CANDLER, N.C. (WLOS) — Nearly two years after Helene tore through western North Carolina, Marc DiFrancia and Mike Cooper say some of the damage at their Candler horse sanctuary is still getting worse.
At Missed Path Sanctuary, the creek bank continues to erode near the bridge that serves as the only way on and off the property.
For DiFrancia and Cooper, the wait for repairs has meant navigating FEMA, state contacts and multiple recovery programs, often without a clear answer about who can fix what.
“We’ve been screaming into the void asking for help for two years and nobody has heard us,” DiFrancia said.
Their story comes as North Carolina begins implementing a new state budget that includes more than $706 million for Helene recovery.
Gov. Josh Stein signed the budget into law July 7, marking North Carolina’s first full state budget in more than two years. The Helene portion includes money for federal disaster matching requirements, housing, local government projects and infrastructure. It also includes $30 million for the state’s Private Road and Bridge Repair and Replacement Program.
A sanctuary still recovering
Missed Path is both DiFrancia and Cooper’s home and a nonprofit sanctuary for rescued horses.
The two said they had finalized plans to formally operate the property as a nonprofit shortly before Helene arrived.
“We decided to formalize it into a proper not-for-profit, and we became a 501(c)(3) and had all of our plans in place,” Cooper said.
Their nonprofit status was approved about two weeks before the storm, according to the owners.
G20 MEETINGS PUTS ASHEVILLE IN SPOTLIGHT AS BILTMORE VILLAGE SHOWS MIXED SIGNS OF RECOVERY
After Helene, those plans quickly changed.
DiFrancia and Cooper said they had electricity and food while many around them did not. For 54 days, they opened the property to neighbors for hot meals, showers, laundry and time with the horses.
But while the sanctuary helped others begin recovering, parts of the property itself never fully did.
The owners say floodwater damaged the creek bank and washed away roughly 10 to 12 feet of land in some areas. They said later storms have caused additional erosion.
Their greatest concern is the bridge.
“We’ve had engineers come out and tell us that we shouldn’t be using the bridge. The bridge isn’t safe. But what do you do when you don’t have a choice? It’s the only way on or off your property,” Cooper said.
DiFrancia and Cooper said they continue using it because they have no alternative. Cars, hay deliveries, propane and other supplies must all cross there.
‘I’m still waiting’
The owners said they have sought help through FEMA and multiple state recovery channels.
One state liaison, they said, has consistently checked in for more than a year.
“That person has been great at calling me every two weeks for the last year and a half, but to the point where it becomes frustrating because every time they call, I just have to say, ‘Well, I’m still waiting,’” Cooper said.
NEWS 13 INVESTIGATES
They said the property’s mixed use has also complicated the process. Missed Path is their residence, a farm and a nonprofit, while different parts of the property have different types of damage.
The owners say they have been placed on lists with several agencies or programs dealing with issues including culverts, landslides and creek damage.
They also say they are still waiting on money they were told would come through FEMA.
“I spoke to them this morning. ‘Oh yeah, check is in the mail.’ Sure, it is. It hasn’t been in the mail for two years,” DiFrancia said.
New money for private roads and bridges
The state’s Private Road and Bridge Repair and Replacement Program was established after Helene to repair privately owned roads and bridges damaged or destroyed by the storm. Earlier state legislation had already directed money into the program before the latest budget.
The new budget adds another $30 million.
Under the law, North Carolina Emergency Management is directed to prioritize certain projects that provide the sole means of access for owner-occupied residences, multiple homes, or qualifying commercial or recreational properties. The budget also gives NCEM additional contracting flexibility aimed at speeding up repairs.
State Rep. Brian Turner, D-Buncombe, specifically brought up a Candler horse farm while discussing the new funding in an interview with News 13.
“There’s a horse farm out there that’s struggling with repair to some of their bridges,” Turner said. “So hopefully this money will go to really fix those problems.”
The new funding comes after what Turner described as a costly delay for some parts of the region’s recovery, particularly small businesses.
“We’ve missed the golden hour for a lot of our local businesses,” Turner said. “We still have some that are on life support and intensive care.”
Turner said he believes western North Carolina still needs additional assistance for small businesses, including grants or forgivable loans rather than traditional loans.
WNC RESIDENTS VOICE ONGOING HELENE RECOVERY CONCERNS DURING LISTENING SESSION
Matt Calabria, director of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, also described the new budget as a significant step while acknowledging more work remains.
Calabria told News 13 the governor had sought slightly more than $800 million for Helene recovery and lawmakers ultimately approved more than $700 million. He said additional needs remain in housing, infrastructure and small-business recovery.
The largest single piece of the new Helene allocation is $450 million for the state’s share of federal disaster recovery programs. Another $40 million is dedicated to temporary relocation assistance, while other funding is directed toward local government projects, housing repair, dams, wildfire mitigation and other recovery needs.
Heading into year three
For DiFrancia and Cooper, however, a new appropriation does not yet mean a repair date.
As western North Carolina approaches the second anniversary of Helene, the owners say they want state leaders to see what the recovery process looks like from their side.
During News 13’s interview, they issued a direct invitation to Turner.
“I would love Brian Turner to come out here and see this with his own eyes ... and explain to me why this didn’t matter,” DiFrancia said.
Cooper added: “It’s great to put the structures in place to make people feel heard. I feel like I’ve been heard, but nobody has actually done anything about it.”
News 13 reached out to Turner after the interview and asked whether he would visit the sanctuary to see the damage firsthand.
As of publication, News 13 is still waiting for his response.
News 13 will update this story if Turner responds and will continue following the sanctuary’s effort to secure repairs as western North Carolina heads into a third year of recovery.