For those of you who don’t know, I live in Asheville, and I have to say, I never would have thought that town could be the epicenter of a major hurricane-related disaster. But I guess climate change is going to change a lot of assumptions.
We’ve had a rainy summer, including some steady rain right up to the arrival of Helene, so the ground was already soggy and we just stood no chance once that storm arrived. It was already becoming a nightmare on Thursday.
By the wee hours of Friday, I had no power—and still don’t—and the cell service cut out by early that afternoon. I didn’t have to endure any flooding or displacement, so I’ve been lucky. So many people are hurting, it’s been difficult to watch the news updates. And to see things a three minute drive away have been submerged or washed away.
They started get the cell towers operational late Saturday night, but I had no way to get any updates on the football game that afternoon, and that’s a bizarre experience in 2024, let me tell you. I think I was finally able to check the score at like 10:30 that night.
I’m not complaining, though—I was dry, my apartment complex has a pool that we’ve been using for toilet water, and a couple communal gas grilles have been operational throughout, which was an enormous stroke of good fortune. Everyone has come together to share their food as they’ve had to clear out their fridges and freezers, and it’s been getting easier by the day to get bottled water. I was able to get out and drive to Raleigh yesterday after a giant mudslide blocking I-40 was finally cleared.
Water is going to continue to be a problem for weeks, as the storm devastated the city’s infrastructure (not that it was in the best shape to begin with), and the region will have power long before running water. So if you do have the means, the mountains are going to need donations on vitals for a while.
We were told to hopefully expect power back by Friday in my area of Asheville, and I hope that timeline is accurate for the bulk of the city as well, because we desperately need that first step to begin what is going to be a long recovery.
But to reiterate, I’m fine, if demoralized. Don’t worry about me. I hope if you have loved ones in the affected area that you’ve heard from them, though bear in mind that phone service was still spotty yesterday, and many are stuck without the gas they need to get to places where they might be able to get a signal out.