Driven to Help: Utah man travels 2,000-plus miles to help Western NC

By Jackie Pascale

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    SWANNANOA, N.C. (WXII) — According to the annual point-in-time count in January 2024, about 4,812 people were without homes in the 39 North Carolina counties where Hurricane Helene was declared a disaster. About three months after the storm, in December 2024, it’s estimated more than 60,000 North Carolinians were displaced, according to a report by the state’s Office of State Budget and Management.

Even if properties remain intact, thousands of homes have been condemned or need major repairs. Many people lost their jobs and sources of income as local businesses and internet access were impacted, leaving them unable to pay for housing.

All of this fueled a man in Utah to come to Western North Carolina to help. Justin Peck arrived in Swannanoa days after Helene ravaged the Buncombe County community. Despite having no construction background, he came with a mission to build more protective, warm temporary homes for those otherwise in campers and tents.

He fundraised a bit with his racing community, having a 28-year career in the professional off-road industry, but he said he ended up funding most of the startup costs himself.

“We raised about $11,000, and that wasn’t quite enough,” Peck said. “There is no conceptual perspective of what actually was happening here, so we weren’t getting any of the funding. So I took my credit card, swiped it and got all the lumber out here.”

Peck quickly teamed up with Dark City Customs, an auto body shop that was mostly washed away in the flooded Swannanoa River during Helene. The owners, Jenica and Jimmy Grooms, agreed he could rent their acres of land to build, providing help to their community while also helping them pay their mortgage on the business.

“This allows my husband and I to continue to take care of our kids and not panic so much after losing everything that we had,” Jenica Grooms said. “We might not be able to build back. Knowing that our lot, our property went out doing something like this is more than we could ever imagine. We’re just grateful that we’re able to continue to help our community.”

So far, the business has not gotten electricity back; Grooms said they’ve been denied when they contacted local zoning and permit departments. So, the entire construction site runs off generators. It’s also run by volunteers, including members of an Amish community from Maryland who handle a lot of the building of the “primitive camping structures.”

Peck said they had to call their 12-by-16 wooden sheds by that name to avoid issues with “tiny home” ordinances and state building permits that arose in Western North Carolina early on. They’re all insulated and have electrical wiring running throughout, allowing for lights, a breaker box and generator hook-ups — just no plumbing.

Peck is able to run the operations through his organization, the National Mental Health Alliance, and he said they’re “building mind space.”

“When you’re living in a tent, the mental starts to go,” he said. “We can provide shelter for them. We can at least keep the stability of the mental health until the summer hits, and then they can hopefully get the money and get that rebuilding process back. That’s the goal.”

Peck’s original goal was building a handful of the primitive camping structures. He even left Swannanoa at one point to go back to Utah for a couple of days. But he said he felt compelled to come back and build more. As of Feb. 10, the group has built 101 structures, with the final few being delivered to families in the next two weeks.

Still, Peck sees a need in Western North Carolina and said he remains committed to helping its residents recover.

The National Mental Health Alliance and all the volunteers it has recruited in the last five months are moving to Hot Springs, near the North Carolina-Tennessee line. The community was devastated by Helene, as documented in videos from photographer Ben Childers. According to the CEO of NMHA, they’re also planning to work with Madison County and town officials to help rebuild municipal and community structures.

“I’ll be here as long as it takes,” Peck said. “I don’t mind sacrificing what I have, because whatever I have, God’s provided for me. And this is a way for me to give back. This has done me more for me, for my mental health, than anything I’ve ever done in the last 20 years.”

As the builders and volunteers clear out of Dark City Customs’ property, the Grooms are now trying to pick up the pieces of their business. Still without power and most inventory washed away, they’re offering limited services like tire sets and hauling. Jenica Grooms said they’re also serving as a hub for the families to whom they’ve given the “primitive camping structures,” continuing to provide food and supplies for as long as possible. But their funding might be running out.

Jenica Grooms said she has not heard back from the Small Business Association on loans related to Helene, and they’ve been denied zoning permits to try to get back to business. The Swannanoa roads surrounding Dark City Customs are also still fragile. Grooms said there are sinkholes popping up every week. She also said every rainstorm causes more flooding than they ever experienced before Helene now that irrigation systems have been so disrupted.

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