KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Heavy rains in February flooded the Historic Cherokee Caverns in Knox County, which as made the popular cave unrecognizable at the moment.
The cave is on Oak Ridge Highway and is known by many who pay it a visit during its annual Halloween and Christmas events.
The family that protects it has been in charge for more than 30 years. However, they couldn't protect it from Mother Nature.
The only way to get around the cave the first couple weeks after the flooding was with a kayak. Now weeks later, the water isn't completely gone. What is gone, though, was a lot of the hard work put into the cave.
"We had some Boy Scouts in the cave, and I got a call that the water was over the path. We just couldn't believe it," Cherokee Caverns cave conservationist Mike Whidby said.
Whidby was in shock when he got the call that his family's cave was flooded. According to family records dating back to the 1800s, the cave has never flooded like this.
"It feels weird coming in here and not cutting the lights on. LEDs don't do well in water," Whidby said.
Water came from the back of the cave and almost made it to the entrance. Water levels were up to 5 feet in some areas of the cave, and the only way to assess the damage was by using kayaks.
"It was really cool, and it was really disturbing. We knew what was under the water. It was bad," he said.
A few weeks have passed, and now Mike is able to see exactly how far the water set them back. Luckily, he's been able to keep his sense of humor through it all.
"This is usually dry, but we have a nice lake! Maybe we should stock this with fish," he joked.
With cracked trails, pooling water, and fallen walls -- he said it will take months to fix the flood damage.
"It's a very special cave, and we just want to protect it," Mike said.
The Whidby family has received some help to clean up. They said local caving clubs have stepped up to volunteer.
With any luck, they said they should be back up and running in roughly three to six months.
If you'd like to help, click here to find out how you can join the cleanup efforts.