LISTEN TO THE SONGS OF MY PEOPLE: Chainsaws whining, generators booming, rescue sirens blaring, trees falling, houses cracking open and swimming away, shouts of anger, cries of loss. It’s been a little more than six weeks since Hurricane Helene blew into Western North Carolina and shredded my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains.
The catastrophe that hit us on September 27-29 is almost impossible to describe. The devastation caused by a 1,000 year storm that traveled from the Gulf of Mexico up the spine of the Blue Ridge to Ohio and beyond is, quite simply, beyond words. The Blue Ridge, a segment of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain, 480 million years old—among the oldest mountains in the world—have always protected us from the outside travails of weather (except for the occasional snowstorms). We always thought we were safe. But not this time.
Before Helene struck, it rained here for two days. Then Helene came up from the Gulf of Mexico loaded with moisture and dropped it on us. Wind gusts of 45 to 75 mph added to the chaos. The ground was saturated. Trees couldn’t hold on and toppled over. Streams and tributaries flooded, created landslides, and then hit the main rivers already laden with boulders and debris.
When the storm blew over and my daughter and I ventured outside, we stood in shock and looked at the chaos around us. Why? Why here? I live 2100 feet above sea level. Some hard-hit towns northwest of us are higher than that. The coast is 300 miles away to the east. I lived on the coast for a while and went through many hurricanes and nor-easters. I know them. But this? This was totally different.
Huddled in our house without power, internet, and phone coverage and trapped by fallen trees in the neighborhood for two days, we made the best of an unwanted stay-cation. Thankfully, the power came on after 14 days. Water returned after three days with a no-drink, must-boil warning for a couple of days after that, but the internet is still out for some people here and probably won’t come back for weeks. After doing without the necessities, I’ve decided I would rather have water than power in a disaster. That first hot shower after 14 days of birdie-baths with baby wipes was luxurious.
We were extremely lucky. Trees fell all around us, but not on our house. Others did not fare as well. In Fairview, a family of 11 died when landslides and high water took out the valley where they all lived. The little town of Chimney Rock was completely swept away by the raging Rocky Broad River. The Celtic Meadery, the Rainbow Bridge, and the Flowering Bridge which was home to more than 2000 species of plants in Lake Lure were gone. Main Street in charming Hot Springs was damaged beyond belief. Swannanoa and Black Mountain experienced flooding so high that people had to climb on their roofs. Houses broke away from their foundations. People and pets drowned. The French Broad River, which runs past Asheville, a lively tourist town with a beer and arts vibe, rose to 30 feet in some places. Flood level is 9 feet. The River Arts District was destroyed.
Receding floodwaters revealed a jumble of cars and trailers that had floated away during the storm. Roads were caked with mud and debris. Sinkholes and washed out bridges made driving difficult. Sadly, there were fatalities wherever the rivers spread.
When my daughter and I finally ventured out of the neighborhood, we had to make our way through a labyrinth of downed trees, fallen wires, and long lines to buy essentials. We waited two hours in line to get gas at one of the few gas stations where the pumps worked. ATMs were down everywhere. The economy was suddenly cash only. My bank was flooded. I had to drive 30 miles to get cash from a working ATM.
Three major grocery stores were flooded; two will be closed until next year. The third was able to open but customers had to wait two hours or more in long lines to reach the non-working cash registers and to pay in cash. With I-40 and I-26 interstates shut down due to land-and-rockslides, trucks couldn’t deliver bare of groceries, medicine, and other essentials. To make things worse, a huge distribution warehouse serving 198 grocery stores, including three in our town, was badly damaged by floodwaters and mud making deliveries impossible.
When we saw the lines in the grocery store, my daughter and I decided to go to Dollar General where we stood in line for one hour to buy canned goods (and some comfort food – you have to have cookies in a disaster!).
Note to Self: make an “emergency” box and keep cash in it along with flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, water, and jugs of non-drinkable water for flushing.
Because the phone and internet service were down, we couldn’t contact anyone. My daughter’s best friend was so worried about her, he walked 1.5 miles over downed trees and through landslides and mud to reach our house. It took him three hours.
After what seemed like an eternity, a caravan of power trucks finally reached us. Linemen worked their magic throughout the county and little by little the lights came back on. The linemen on my street were from Wisconsin. A crew from Canada worked in the next neighborhood. They spent long hours restoring electricity here. And were the most popular men in town.
It took a few days for the community to wake up from the nightmare and jump to the needs of others. Churches, non-profits, individuals and neighborhoods banded together to get essential items to people who couldn’t get out or who had lost their houses. It was amazing to see the way ordinary people came together to help others. FEMA opened disaster operations and began to take applications for recovery money. The Army and National Guard arrived. Rescue squads from all over the U.S. searched for victims to rescue and recovered the dead.
I work for a non-profit dedicated to the needs of children 0-5 years old and their parents. We award grants in child-care, education, and literacy. We got together over the weekend and made plans to act as a hub for diapers, wipes, formula, pack n’ plays, juice, and other baby items. Staff scoured stores and the FEMA distribution center for items in short supply at the few childcare centers that were opening their doors. A few centers were totally destroyed and will close permanently. Once the power came back on, staff delivered perishable items. We’ve also opened up to any parent in town who is in need.
Although I’m back at work now, every day is a painful drive past mounds of cut-up trees; piles of ruined furniture, drywall, personal belongings, and other debris from flooded houses; and sediment and sand in the roads. My favorite old oak trees, my favorite garden center, and my favorite houses in the historic district have been damaged or destroyed.
My town received nearly 30 inches of rain in just two days. That was on top of two days of rain we experienced before the hurricane. Helene was one of the largest storms in recent decades, similar in size to Katrina at 400 miles wide. Here are some other facts about the storm and recovery.
As of today’s date, 230 people have died in the storm or immediately after, 101 from North Carolina.
Search and rescue teams rescued or supported 2,120 people.
Nearly 2 million people lost power in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
1,000 active-duty U.S. Army troops were sent from Fort Liberty and 6,100 National Guardsmen.
Asheville’s North Fork Water Treatment Plant, which supplies 80% of Asheville's water, was severely damaged. Water is not expected to be fully restored until December.
400 nurses and 40 doctors from states around the country were sent to Mission Health, a hospital in Asheville to provide support. The hospital was functioning without water, but wells were dug to provide water supply.
100 bridges were destroyed.
80% of buildings in the River Arts District were destroyed.
There were over 2000 landslides.
Roughly 7,900 crews from across the country and Canada worked on power restoration.
Tennessee native Dolly Parton pledged a $1 million donation to Hurricane Helene victims.
Walmart announced a $10 million donation to relief efforts.
Helene damaged over 800,000 acres of North Carolina forests.
And can I suggest that you stay home?
The tourist boards and chambers of commerce are yelling, “Come on down!” to visitors, but I’m telling you . . . stay out. I know we’re gonna lose a lot of tourist money, but seriously we’re in disaster recovery mode. Asheville’s water is not drinkable and won’t be for months to come. Some places don’t even have water. A lot of restaurants are closed. There are mounds and mounds of chopped up trees on the side of the roads that pose a hazard. Some places are simply devastated like Biltmore Village (a real heartache for me—the village features 125-year-old houses that were built for workers who built the Biltmore House—think English Tudor Revival style). And, yes, the Biltmore House just reopened, but save that visit for next year. And don’t forget, people died here.
Helene is the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the United States mainland in the past 20 years. The first was Hurricane Katrina which killed at least 1,833 people in 2005. I hear people talking about how it will take us months to get back to normal. I think they’re wrong. It will take years. Personally, I think that when the stats are gathered and scientists have studied the storm, it will surpass Katrina and will earn the dubious title as the worst storm in the country’s history.
Still, there is humor and resilience here. Come hell or high water we’re Blue Ridge strong.
For stories about the hurricane, take a look at the links below.
Citizen Times: Drinkable water will be restored to Asheville's system by mid-December, officials say
(This geologist on this video has been called the “Bob Ross of geology” – somehow his calm explanations are very soothing!)
I'm so sorry for your loss and heartache and that of your community and region. We were affected too, though not as profoundly, and I agree that it won't take months for things to be cleared, it will take years. Here it was mostly downed trees, which meant loss of power, weeks for some people. And like you, our house was not hit, though three of the four houses surrounding us had trees fall on them. At another house across the street, a tree went down across their driveway. All the tree rubble awaits pick up still. The storm was a reminder of how small we are and how powerful nature is.
Aaaahhh this brought tears. Thank you for sharing. Sending so much love and healing energy your way, my friend. <3 - Margaret