In July of 2013, WBTV news reported that a road had washed out in Lincoln County, stranding 20 families. After a couple of temporary repairs, a local contractor helped the residents restore the road to the way it had been.

That very same road washed out again on January 9, 2024, during a storm that unleashed tornados across the Carolinas, including one in nearby Catawba County, and brought heavy rains throughout the area. This time, more than 25 families were stranded.

The county and the NC Forest Service again built a very temporary road but were not allowed to leave it in place for long because it did not meet the requirements for that type of bridge. A footbridge was installed by Lincoln County Emergency Manager, Mark Howell, and a crew from the Forest Service. The temporary bridge for cars was removed. Residents had to park on one side of Reed Creek and walk across the bridge, using cars or four-wheelers on the other side to travel the rest of the way home.

LDR (Lutheran Disaster Response) Carolinas’ Disaster Coordinators, Pastors Ray and Ruth Ann Sipe, remember hearing about the bridge washing out on the news in 2013 and the angst that went into finding a solution. Eleven years later, these residents were facing the same disaster.

When a call came from Larry Stoner, regional operations coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Services (MDS), asking if they knew about the situation in Lincoln County, they were able to relate the eleven-year history of this road and the residents trapped on the other side of where the bridge needed to be.

Referred to LDR Carolinas by the LDR representative in West Virginia, Larry shared the history of MDS building bridges on private roads that had been washed out by floods. Because these bridges are on private property and not state-maintained roads, no public money is available for these repairs. Lutheran Disaster Response had partnered with Mennonite Disaster Services to design and build these bridges in West Virginia, and MDS offered their expertise for this project in North Carolina.

After sharing the history and the need with LDR director, Maryn Olson, and following more conversations with Larry Stoner and the MDS team, LDR pledged to provide the majority of the needed funding for the project. With that commitment, along with money from the residents’ GoFundMe account, and donations from Samaritan’s Purse, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, work began on the project.

A design—larger and heavier than any MDS had done to date—was completed. Materials were procured. And, on Friday, May 31, the MDS crew arrived and began unloading the equipment they would need to build the bridge.

Just weeks before the plan was completely in place, the temporary bridge washed out again. Now, it was imperative that the new bridge be built…and soon. Work began as supplies arrived. Crews came from Asheville and Pennsylvania, including a group of Amish volunteers, to build this bridge.

From start to finish, construction took about two weeks. And what a bridge it is! The bridge was designed specifically for the heaviest tanker that the local Ore-Bank Pumpkin Center fire station has. Full of water, the tanker weighs around 68,000 pounds. The bridge is rated for 38 tons.

To test the bridge when it was complete, they brought the tanker and drove it across! Then they turned it around and brought it back and parked it on the bridge so this photo could be taken.

The bridge was dedicated on June 29, 2024. Local families gathered along with representatives from Lutheran Disaster Response, LDR Carolinas, Mennonite Disaster Services (including the bridge designer), Samaritan’s Purse, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, plus NC and Lincoln County officials, and local news agencies to participate in the dedication of the bridge and to enjoy a meal prepared by the residents.

MDS had their own staff write articles about the project and record a video of the occasion. Their stories and video can be found listed in the links to the right of this story.

While this story in and of itself shows the power of partnerships between agencies, especially faith-based organizations, there is even more to this story. 

Not only had LDR Carolinas Disaster Coordinators known about this disaster from the early days of 2013, but Lincoln County Emergency Manager, Mark Howell, had lived it. He worked for the Emergency Management office in 2013, and in 2024 found himself back at that same bridge. Mark, who is Lutheran, has participated in events with LDR Carolinas. (Mark is also a Synod Authorized Minister (SAM) at Cedar Grove Lutheran Church in Lincoln County.)

Many pieces came together to bring a heartwarming ending to this disaster. The residents now have a bridge they can depend on, agencies worked together to get it done—and already are talking about future projects—and Mark can relax a little, knowing that this one bridge is not going to need work again while he is the Emergency Manager for Lincoln County.