HURRICANE HELENE FAQs

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PROPERTY:

 

Did Wrong Way sustain damage from Hurricane Helene?

The French Broad River reached catastrophic levels during Helene, peaking at a record-breaking 24.6 feet (for context, flood stage is 9.5 feet). Wrong Way sustained flood damage in several cabins as well as the lower floor of the River Lodge, but restoration crews are currently on site and we WILL make a full recovery. We are heartbroken for many of our neighbors and friends in the river corridor and throughout the WNC region, but we feel confident in our community’s resilience and determination to rebuild.

 

Are you open and if so, what services and amenities are not available?

Yes! We are open! We reopened the Canteen in the River Lodge with the limited hours of 9am-5pm as of October 28th, and reopened the un-damaged cabins for guest bookings as of November 1st. Please be aware that the services/amenities listed below are currently limited or not available. We will keep this list updated as the situation changes...

• WiFi is currently NOT available in the individual cabins, but it IS available in the communal River Lodge via Starlink.
• The running water at our property is NOT approved for drinking, but it IS fine for showers and flushing toilets. We will provide containers of drinking water in the cabins and river lodge until the running water has been approved for drinking.
• The Eddy event space is NOT available for group events or guest recreation (e.g. ping-pong).
• The damaged cabins are undergoing reconstruction, which comes with the sights and sounds of construction. This activity will be limited to daytime hours and we have closed off these areas for the safety of our guests.

 

What remediation steps have been taken for the flood-damaged structures?

As soon as access to the property was possible, the Wrong Way team started to assess what remediation work would be required for the cabins that were damaged during the flood. We successfully peeled back the layers so they could be safely cleaned, dried, and put back together. We are so fortunate to have Griffin Builders heading up the restoration work since they were our trusted general contractor on building Wrong Way 2 years ago.

For those of you wondering about the remediation timeline: We started remediation work in the impacted cabins within 48 hours of the flood waters receding. First, we removed anything non-structural that was touched by flood waters, including drywall, flooring, furniture, fixtures, and equipment (e.g. record players). The cabin interiors were essentially emptied and reduced down to the studs. We then had SERVPRO perform professional cleaning, disinfection and dehumidification with commercial HEPA filters, fans, and dehumidifiers until a moisture meter confirmed that normal levels were reached. All structural surfaces, including the subfloor and wall studs, were then encapsulated with a commercial primer to prevent any future moisture issues. This level of remediation was a significant investment, but we knew it was critical to keep the confidence and expectation of future guests for a healthy and comfortable environment. This image gives you an idea of what one of the cabin interiors looked like during remediation.

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COMMUNITY:

 

How can I help?

We recommend supporting local relief organizations like BeLoved Asheville, Equal Plates, and Manna Foodbank that are feeding people and providing supplies. We also partner with local nonprofits like Mountain True, RiverLink, and Asheville Greenworks and recommend you follow their accounts or join their newsletters for recovery updates and opportunities to help the impacted areas.

 

What community members should I follow to stay up to date on Asheville’s progress?

We recommend following Blue Ridge Public Radio’s live blog, Explore Asheville's Travel Advisory page and IG page (@visitasheville), French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson (@fbriverkeeper), and our friends at @authenticasheville for updates and trusted resources. And of course you can get updates about Wrong Way by joining our Newsletter at the bottom of this page, or by following our Instagram or Facebook pages.

 

What is Asheville and the surrounding area like right now?

Many businesses and recreation parks in the French Broad and Swannanoa River corridors, including the nearby River Arts District, sustained catastrophic flood damage and will take time to fully rebuild. Power, water, and road access have been restored to most of Asheville, but potable (read: drinking) water service has yet to be fully restored to all businesses and households. While our downtown, lodging, and much of our hospitality infrastructure fared well, many popular destinations, including the Biltmore Estate and Blue Ridge Parkway were temporarily closed due to flood or wind damage. We are seeing progress, and the community members and relief workers continue to show up, day after day. Even without running potable water, many restaurants and shops are getting water deliveries and reopening. We will need tourism and commerce flowing to help bring back the vibrancy of this creative community. We invite you to help us rebuild!

 

Is there a way to support your staff during this uncertain time?

Yes, we’ve created a fundraiser that will be used to directly support our employees. It’s available HERE.

 

Are there other ways I can support Wrong Way during recovery?

We prefer that your immediate support go to heavily impacted WNC individuals/communities and Wrong Way staff, but other ways to support Wrong Way include:

1. The best way to help would be to stay at Wrong Way in the next few months (December through March), 
2. Purchase a gift voucher for a friend or family member to stay at Wrong Way,
3. Purchase some online Wrong Way merch,
4. Spread the word that Wrong Way and Asheville will be back better than ever, and we NEED tourism to help with the economic recovery.

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RESERVATIONS:

 

I have a future booking. Should I cancel?

All bookings in the month of October were canceled and the cancelation fees were waived considering the circumstances. We will continue to waive cancelation fees for any booking in 2024 that was made before September 26th, but we hope that you will consider keeping your reservation with us and visiting Asheville because it helps our business and community recover and rebuild. I know many people have been wondering when the right time to visit is, and our answer is NOW! Western North Carolina will be recovering from the disaster for a long time, but the longer it takes for tourism to rebound, the longer the recovery process will take, and the more likely that small businesses will close and be replaced by big businesses, which would be a shame for a community like Asheville that has such an independent spirit. We thank you for helping our community keep that independent spirit alive!

 

I have an event planned at Wrong Way. Who can I contact?

Group reservations and group events are a significant portion of our revenue as a small business. While we understand that all groups won’t be able to reschedule with us, we appreciate those who can. Please contact katie@wrongwaycampground.com to ask questions about how to best handle your group reservation.

 

Are you accepting future bookings?

Yes! While October 2024 bookings were limited to disaster relief workers, we have opened up our calendar for visitor bookings after October 31st, 2024. This disaster will have a significant economic impact on local businesses and residents, especially considering that it happened at the beginning of peak fall tourism season. Travelers to Asheville and guests of Wrong Way will be critical to our community’s and company’s economic recovery.

 

I’d like to cancel my booking, but is there a way to donate my deposit to relief efforts?

This question surprised us, and we are so grateful. If you would like to contribute to Wrong Way’s recovery efforts, we can cancel your booking and donate your deposit towards efforts to restore the property and support our staff during this challenging time. Please indicate that you'd like to donate your deposit when requesting the cancellation.

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PRESS:

 

I’m a journalist covering the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Who can I talk to?

Please reach out to our PR lead, Kelsey Burrow (kelsey@dearclivepr.com or 910-986-1121) for a quick response.