Floods 1 year later: Residents celebrate community's resiliency, honor those who died in western NC flooding

By Samiar Nefzi, WLOS

Canton, N.C. — Canton community members came together Wednesday night for a memorial dinner one year after the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred devastated the area.

“My heart is about to burst,” said Kevin Sandefur, president of BearWaters Brewing Co. “It’s a great feeling.”

On Aug. 17, 2021, the Park Street brewery closed for about six to eight weeks to clean up damage caused by the flood. The location’s basement was flooded, and the main dining room was several feet underwater.

“It’s such a different energy than we had last year,” Sandefur said.

“It was horrifying,” is how Molly Parish described the flood damage. “It was devastating.”

Sanderfur said assistance from the Canton community helped the brewery get back on track.

“This is a great example of what happens when people have a good connection,” Sandefur said. “Together, we can accomplish great things.”

Tammy and Steven Larson, with Gulf Coast Disaster Relief, assisted with organizing Wednesday’s spaghetti dinner.

A year ago, the Larsons brought their nonprofit to help Haywood County after learning about the floods.

Within two days, the pair arrived in Canton with volunteers providing more than 4,000 meals a day — breakfast, lunch and dinner — for a week.

“The devastation was really overwhelming,” Tammy Larson said.

The husband and wife, now residents of Western North Carolina, were back at the brewery as the community held the anniversary dinner.

“A lot of these volunteers behind us were here with us on the ground last year,” Tammy Larson said. “It’s just so heartwarming.”

A lantern release was held in honor of the six community members that lost their lives during the floods.