CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. — Two weeks have passed since Helene hit but life is still at a standstill for folks in Chimney Rock.
To this day people can't enter the town without an escort.
Mother nature has ripped apart a town where hundreds of thousands of people come to visit its iconic state park.
Much of Chimney Rock's downtown area is washed out.
And the power of floodwater pushed homes into each other.
Water, mud and debris have invaded the first floor of Teresa and Glen Cauthren's home.
“The downstairs was terrible just gutted totally gutted," Glen said.
They’re forced to stay at the Chimney Rock Inn, the hotel they own in town.
It’s closed while they try to recover.
“We will be back 100%," Teresa said. "Chimney Rock is very resilient and we will 100% be back.”
While this once-thriving mountain town is trying to pick up the pieces, FEMA workers temporarily stopped their operations near Chimney Rock after reports that armed militia members were threatening workers.
“I immediately took action to pull our team from the field to validate what that was," said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. "My goal is to make sure that I can keep people safe. But I kept them in these facilities. I kept them in firehouses and disaster recovery centers."
Turns out there was no militia team, just one person connected to the threat.
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said they arrested and charged 44-year-old William Parsons for making comments about possibly hurting FEMA workers.
The sheriff's office said Parsons was armed with a handgun and a rifle when he was arrested.
He's now out on bond.
Fema said either way it'll continue to assist families that have lost everything.
“We want to make it crystal clear to all those in Western North Carolina that FEMA, the federal government we are not going anywhere," FEMA said. "We are committed we are here for as long as it takes."
FEMA said the teams temporarily pulled are back out going door to door Monday.
They also have plans to open more recovery centers across western North Carolina.