CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. (WBTV) – Businesses and homeowners returned to Chimney Rock Wednesday to assess damage caused by the Broad River and figure out a path forward.
“Our business was 100% damaged. We have to see that it's part of progress, part of the healing process, that management is repairing the business. “No,” explained Chimney Rock Mayor Peter O'Leary. “You watch them remove all the junk and dirt, fix the windows and doors, put on a new coat of paint, and then get back to some semblance of normalcy.”
The mayor gave WBTV a tour of the village Tuesday to assess the damage on Main Street.
“We're still here. We've been hit hard, but we're doing our best to come back, and we'll definitely be back. We'll be back. So we need help in the future. Don't forget about us. Six months from now, two years from now, and even three or four years from now, we will still need help to rebuild. And it's worth it. And it's going to be worth it,” O'Leary said.
One of the businesses washed away by the flood was Coffee on the Rocks. Bruce Gosick moved to Chimney Rock to retire and opened a coffee shop in the back building facing the Broad River, where he lived with his wife.
“The river was already rising, so I went to check on (my wife). I tried to barricade myself in the basement, and when my wife was there, the water started coming into the basement. I said, “Honey, I have to go to the fire station.'' I'm going to eat breakfast and think about everything else later. The contents will be soaked with water. ”And within 30 minutes there was nothing left (homes and businesses washed away). If I hadn't gone there, she wouldn't be here. ”
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Gozik, who also serves as the village's assistant volunteer fire chief, witnessed his business and entire apartment complex being torn off its foundation and swept into the river.
“I take it on a daily basis. You know, when things slow down at night, it gets tough because you think a little bit too much about what's going on and what's going to happen in the future,” Gogic said. Explained. “But during the day, if I can keep busy with the fire department and help with all the supplies and support that come in, it kind of takes my mind off things and helps me focus.”
Bruce Gozik, owner of Coffee on the Rocks and assistant chief of the Chimney Rock Volunteer Fire Department (Credit: WBTV/ClaireKopsky)
After the floods, he stayed in the village to help move debris, arrange resources, coordinate supplies, and then make deliveries.
“It's been really hard to put my heart and soul into this village,” Gozik said. “It's almost like a war zone disaster that no one could have imagined at all.”
Slowly but surely, the village is already making progress on the portion of Main Street that was washed away by the Broad River, prompting residents to rebuild.
“Look at the beauty around here. You can't go, you can't go in vain. We have to rebuild and bring all the tourists back to this area,” Gozik said. “All the business owners here are willing to go through the trouble, rebuild the building and get things back to where they were or better.”
To help the Gogic family restore Coffee on the Rocks and its home, visit their GoFundMe page.
Donations can be made to the village fund to help those affected by Chimney Rock.
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