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 we are happy to say that everything has been fully restored! We are heartbroken for some of our neighbors and friends in the river corridor that will have a longer road to recovery ahead of them, but we feel confident in our community’s resilience and determination to rebuild.

 

Are you open?

Yes! We are open! We reopened the Canteen in the River Lodge with the limited hours of 9am-5pm as of October 28th, 2024, reopened the un-damaged cabins for guest bookings as of November 1st, 2024, and fully completed renovations as of December 31st, 2024. We welcome you to come enjoy Asheville and be part of the revival!

 

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 moisture mitigation and cleaning This included 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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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.