CRESTON, N.C. (BRAIN) — There will be a 51st year of building bike and motorcycle frames for Steve Garn, but in the early days after the remnants of Hurricane Helene damaged his home and fabrication buildings here nearly a month ago, he had doubts.
Thanks to his fighting spirit and many volunteers who continue to help with repairs Garn's outlook on life and his business — BREW Bikes — has brightened.
"Overall, I had one or two days that were very overwhelming right at the very beginning," said Garn, who started building his first frames for motorcycles in 1974. "And I just looked at it and said there's no way, I mean, I'm 67, you know? And there's no way that I can get this done and especially financially."
Garn and his wife Kim have lived here on 27 acres for 40 years and survived the effects from the remnants of Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Some of the damage this time included a section of the power-coating shop roof that was partially torn off during a microburst. His property, about 22 miles north of Boone, is located on the north fork of the New River, also had 22 ½ inches of rain. A bridge leading off his property was damaged during the flood.
Urgent call for volunteers
When surveying the aftermath, Garn, who also teaches framebuilding classes, knew he would need lots of help. He began posting details and pictures of his plight on Facebook, and that led to volunteers arriving. He also credits the local Creston Volunteer Fire Department for bringing hot meals and water daily.
But that wasn't all.
"Who would think six guys from Ohio would show up?" Garn said. "They went down to the fire department and (the firemen) said, 'Steve needs help.' And so they showed up. But they had no place to stay. So I called up a lady who has an Airbnb where probably a third of my framebuilding class students stay. And she was nice enough to allow them to stay there."
He also received help from a Mennonite disaster team from Ohio, who arrived to repair the bridge.
"About 10 days ago, three trucks pulled up, and six Amish guys with beards and their hats and everything, pulled up and all they specialize in is bridges. They were able to get my bridge back straight and move it around and fill it in well enough."
When BRAIN spoke with Garn on Monday, he was also deeply thankful to the 25 volunteers who showed up from Samaritan's Purse, founded by Billy Graham's son Franklin.
"It's unbelievable what they got done today. I mean, I can't comprehend it. And they're going to come back for about two or three hours because underneath the crawl space, they have to take all the insulation out in front of the house. They almost got that done, and they got all the stuff we had to go through the barn done."
His milling room, with two milling machines and lathe, has been cleaned from about a half inch of mud, but Garn hasn't been able to access his main shop that houses the tubing room and welders. "You don't know if it's good or bad. So it's probably going to take me I think probably two weeks just to go through that area."
Garn said he might suffer as much as $8,000 in losses to powder-coating materials. In addition, he estimated the cost to replace the roof to be about $15,000. Total loss estimate: $80,000-$100,000. He also lost three of his motorcycles when the foundation of the building housing them gave way.
"There was a six-foot river underneath the concrete. So a 10x15 chunk of concrete broke off, and it sank straight down and the motorcycles were still on their kickstands and completely submerged. You couldn't even see a mirror on them."
When it rains ...
And as Garn wrote on Facebook on Oct. 11, "When it rains, it pours!!" wife Kim tripped on the walkway to the house and injured her right shoulder. She underwent reverse total shoulder replacement and will require months of recovery, he said.
And it could've been worse, Garn said, primarily because the bridge leading to and from his property had been put back in place before the medical emergency.
"If it would have happened three or four days earlier, I would have had to walk her across the river. And we just got the phone service back four hours before it happened, so I wouldn't have been able to call 911."
BREW Bikes manufactures about 40-50 custom frames a year with about an equal mix of bike and motorcycle fabrication. Garn holds 12-15 framebuilding classes yearly. All of that seemed unlikely to continue a few days before BRAIN spoke to him.
"Today, it hit me. I told them (the Samaritan's Purse volunteers) I was raised in an era where a grown man doesn't cry," said Garn who added on Thursday that his main shop is nearly 100% clean after Samaritan's Purse came throught with 30 volunteers on Tuesday. "Then I started crying. I mean, I was just so happy. And it was great. I mean, I just, the enthusiasm they have. My wife, with her not being able to do anything, was upset she couldn't help out.
"I took her out for a little walk and showed her. And she said, 'Oh my gosh.' And we stood at the bridge and looked at the house. And I said, 'It looks almost normal.'"
The name BREW is the acronym for Blue Ridge Electric & Welding, which Garn opened in 1983. The first frame with the BREW name was built in 1987.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help with expenses.
How the cycling industry is supporting hurricane relief efforts.
