Posts online this week claimed that federal officials told administrators in Chimney Rock, North Carolina that the Biden-Harris government was exercising eminent domain and planned to bulldoze the entire village that was devastated by flooding in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
The NBC affiliate in Charlotte, WCNC, reported on Thursday that Chimney Rock Village Administrator Stephen Duncan said those claims are not true.
Duncan said any such attempt to "bulldoze the village" would be met with legal action from Chimney Rock, which is 110 miles northwest of Charlotte and about 20 miles southeast of Asheville.
WCNC cited a Chimney Rock resident estimating that about 60% of the village was completely destroyed.
Social media posts claim that private trucks carrying relief supplies were either stopped and told to turn back or stopped short of their destination, had their contents offloaded, and then made to turn back.
While media cites city officials as denying any meeting with the federal government concerning eminent domain and the bulldozing of Chimney Rock occurred, others are saying it is not the conspiracy theory major media is making it out to be.
"What is taking place in Western North Carolina, literally about an hour from me, is the very thing they were attempting to do in Maui, which was make a major land grab," Tim Brown wrote for The Washington Standard on Oct. 3. "However, that is exactly what residents in Chimney Rock are saying the federal government is illegally doing following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which many of us believe was also used as a weapon against those people."
Chris Martenson posted this information brought to him by a Peak Prosperity member who reported attending a recent town meeting in which government bureaucrats explained they would be bulldozing the town, including any bodies in the debris, and also seizing the land.
🚨This needs to go far and wide to put pressure on the government to do the right thing and save lives. 🚨
This evening, from a Peak Prosperity member to me via PM at my site: Them: I can’t post this online because it’s not quite public yet, but government officials had a town… — Chris Martenson, PhD (@chrismartenson) October 3, 2024
Why would the feds have their eye on this land?
Lithium and quartz, Brown noted:
"I reported the other day on the mine there in Spruce Pine that is the highest quality quartz that is used in the production of semiconductors. According to a Brave internet search, “Western North Carolina is home to the Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt, a 60-mile-wide geological formation rich in lithium deposits. For decades, mines in this region supplied most of the world’s lithium, until cheaper sources were found in South America and Australia…. Western North Carolina’s lithium deposits and Piedmont Lithium’s Carolina Lithium project make the region an important player in the global lithium market. The project’s development is expected to support the growth of the U.S. battery supply chain, decarbonization efforts, and North Carolina’s electrification economy."
Are the reports such as the above true? The Chimney Rock Facebook page issued a non-denial denial in response to one post about the town being bulldozed.
"A rumor is not news. Anyone who truly wishes to be supportive of this situation can best help by sticking to information that comes from the municipalities and credible recovery and support sources. The people and businesses are suffering enough without having to take time to tamp down this type of thing. By refraining from sharing unreliable information, you help more than you know," read the post.
"Numerous residents, homeowners, and businesses have suffered catastrophic losses, and our community faces a long and difficult road to recovery," read a letter from Mayor Peter O'Leary and the Village's Council.
“Everything you take for granted has been washed away, literally. Every single business, every single building has been destroyed or severely damaged,” said O’Leary to WSOC-TV. O'Leary stated in other interviews that the community is taking it day-by-day, but that he is committed to bringing Chimney Rock back to life.
