Hurricane Helene ripped through North Carolina 3 months ago, but the 24-hour news cycle has gone well beyond the scenes of quaint mountain towns obliterated by the flooding.
One man though has not moved on to newer and fresher topics, and he’s being hailed by one NC community as a “godsend.”
Jake Jarvis runs Precision Grading construction and demolition, and since Helene, has been completing tens of thousands of dollars in construction work pro bono, including demolishing houses, building bridges, and clearing river crossings.
“I couldn’t give them an estimate, so I just said: ‘Well, I’ll just do it,’ you know,” Jarvis said, remembering one job on which he worked long into the January night.
The residents of Bat Cave, North Carolina see destruction everywhere they look. Many would like to move on, but as great an emotional toil as saying goodbye to a family home is, often they can’t—because the house is still there, wrecked, but standing.
“It’s hard on you mentally because you see devastation every single day and I have definitely experienced the struggle with that,” Jarvis said.
Jarvis told ABC 13 that he has a list of 29-30 people who need help immediately. An elderly couple was walking half a mile every day to town because the river crossing was impassable in their vehicle. Jarvis flattened it out, accepting only donations to fund the work.
Another, grandmother-age resident needed her house demolished; Jarvis took care of it, but not before salvaging precious remnants of a life swept away; a charming chandelier; a copy of The Little Prince.
HURRICANE RECOVERY: North Carolina Sports Come Together to Support Victims of ‘Unprecedented’ Hurricane Helene
Bat Cave Fire Department Chief Steve Freeman said Jarvis has been an invaluable asset to the community.
“He was a Godsend coming down through. He opened the roads up so you could get through,” he said.
MORE CAROLINA HEROES: Young Woman Returns Family Photos Lost in Hurricane Helene Using Social Media to Find Owners
He’s also built several bridges, financing the work through his personal savings and donations.
ABC 13 WLOS writes that Jarvis accepts donations through checks, mailed to 99 Polaris Drive, Saluda NC, 28773.
SHARE This Local Hero Working His Fingers To The Bone On Behalf Of Others…