Damage Sustained During Hurricane Helene at Montreat Conference Center
On Friday, September 27, Lake Susan and Flat Creek swelled to historic levels following heavy rainfall brought on by Hurricane Helene. High water levels caused catastrophic flooding throughout the town of Montreat. In addition, high winds brought down trees and power lines, contributing to widespread outages of power and water. Communication is limited due to regional phone outages.
At this time, the conference center will remain closed until further notice. Those who have upcoming reservations should consider those reservations postponed until hearing otherwise. We are contacting guest as we are able to process changes to reservations.
As more information is available, updates will be posted below and through our social media.
Status Updates
Update 10/03/2024
Greetings from Montreat! This is to give you an assessment of the situation here on a busy Thursday afternoon.
First, the Town of Montreat continues to make remarkable progress on the repair of roads and bridges that were compromised by water and treefall in last week’s storm. Their Public Works team has made a priority of restoring vehicular access, and as a result, most of Montreat’s residents have been able to evacuate safely to neighboring locations with power and water. Restoring power and water remain priorities here, too, but it is too early to predict how long that will take. Law enforcement continue to encourage residents to leave if they are able and to discourage all but the most essential travel to Montreat.
Second, I’m told that we have accounted for all members of our conference center staff, a great relief to those of us who have been isolated here and hearing stories of the devastation in other parts of the Swannanoa Valley. Some staff members, however, have suffered significant losses in property, and in at least one case, the loss of a family member to the flood waters. We are working to assure our staff of conference center support in their recovery and to connect them to the Board of Pensions and other resources.
Evaluation of the conference center’s buildings continues. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, we were encouraged by the apparent conditions we found. Closer inspections are revealing some issues along with the expected water damage. Experts are onsite and working with our maintenance staff to conduct a full review. Lake Susan, our parks, and grounds were hit hard, but the dam held throughout.
The conference center continues to collaborate with area agencies and churches to support the recovery in a variety of ways. We have become a repository for donated items of need and have made space available to Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. Provisioned for the time being in Montreat, we are transporting needed supplies through these partners to other impacted neighborhoods beyond the Gate. Further, we continue to host the group Cajun Navy 2016, a trained disaster recovery outfit that is performing essential tasks both in Montreat and around the Swannanoa Valley. Town staff is holding regular meetings for residents here at Assembly Inn, which has become an information hub for residents who remain in town. This morning, we hosted an initial meeting to connect local Presbyterian churches and organizations with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
Development and communications team members have been working to post updates on our website for our varied constituencies. By Saturday afternoon, our development team had posted a link for gifts to support the recovery our website, kicking off what remains an ongoing, generous response. Meanwhile, hundreds of individuals, either directly or through congregations, have sent food, water, gasoline, and other supplies. Added to the extraordinary number of texts, emails, and calls sending prayers, support, and good wishes, the overall support has landed here and mattered in too many ways to recount here. We have been so grateful for all of it.
While our campus is currently closed, we are also organizing for reopening, reaching out to those with reservations in the coming weeks to open a dialogue on when we will be ready to host again. It’s too early to say with certainty when that day will come, but staff are being told to prioritize their readiness to return.
As we continually acknowledge the support of others, our staff members are also performing at a very high level under trying circumstances. I am very proud of the spirit with which they have stepped into new roles and responsibilities and operated independently where necessary while lacking the ability to communicate as we normally would.
Stay tuned for more updates and remember that we feel your presence here. More than ever, we are grateful for all those who love Montreat. God bless you all – more to come!
Best,
Richard DuBose, president
Montreat Conference Center
Update 10/01/2024
Greetings from Montreat! Nearly 48 hours after our last report, we bring news that progress continues on recovery efforts in Montreat. Town staff and recovery teams are working diligently to address roads and other infrastructure challenges.
The Town hosted a town meeting at the conference center yesterday with representatives from the Town, conference center, Montreat College, and the community. Attendees received an update on the work that Barry Creasman, public works director for the Town of Montreat, and the entire Montreat Public Works department are doing work to restore roads, power, and water. Further, Montreat institutions and residents are supporting and caring for each other in remarkable ways.
While important and measurable steps have been taken, much work is ahead. In the meantime, Town officials are urging people to leave if they are able, and are urging those who are not here to stay away unless absolutely necessary. Law enforcement continues to monitor property and security.
Many are anxious to receive news, and we will keep everyone informed as information comes to light. Communications, however, are spotty and often compromised. The conference center is relying on staff working remotely to communicate updates as we are able. For the big picture in Western North Carolina, major news outlets are providing better information that we can. One major recurring rumor that we CAN address: Lake Susan Dam performed as designed and has held throughout.
Conference center staff is supporting the town’s efforts by checking in with residents who remain, recording the names of those that are leaving, disseminating information, and receiving resources and distributing them through appropriate channels, all while attending to each other and our campus. We are also currently housing the Cajun Navy 2016, specialists who have set up a command center on Collegiate Circle. They are providing resources and expertise not only to Montreat but to communities beyond the Gate.
The conference center and Western North Carolina Presbytery have been contacted by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, who is also marshaling resources to support our efforts. They are joined by many local and national organizations working to collect donations and usher supplies into the valley.
We appreciate the countless messages of support, concern, and prayer. The needs in Western North Carolina are substantial and recovery will be measured in months not days. Please continue to keep those affected by this storm and the countless individuals working tirelessly to address the needs of those displaced by this catastrophic event in your prayers.
Our spirits are buoyed by the more than 650 individuals, churches, organizations, and others who have already made a gift to conference center's recovery effort. We give thanks for each outpouring of support from across the country and around the world. Reports of gifts from church offerings, Sunday school classes, children and grandchildren, seminaries, Summer Staff past and present, and so many more lift our spirits and aid our work in the days to come. If you would like to financially help, you can make a gift to our Hurricane Helene Relief Fund. If you would like to donate supplies, we recommend directing those donations towards Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, or reaching out to Seth Hagler for more information.
Lastly, in addition to the updates provided above, we would like to make everyone aware that a community meeting will take place for those still in Montreat tomorrow, October 2, at 9:00 am in Assembly Inn. The Town is now working to provide updates from these meetings on its website, townofmontreat.org. We will also continue to provide updates as available. Those looking for current information about this situation or to learn how to help should visit our website, montreat.org.
Update 9/29/2024
As we learn and know more about the status of Montreat - town, college, and conference center - we are continually grateful for all those who love this place. We give thanks for all those working tirelessly in the aftermath of this catastrophic event. For your support and prayers, thank you. Please continue to keep Montreat, the remainder of Western NC and all those dealing with the effects of this storm in your prayers. Amidst all that we are dealing with, we realize we also have much to be grateful for.
Those walking around Montreat today will quickly realize that the reports of damage are not understated. Montreat does and will look different for the foreseeable future.
Recovery has already begun. The Town of Montreat's Public Works department is repairing roads, clearing debris and attending to the infrastructure of Montreat, and they are making progress.
Many people have reached out with efforts to help, and the conference center is addressing the challenge of distributing needed supplies to town residents, visitors and staff. To that end, churches and others have begun scheduling deliveries. The lower lobby of Assembly Inn will serve as a distribution for donated items, and distribution times will be announced via email, website, and social media. If you or your congregation has an interest in participating, please contact Seth Hagler via email (seth@montreat.org) or make a financial gift directly.
Here are today's updates from Montreat:
- If there are individuals you know are in Montreat but have not heard from, please add to the ongoing spreadsheet.
- There is currently no timeline for restoration of power, water, or other infrastructure. As such, all conferences and retreats are postponed until further notice. Montreat staff will be in touch with group leaders in the coming days as we are able. Communications in and out of Montreat are difficult at this time.
- All wilderness and park facilities are closed at this time. Even as the waters recede, please do not attempt to play at Robert Lake Park, hike the trails, etc.
- If you wish to offer financial assistance as the conference center begins the process of cleaning and restoring campus, gifts are greatly appreciated. While we do not yet know the scope of the work ahead, we know that there is significant damage to much of our campus. Each gift will be used to directly repair and restore our campus and facilities. Click here to make a gift to the Hurricane Helene Restoration fund.
Update 9/28/2024
We are still working to assess the full impact of the storm on our campus. Montreat guests and residents are urged to continue sheltering in place until roadways are deemed safe for travel. Many bridges and roadways within town limits and beyond have sustained extensive damage and may be compromised.
At this time, the conference center will remain closed until further notice. Those who have upcoming reservations should consider those reservations postponed until hearing otherwise. As always, the safety of our staff and guests is our primary priority.
Over the last 24 hours, we have heard from countless Montreaters offering prayers and other support. The impact has been felt and appreciated beyond measure.
As more information is available, we will deliver updates through montreat.org and through social media.