Stephanie with Reubuilding Hollars After Helene

What is up? PBN family, Still making my way down retail row. Here Prepper Camp twenty twenty six and I'm here with. Stephanie Johnson from Rebuilding Hollers Come Heller, how waters Man. You saved me on that one. Thank you, Thank you, because we've we heard about you guys, like surface Level at the Thursday night meeting and they were telling us all about the keynote speaker who you are. I was supposed to be there and forgot. Huh, I think I was supposed to be there. You're rebuilding Holland by lady busy lady. So yeah, I guess to start off, I'm gonna make an assumption. You tell me if I'm wrong. You guys, were you guys born out of the hurricanes or Okay, do you wanna tell us a little bit about that? So we are just local neighbors in Cean Mitchell County. And actually I'm a classify myself as a prepper realtor. So oh yeah, I've been coming to Prepper Camp since twenty fourteen, and I would have my real estate booth and I would tell folks about the Great Remote. Mountains Survival realty. No, just a mountain adventure realty. Yeah, venture real You must have been around the corner probably, Okay, yeah, I'm trying to envision you. Yeah being there. Yeah, usually I was near Like I mean, it's been a little while since we since I've been to the events. Oh okay, I gotcha. But that's how I start, you know, I started coming. It was about twenty fourteen to about twenty nineteen that I was at all the prepper camps and then some different events, and. So I about Osmosis was being prepared, you. Know, oh yeah, something was coming. Yeah. I had no idea. I was just like, yeah, I'm the I like working with preppers. They like remote property. I love remote property. They like guns. I like guns. Yeah. It was just great. Oh sure. And then when Hurricane Heleen hit, we were prepared, my husband, my family and I. Yeah, we were like okay, it's go time, and you know, had a plan, had a reaction plan. And when we we finally cut out of our community or our haller it was about day three or four and went to the gas station. It was cash only. Yeah, you got to have cash. So we were just topping off our preps and and there was a mom. Buying food with a back of quarters. And that's when it really struck me, like our neighbors are not okay. People are not okay. And so I ended up back in the truck and I said to my husband, take me home. We need to get food and we need to take it to people. Now. Granted, everybody was cut off, so I don't know exactly what I was thinking yet, but in my mind I already knew we got to get out. And help, and we get to yes. And so we ended up in town later and actually got out our first kind of self service, very very very very vague, and was able to let our family know we were okay. And then all of a sudden, they had one little Facebook signal enough to go to make a Facebook post. So then I let the world know we're okay or we're alive, but we're not okay okay, And I said, I'm gonna be at Roses parking lot, which is just right across from me. I said, and I'm going to start hating out supplies. And my friends from all over the state were watching, and they started coming the next day bringing. No way water and food and tarps and you name it. I'll tell you what I don't know if you're a writer. I'm a writer, but somebody needs to. I just wrote it. Whole story. It's a million years ladies and gentlemen, life after Hurricane Hilly. Well, I mean, I mean the does it talk about pre storm and the storm response? Okay, yes, that there's a whole heroic American like like, this is a historic event in American history. That should people should look back and go like this is where Haired Andess. Worked exactly, like big time exactly. Because you talk to peopleut Hurricane Helen and they're like, I don't know, it's went weird and a lot of people in the country got drowned and it was ugly, but it was I mean, it's a historical event in it. Is in terms of how people respond, that's right. And I think all of America came to help us. You know, it was incredible because all of America responded, They brought us applies, they brought us help. But in the exact same note, the government abandoned us completely. And that's. That's the boss. So I was telling you about like all of America came to help us, but also at the same time the government failed us completely. Oh yeah, and being preparedness minded. I knew that was going to happen. So when I. Started seeing I was like, you weren't looking up for what if the. Helicopters that No, when they came in, I mean I was, I mean, well, I'm a little hateful sometimes, you know, and I'm not attending about you know, we we know they're not coming to help. In fact, FEMA in the National Guard they come to try to take our supplies. I know. Yeah, I built this huge distribution of it. They're like, we want to take it in warehouse and I'm like, uh no, that's gonna be enough. Yeah. We operate a company called Disaster Coffee and a lot of times we send money or coffee to Grindstone Ministries. I don't know if you linked up with them. They were in there and. We sent them coffee a big, you know, big case for load of coffee for their guys because they put a bunch of guys on the ground there, and they sent some I think it was them that sent some video of a black Hawk coming down. And like that was that was crazy. Yeah, but what had happened was so and we'll call them Ruffians because that's the best description quirkley. But it's a large group. There's a couple of large groups that respond to storms. And I say that in quotations because they present themselves well online. Everybody thinks that who you join up with? Yeah, and you know, you go go with those groups, but they really. Are not real. They are fundraisers. They get on national television, they raise millions of dollars. The CEO gets paid good money. The CEO gets paid. Oh and they disappear. They raised over five million dollars on us in a week and they were in Roses parking lot for less than forty eight hours. And that's just discuss that's a chapter. Yeah, chapter, the whole Well, they're soue happy. So they're they're the Ruffians. Yeah, is the best way to say. You know, that's who they are. Because I don't have time to be sued. I'm trying to rebuild. No, I get it, you know. Yeah, And I'm sure they're used to it. They got all the equipal they're. Suing each other right now. Groups there's one group this this and one group this is that, and right now they're suing each other. Swim better than help. Yeah, Yeah, it's great. So I think it's great, but but our share of ran them out in about forty eight hours, and that was such a blessing because there was really well what happened. I had texted him and I said, they have arrived and they want to meet you. And then my texting him that, of course inquired a search, so he started researching. And then about twenty four hours later, I texted him. I said, I'm so sorry. I said, but I don't think they're here to help us. This is what's happening in the parking lot. They're all carrying ars. They basically were like military rejects. That's what I described them as they were. So they're carrying ars, they have on bullet proof vests. They're very intimidating. Yeah yeah, and hand out some food. Dude, Yeah, this is you know, and I'm fighting with it. Probably don't need yeah, five five six rounds flying around in this situation. Well, and that's what I'm fine. In New Orleans, I said, take off the guns. I said, we got Grandma's coming out of Hollers here and you're acting like you know, They're like, well, there is there's danger. There's danger, and. I'm like, you're the danger, right, now maybe they were. I mean, you could definitely carry a handgun on your hip to be just as much protection as Yeah, and you won't scare people half to death right who are already going through hell. Exactly, coming through like literally it's like a nuclear bomb. Oh I remember. And so it happened during and all like I didn't. I was like, I'm not coming. It looks really bad. Yeah. All I got all weekend was people sending. Me houses underwater, trees in people's yards. And I was like, wow, it was crazy. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen or experienced in you know, part of the reason I wanted to write my book is so people would have an idea. I had no idea after the storm that there are groups that come just to they call it grifting. Yeah, and so they're not here to help us, they're here to take from us because they know that America's heart does get freely after a storm. And so like that five million, if I'd have had that, do you. Know how many homes got done? Wow? How much build you know, and they tell us about what it is you do do. So, so what happened is after you know, we were in basic distribution. And on November second, twenty twenty four, about a month after the storm, or I'm. Sorry, just a couple. Yeah, it was a month and a couple of God sent building materials and there was almost a fight in the parking lot, and I said, oh God, you want me to get into building materials because I was my background is. A do to you guys. Yes, And we're distributed exactly. It was two by fours in Plywood, okay, yeah, And and people they needed it so bad, and I was just focused on getting people what they need. And but my background is construction. But I hadn't run from that life. I didn't want to do that anymore. I quit it fifteen years before. And so four hours later, God sent one hundred doors. Get out of here, you sending house people? Yeah? Yeah, right wow. And so that was it. We're okay, we're in the building materials you know, nonprofit now. So we started giving out building materials. I started asking for that, the tools, and all of America kept sending it because in yan c Mitchell County, we had over seven thousand structures damaged or destroyed, and fifteen hundred of those were homely. And so so when you think you know, with seven thousand structures, you're talking wood shops, garages. Oh, I mean families lost everything, and how can a man rebuild if you don't have the tools. And that's how Mountain folk are. They just want to rebuild. Oh yeah, they get the resources and the tools, happy their HAPs. And so that has always been our commitment, is to just continue standing with our community, evolving with our community. And then we started finding out out about these contractor scams. So contractors will come into our especially our elderly neighbors, and say, oh, you know you got some insurance money. This is I'm talking. They would try to put on a thirty thousand dollars roof. I can get someone a roof for seven to ten thousand. Yeah, that's build a materials, labor, everything done, and they're charging these little people thirty grand. I don't do well with that. So so then we realize that we need to evolve a little better. We needed to raise more money so that we could just start paying our local contractors to do the work. And that changed everything for our community. So now you know, we're paying for it, we're oversighting it, we're making sure that they're getting done and they're not getting scammed. Oh, that's key. Yes. And then we've partnered with our local high school. They have a construction technology program. Oh, yes, with trades. Yes. So is a good ten thousand square foot facility. Yeah. And they build small homes. Wow. And so they came to see us and they said, hey, could we build you tractor sheds to give to people? And I said, well, but don't y'all build small houses? And they said, oh, yeah, we've built eighteen small houses. Wow. I said, well, then let's build houses. Yeah. And they had said that they had been searching for the money, but no one would give them the money. To do that. And I said, well, I'm selling merch. I'm selling these T shirts and hoodies to raise money. I'll find the money. Let's start building. How what's the You gotta have a website or something. Right, Yes, rebuilding Hollers dot org. Rebuilding Hollers dot org, PBN family and every dollar you spend is going to go to helping these guys buildings. Yes, that's what we're doing. That's so we've had five hundred and ninety two requests for help. We've been able to complete three hundred and one requests. For help. Congratulations, Wow, that's efficiency. In the five one three weeks. Yeah, twenty eight were full rebuilds, and that's wowns and small businesses, churches and farms. You know, we're where it's everybody we want to rebuild. And then we have fifteen full rebuilds in progress right now, and I have twenty five full rebuilds waiting to get started. So about two hundred and ninety projects still need our help. So we still we're halfway, but we still have so much farther to go. And truly, we still have people even we're a month away from two years, yeah, a little over a month away, and we still have people coming in every day because they've been waiting, or they said someone needs it worse than I. Do, or they didn't realize how damage their home was. So crazy when you think about the how do you hear the housing crisis all the time, you know what I mean, everyone's talking housing crisis. You never hear anybody say anything about western North Carolina and on the housing crisis because they could probably drop a some kind of government grant on you guys that would take them two hundred and some houses and wipe them right off your to do list. I bet at least financially. Yeah, but the way they're doing it is so goofy. So North Carolina governor created the Renewing C program, which I was most thankful for. Oh it works well, no, I said, I was mostly key word was. You know, because yes, if they could finish and build these houses would be great. You know, or at least get you the money. Yeah, you know, right, But this is where they're working directly. So the neighbor will go apply through renew and sey of course it's a six or eight month process just to get the application in and then what's wild and what's making me crazy is say, my neighbor's foundation is just busted. Like one of my projects had a tree fall on the house and it kind of busted up the foundation a little bit. Okay, but we've already rebuilt the house, new roof, new sheet rock, everything's good. It's just the foundation. Sure, like a double wide foundation, those aren't that hard to fix. Yeah, you're pouring concrete, right. We're talking about a thirty thousand Yeah, nope, she's getting a brand new house three hundred thousand dollars. The other neighbor, they have a they have a twenty thousand dollars foundation pigs. Nope, you get a new house. So the government's given out new houses like, oh you need you need a driveway, you get a new house. You need a roof, you get a new house. Well when you spend in other people's money, it's nice. So it's like, but here's the thing. My neighbors an't want any. House, right, they like their house. They just want to put sure up the foundation and live where they were living. Just fix the house, right, And so it's it's so wasteful what's happening. And so the neighbors are not taking that that path because not only do they not want a new house. But where the heck are they going to go while they're. Building a house that that and also the house is largely gonna have probably gonna have evaluation higher than their original house. So now they got a build that goes up yep, thanks to the government. Exactly. It's just wow, it is. So it's you know what I can tell people, especially folks of the preparedness mindset, nobody's coming. Nobody's coming. You have to know that, you have to know nobody is coming. It's all community, your neighbors, your community in any kind of situation, that's who you're gonna be able to leave. On beautiful so Rebuildinghollers dot Orgy, what incredible work. Thanks seriously, that's amazing. That's amazing, all right, Pban family, thank you for joining us. We'll put the link in the show description. Also, talk to you soon.