Caro-Mi customers, staff describe experiences from last weekend’s disaster

TRYON — “It was never ending rain. During the night, people would try to move trees so they could get out, but realized they couldn’t,” said Charles Stafford, former owner of the Caro-Mi Dining Hall, where approximately 50 customers and staff took shelter during last week’s torrential rains.

By Saturday morning, those stranded diners saw that it was much worse than they had envisioned as they waited out the long night in their cars or the restaurant.

“Some spent the night in their cars, some tried to sleep on the dining room floor,” said Stafford who, along with his girlfriend, Linda Ligon, tried to get a few hours of sleep in his car.

“I feel uncomfortable talking about it,” said Stafford’s son, Dane, who now owns the restaurant. “It was a minor inconvenience compared to what some of our neighbors went through.

“Before it got dark we could see the river rising. The power went off around 8 p.m. We started hearing cell phone alarms about flood warnings.”

Dane said soon customers who had left began returning to the restaurant saying the road was blocked in both directions. Thinking the power would soon return, the staff kept serving for a little while. Dane said he talked with Jodie Morse who called to check on his son, Nickolas, who works at the restaurant.

“I asked him to see what he could find out,” said Dane, who explained there is no cell service in that area. “Not long after, that the phone went dead.”

During the night, Sgt. Cole Weicker with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office walked in across the mud-piled highway to check on those stranded at the Caro-Mi. Dane said Weicker told them they would be stuck at the restaurant all night, and informed them of the tragedy at the home of Tryon’s Patricia and Leon Case, the former of whom died after the residence was struck by the mudslides that occurred during Friday’s rainstorm.

After hearing the news, Dane went out to those in their cars to check on everybody and give them an update on the situation.

“A couple of neighbors, Mike Carruth and Bruce Walker, also came by to check on us,” he said.

“Dane carried apple slices and biscuits out to those in their cars,” Stafford said.

With the power out, the well was not working, but Dane and the Caro-Mi chef used the gas stove to melt ice to flush toilets. Stafford said because they had fixed the bridge well after the flood in 1995, the structure stayed intact and people were able to come and go from their cars.

Dane added that many sat in the rockers on the porch and talked.

“We just kind of waited it out,” Dane said. “Everybody was very understanding, calm and collected.”

During the long, dark night, members of the Tryon Fire Department, such as Peter Piacente, kept them informed about what was happening. By noon that Saturday, rescue workers laid wooden pallets across the mud. Stafford said Marianne and Mike Carruth helped the customers walk out to safety, and Brian Taylor helped transport people to a convenience store where they could call for rides home.

Thursday, nearly a week after that fateful Friday night, a car still sits in the Caro-Mi parking lot, awaiting the return of its owner.

Dane hopes to be able to re-open the restaurant soon, though it will depend on the condition of the roads and what the Department of Transportation determines is safe.

“I feel our experience is kind of trivial compared to what the Case family and many of our neighbors went through,” Dane said. “We were very fortunate.”

Both Stafford and Dane praised the many neighbors, the volunteers, the DOT workers and the fire, rescue and law enforcement personnel who helped them get through those few days.

“I can’t say enough about them and their efforts,” Dane said. “Especially after they did what they could for the Case family.”