lower than it was a year ago, and officials are making more adjustments to help boaters who are ready to get out in the water this summer. After adding a new courtesy dock for personal watercraft adjacent to Hemenway Harbor just two weeks ago, the National Park Service (NPS) said this week it is adding another pipe mat at Echo Bay, along with adjustments to the courtesy dock there. Hemenway Harbor, the closest launch point to Las Vegas, will have reduced access this summer as NPS extends the boat ramp. Construction began June 2, and the launch ramp will be reduced to one lane. The courtesy docks will be reduced down by one half, according to an NPS web page summarizing the project. 'Personal Watercraft Beach,' or PWC Beach, was announced around Memorial Day as the summer season began. It's just north of the Hemenway Harbor ramp. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area Facilities team installed two Mobi-Mats, one on each side of the new courtesy dock. The mats are portable, and have been used in recent years to help boaters with changing conditions at the lake. Some boaters have complained that they won't use PWC Beach because they don't want to drive through the dirt, but they won't have any other option nearby. 'All jet skis must launch at PWC Beach during construction,' according to a May 31 social post. Summer is the busiest time for boaters, but it's also the best time for construction, NPS said. 'Water level projections for the 2025 summer boating season are favorable for construction, allowing dive and contract teams to perform underwater and shoreline work safely and efficiently at the launch ramp. Summer and fall are generally the best times for this type of underwater construction work,' NPS said. As of noon Wednesday, Lake Mead's surface was at 1,056.59 feet, compared to 1,064.81 feet on June 15, 2024. While that drop is a bit alarming, it's better than projections last year that expected the lake to be down another 3 feet, at 1,053.56 feet. The lake typically hits its low point in July each year. On July 27, 2022, the lake hit its lowest point since it was filled in the 1930s, dipping to 1,041.71 feet above sea level. At Echo Bay, crews were scheduled to do the work on Wednesday, June 4, and finish before the end of the day. The upgrades will extend and widen the ramp for safer, easier boat launching, NPS said. Officials noted that the right launch lane remains closed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
El Dorado hit hard by flooding, Augusta prepares as rivers rise
BUTLER COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — El Dorado is beginning recovery efforts after devastating flooding swept through neighborhoods Tuesday, while officials in Augusta are now bracing for the worst as rising rivers approach cresting levels. El Dorado City Manager David Dillner called the rainfall a '150-year storm event,' saying many residents had never seen flooding of this magnitude. Storm's over, but Wichita's still dealing with the mess 'There were neighborhoods where cars that were parked in driveways, for example, were on the street, had been physically moved by the hydraulic force of the water,' Dillner said. 'We also saw some pretty significant debris, such as trailers, even boats, ironically, and other large trees and debris that had been moved.' Emergency crews conducted rescues and evacuations Tuesday night into Wednesday. No injuries or fatalities were reported. Dillner said the city is now assessing road and residential damage and exploring whether it may qualify for a FEMA disaster designation. In Augusta, emergency management teams are closely monitoring both the Whitewater and Walnut rivers. As of Wednesday evening, the Whitewater River had reached major flood stage, while the Walnut was at a moderate level. Keri Korthals, Director of Butler County Emergency Management, said Augusta has taken major steps to prepare. 'Augusta has taken their precautions. They've closed up all the entrances to the levees, which pretty much protects the city from that river water,' she said. 'But it is being closely monitored to see what level we end up at.' Mayor Mike Rawlings said the city is keeping stop logs in place at key floodgate openings, including railroad crossings, through the weekend. 'We have more rain scheduled, and it's quite a bit of physical labor to put them in,' he said. 'We'll leave the stop logs in place on two locations through the weekend.' Residents in Augusta are being urged to stay alert and avoid flooded areas. Rawlings echoed a common warning from emergency officials: 'Don't drive in it, don't walk in it—just turn around.' County officials say their next concern is Douglas, a smaller community downstream. They're gathering damage data to determine if the county meets the federal threshold for disaster aid, which could bring FEMA support for infrastructure and possibly individuals. With more rain forecasted in the coming days, Butler County remains under close watch. 'We're not out of it yet,' Korthals said. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
North Augusta Helene recovery efforts in the home stretch as 2025 hurricane season begins
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF) – This week marks the start of the 2025 Hurricane season, stretching between now and the end of November. But, many in our area are still recovering from Hurricane Helene more than 8 months after making its mark. North Augusta and Aiken County were one of the hardest hit areas by Helene in the Palmetto State. But, city leaders say storm cleanup is in the home stretch. Neighbors in South Carolina's Riverfront are still recalling one of the worst storms they've ever seen. 'I'm from California. We moved here 4 years ago, and I'll take an earthquake over a hurricane any day. It's totally different down here. The devastation was crazy,' said Steven Tognotti. Tognotti says since then, the community has worked together to get back on their feet. 'It was crazy, the community just pulled together like crazy. Everybody was trying to help each other—which was awesome,' Tognotti said. City leaders have also been working to finish debris pickup for good. Mayor Briton Williams says improvements have been made at nearby parks that suffered damage, including Creighton Park. 'Creighton Park already had equipment that quite frankly was outdated, so with the hurricane an upgrade was definitely overdue,' said Williams. 'We'll have a ribbon cutting for the new park on June 17th at 11 A.M.' The structure at Maude Edenfield Park was completely destroyed, where cultural arts events typically take place in the summer. 'That is being worked on now,' Williams said. 'We don't have a timeframe of when that will be rebuilt, but the cultural arts folks will have all their concerts this summer inside the community center there.' Part of Boeckh Park also remains closed due to damage on the dock. The mayor says that's another project the city is working on. 'When we brought engineers there, we found that the problem is the concrete. It's actually not stable underneath, so because of that we've had to block it off. We don't have any kind of timeline with that one, but we are working on that.' The city has also just passed a resolution to hire a company to fix damaged fences and storm drains by the end of June. While those projects are on the to-do list, Williams says one of the biggest challenges for storm cleanup has been the roads. 'When you have DOT owning roads, we own roads, the county owns roads—that has probably been the most challenging aspect of managing it. Unfortunately, the people that have gotten hurt by that are our citizens,' the mayor said. The next step is to mulch remaining debris at their two debris sites, and haul them off by the end of the month. While there's still work to do, they've learned a lot since last September. 'Even though I feel like we've done a lot, maybe we could have done more communication on that. But, we didn't leave many stones unturned—I truly believe that,' said Williams. 'Have we strived hard to communicate, and have our employees done an incredible job? Yes—especially considering the fact that none of us expected this, and none of us could have prepared for this.' This week, the city has also resuming full-service yard pickup. They say all garbage, recycling, and yard waste must be separated by the homeowner, and placed curbside by 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day. Yard waste needs to be placed behind the curb in neatly separated piles. For more do's and don'ts for yard pickup, click here. The mayor says their goal is to finish cleanup by the FEMA reimbursement deadline on July 1st. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
