Business owners: ‘Chimney Rock strong. We’re going to rebuild.’

CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. (WBTV) – Business and homeowners returned to Chimney Rock Wednesday to assess the damage from the Broad River and figure out a path forward.

“We had 100% of the businesses damaged. We’ve got to see that’s part of the progress, that’s part of the healing process, is to see those business owners repairing their business,“ explained Chimney Rock Mayor Peter O’Leary. “To see them getting all the junk out, all the silt out, fixing the windows and doors and putting a fresh coat of paint on it, and, you know, getting back to some semblance of normal.”

The mayor gave WBTV a tour of the Village Tuesday to see the extent of the damage to Main Street.

“We are still here. We took a mighty blow, but we’re trying our best to come back, and we will. We will come back. So don’t forget us when we need help down the road, six months a year, two years, even three or four years, we’re still going to need that help to rebuild, and it’s worth it. And it will be worth it,” said O’Leary.

One of the businesses that washed away in the flooding was Coffee on the Rocks. Bruce Godzik moved to Chimney Rock to retire and opened the coffee shop where he also lived with his wife in the building in the back that faced the Broad River.

“The river was already high, so I went to go check on [my wife]…The basement was starting to get some water towards if she was down there, trying to barricade the basement. And I tell her, ‘Honey, we got to go up to the fire department. We’ll have breakfast, and then we’ll worry about all that stuff later, our contents are going to get flooded.’ And then within 30 minutes, there was nothing [our home and business washed away]. If I didn’t go down there, she wouldn’t be here.”

Related: Chimney Rock, North Carolina: 11 days after Hurricane Helene

Godzik who also serves as the volunteer assistant fire chief for the village watched his whole business and apartment rip off the foundation and wash down the river.

“I’m taking it day by day. You know, once things slow down at night, that’s when it’s hard because you start to kind of like thinking a little bit too much about what’s going on and where the future what the future holds,” explained Godzik. “But during the day, if I can stay busy with the fire department and help, you know, helping with all the incoming supplies and support, it’s kind of keeps your mind off of things and more focused.”

Following the flood, he stayed in the village moving debris and helping direct resources, coordinate supply drops and later, deliveries.

“It was just very hard when you put your heart and soul into the village here,” Godzik said, “it’s almost like a war zone disaster that nobody, anybody could fathom at all.”

Slowly but surely the village has already made progress on the part of Main Street that was washed away by the Broad River encouraging residents to rebuild.

“Look around the beauty around here. You can’t go, can’t go wasted. You have to rebuild and bringing all the tourism back to this area,” Godzik said, “All the business owners here are all willing to tough it out and rebuild their buildings and get things back to the way it was, if not even better.”

To help the Godzic family restore Coffee on the Rocks and their home, visit their GoFundMe page.

To provide assistance to anyone affected in Chimney Rock, donations can be made to the Villiage’s fund.

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