Miners Rebuild Highway While Biden-Harris Administration Faces Backlash Over Delayed Response

In North Carolina, a team of West Virginia coal miners reopened a critical road after Hurricane Helene washed it away, allowing residents of Chimney Rock to return home weeks earlier than expected. Known locally as the “West Virginia Boys,” these miners completed the 2.7-mile stretch of Highway 64 in just three days.

Robin Phillips, who fled the storm, expressed relief. “I haven’t been home since the hurricane, but thanks to them, we’ll be able to return soon.” The Phillips family also owns a campground, and their business has remained inaccessible since the disaster.

While the miners worked quickly, federal aid lagged. FEMA and the DOT inspected the site but took no action as the miners completed the job without official permits. Volunteer Logan Campbell praised the miners’ determination, saying, “This is the America we want — people helping each other when the government doesn’t.”

Dan Lewis, a volunteer from Oklahoma, shared his frustration with the slow federal response. “The DOT said they’d send engineers, but the miners had already finished the work by the time they got here,” he said.

Residents like Bat Cave’s Curtis McCart feel abandoned by the Biden-Harris administration. FEMA only recently set up a station at the local fire department, long after the disaster struck. “We were promised help on television, but it didn’t happen here,” McCart noted.

The quick work by the miners shows that grassroots efforts can bring relief even when government agencies fall short, restoring hope to those affected by the storm.