Yves here. The post below is from Gordon H, a friend and sometimes running buddy of the site. He is a retired lawyer-turned-pension expert who consults on a pro bono basis retirement issues across the country. When he lived in Alabama, he would also advise me on informally on legal and legal representation issues (I am now on my 4th estate attorney….). He and his wife moved a few years ago to North Carolina. Gordon was fortunate enough to escape meaningful harm from Hurricane Helene, but was close by much harder-hit areas. He describes some of the effects he saw and the extensive assistance efforts from many in the community.
Reader KLG gave an account from Georgia yesterday, featured in Links, and mentioned how the FEMA and other government disaster relief forces appeared to be missing in action:
I have heard that FEMA is basically absent and that the state of Georgia is not much better. After previous storms the Georgia National Guard was out in force the next day. They must have been on another road. I counted utility maintenance trucks from at least 15 companies around the Southeastern United States. Those linemen are local heroes. Otherwise these very rural people have been mostly ignored, or so it seems.
Lambert also featured an article from The Atlantic, ‘The Death Toll Is Going to Be Tremendous’, which was an interview with former FEMA director Brock Long. Long would naturally loath to be criticize the agency. Even so, some of the things he said struck me as revealing, and not in a good way:
Long: When there’s a storm like this, the worst thing that you lose is communication. It’s very hard for local and state and federal officials to obtain situational awareness when you’re not hearing from communities. A lot of times, we have mobile communication capability, or what we call “communication on wheels,” that we can bring in to create temporary capabilities for cell and landline.
The model is officials wait for demands for help and complaints to come in?!??! That might have been the best you could do 20 years ago, but has no one heard of drones? Why, for instance, doesn’t the National Guard have a drone force in each state that it can send in to survey the situation to help speed responses and better determine where the most urgent needs are?
This bit was similarly disconcerting:
Long: All disasters are locally executed, state managed, and federally supported. The locals know their jurisdictions best, and they convey their specific needs to the state. The state tries to fulfill what they can, and anything that exceeds their capacity goes into FEMA. It’s a from-the-bottom-to-the-top system. FEMA is not going to have visibility or familiarity with some of these areas that have been totally cut off, these towns that they don’t work in every day.
Comments from people in the afflicted areas to media and from readers in comments suggest they expect FEMA to be a first responder. But as you can see, it’s a last responder, brought in only when the locals and states are (officially?) overwhelmed.
By Gordon H
Greetings from Black Mountain, NC!
Sylvia and I deeply appreciate all of the earnest inquiries we have received and the prayers that have been offered. We are well, if not thriving, in the aftermath of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene. I apologize in advance for the impersonal nature of this group email, but we found it difficult to respond fully to so many texts (while we only had cell phones) and so many emails when we finally got back online. Here is an update on what has happened to us and what we have observed.
The rainfall here was truly epic. Our minister has an 8-inch rain gauge and recorded 3 inches early last week, then 8 inches before emptying it Thursday morning, then lost track. I have seen reports that Swannanoa, only 3 or 4 miles from us and the scene of horrific damage, received over 13 inches between 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 and 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/09/30/helene-rainfall-totals-north-carolina/75454558007/ We are east of Asheville, in the dark shaded area. Fortunately for me, I planted a bed of 150 tulips the day before all the rain started, and the mulch was virtually undisturbed at the end of all the rain. One more bed to go. . .. I also harvested our Granny Smith apples from the tree in our yard, and those have been quite tasty.
The full force of the hurricane began on Thursday and continued into Friday, with forecasted wind gusts up to 80 mph. We lost power at 6 a.m. on Friday, and about 10 minutes later a fireman knocked on the front door and urged us to evacuate, saying there was a possibility of a dam break at the reservoir not far from us (more on the reservoir later). We put our cat Tony into his carrier, grabbed a few essentials and headed out in both cars. The fireman said that First Baptist Church in Swannanoa was the nearest shelter, but our minister heard on the radio that it was already full and advised us of that fact. We were also concerned about the proximity of the church to the Swannanoa River, so we headed to First Christian Church in Black Mountain (our church), hoping that one of our nearby members could let us in. Unfortunately, all of the people with keys were trapped and could not get out, so we parked our cars under the portico at the front entrance and watched the storm. Soon, our small creek turned into a river about 100 yards wide, gradually covering our parking lot and finally creeping up to the tires on our cars. Tony, of course, was a bit concerned. All of a sudden, the waters began to recede. About 1 p.m., after the rain slowed and being advised by a neighbor (higher up the hill from us) that she could still see the street, we figured that the dam was holding and that we should try to get home. One route home was blocked because a bridge was completely washed out, and the other route had too much standing water under the I-40 overpass. We pulled into a vacant Wendy’s and parked until the standing water drained sufficiently. Then we went through downtown Black Mountain, where virtually every back road we tried had trees downed. It took about an hour to navigate our way home, but we discovered our home had not been damaged and only one small branch had been knocked down into the yard. There was no power, no water, no internet, and only spotty cell phone coverage.
The cell phone became our lifeline to the outside world, but the batteries quickly wore down. My car is over 10 years old, and I had never used the 120-Volt outlet. That outlet became a lifesaver, and I soon figured out that I could start the car, turn it off, charge cell phone batteries for 10 minutes, restart the car, turn it off, and repeat the process. This also enabled me to listen to Braves games and the Saturday Ole Miss football game!
Saturday and Sunday were both clear and pleasant days, and people with chain saws got busy. By the end of Sunday, virtually all roads and streets in Black Mountain were cleared of downed trees. There were some downed power lines, but we did not see any downed power poles. The fact that streets were clear of trees, coupled with the fact that Ingle’s, the large grocery chain here in NC, has an enormous (literally one mile long) distribution center in Black Mountain, made this town a priority for Duke Energy. We had power restored at our house on Tuesday evening, followed on Thursday evening with internet, tv, and landline phone.
The weekend also saw neighbors, church groups and everybody else jump into action. Two of our elderly church members had a generator and started feeding their neighborhood. One of their neighbors had cisterns filled with rainwater, so our friends made 5 pots of coffee for their neighbors. One guy was a generator expert, and he offered to accompany me home to try to get a generator started for our next door neighbor and best friend here. People were out in the streets, helping wherever they could. It was inspiring to see.
Water is a huge priority, as I am sure you have heard. Initially, we used a drainage ditch to fill plastic jugs with water for toilet tanks. When the ditch ran dry, a neighbor escorted me to a springfed pool in our community. The water is beautiful, and he gave me some cheesecloth to use for straining, saying it could be boiled and would be suitable for drinking. For Sylvia, I analogize to the Pool of Siloam or the Gihon Spring. Ingle’s set up a drive-through system and refilled a gallon jug per person early in the week, just to get people by. Ingle’s and FEMA volunteers also handed out food, toilet paper, baby diapers, and all sorts of supplies, again free of charge. Cars snaked through the parking lots, and dozens of volunteers assessed needs and then gathered the items. Within days, numerous organizations received truckloads of bottled water and set up distribution stations across town, often handing out food, also. First Presbyterian starting providing hot lunches to hundreds of people. Mail service resumed on Tuesday, much to our amazement. That evening, we saw a double rainbow back in the eastern sky above the trees!
By Wednesday, we knew there would be no trash pickup, thanks to an out-of-state friend who checked the trash company website and texted me. That morning, when Sylvia had gone to get some gas, a neighbor rang our doorbell and told me that her sister from Georgia had driven up in a large pickup and was outside, ready to haul our trash back to Georgia. Because we had to empty the refrigerator, we had a number of bags ready to go. Dawn took our trash and that of other neighbors back to Georgia, promising to return the next week. Amazing! Trash cannot be left outside, lest the local bears decide to rummage.
Our across the street neighbors are not on City of Asheville water and instead have a well. Once power was restored on Tuesday, they were fully functional. Rod is an independent filmmaker and has been moving around, taking lots of video. Gina works the night shift with the Red Cross somewhere in Asheville, doing who knows what. By Wednesday, Rod was offering us their shower, which we gladly took them up on!
Inspired by everything I was seeing, I decided that I needed to volunteer to do pro bono legal work, perhaps with FEMA, so Thursday morning I went downtown in search of wifi. I was directed to a home near downtown where the owners had a Starlink account [they lost everything in their recently-renovated basement, but were volunteering wherever they could] and had set up a wifi hot spot for the public. There, I was able to access the internet, clear my Inbox, and respond to many of you who had sent emails. I also discovered an email from the Mississippi State Bar, advising all members of that Bar that the North Carolina Supreme Court had just entered an order authorizing the temporary admission of out of state attorneys to provide pro bono legal services here in response to Helene’s devastation. I downloaded the form and submitted it to the NC Bar. Having worked as a volunteer attorney with FEMA in Biloxi in 2005 after Katrina and having worked with the Georgia Senior Legal Hotline for 3 years, I figure that I can still pull on some of those experiences and help out here. I am waiting for some response and direction.
Black Mountain is home to numerous camp and conference centers, the most famous of which is Montreat, the long-time home of Billy Graham. Our lot backs up to Cragmont Assembly, operated by the Original Free Will Baptist Church. They jumped into action and provided housing for many of the out-of-town volunteers, even trucking in portable showers (one for men, one for women). As of yesterday, they were distributing over 2000 meals daily and accepting donations of clothing and other essentials. It’s doing fabulous work.
Our denomination’s conference center, Christmount, has not been so fortunate. Roads, bridges, homes, water lines and other infrastructure have been seriously damaged, and the recovery will be difficult. I have just been elected Assistant Treasurer for Christmount, but I haven’t even gotten my name on the bank signature card or attended any orientation yet.
As I said, water is now critical. North Fork Road runs right by our house and leads to the North Fork Reservoir, a 326-acre source of drinking water for 80% of the customers (including us) in the City of Asheville system. Starting on Monday, after the road was cleared over the weekend, a steady stream of trucks carrying large pipes (some large enough for me to stand inside), equipment, rocks and fill have passed by. It used to be so quiet! I watched a major briefing yesterday on the progress; if you are interested, it starts at about minute 34 on this link. https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=603511062231050 The system has about 180 miles of piping and about 40 stations that have to be filled in order to maintain water pressure. The Mills River plant services the other 20% of the customers, and it is back on stream. There is simply no way at this point to firmly estimate when the system will be fully functional.
Gas and cash have been other problems, but they are being solved. Once power was restored, several gas stations were back in service, limiting customers to $20 of gas, cash only. They still need to connect to the internet before they can accept cards. Our local bank was partially flooded, but they have a plumbing and restoration contractor hard at work, hoping to reopen on Monday. On Thursday, they were able to restore ATM service while I was downtown, and I was literally the first customer who happened by after it became operational.
Yesterday, a grading and hauling contractor cleared our church parking lot of all the mud, and another company will powerwash it (after driving to South Carolina to get water). One of my tasks is to figure out whether FEMA will reimburse us for this cost, and that seems possible.
We also drove through Swannanoa, pausing at Tony’s animal hospital to check on their situation; they had a little water enter the waiting area, but otherwise were undamaged and hope to be fully operational next week. The rest of Swannanoa is as had been described to us by our mail carrier (23-year military veteran and Swannanoa native) as a “war zone”. Ingle’s had about 3 feet of water and mud; buildings are destroyed; cars were up on railroad tracks and in trees; semi-trucks were tossed about; a trailer park was a chaotic jumbled mess; and so much more. Today’s Wall Street Journal has photos. We then got onto I-40 and drove into South Asheville on the main artery, Hendersonville Road. The Walmart has 20 generators running and was pretty well stocked with meats, produce, frozen foods and dairy products–none of which are available at our Ingle’s–so we stocked up. The roads in South Asheville were reasonably clear, but we also saw evidence of many downed trees and new power poles (just as we saw in Swannanoa). We decided against going into North Asheville, where Biltmore Village and the River Arts District have been so devastated. There was no good reason to gawk, and we would simply get in the way of responders and people trying to salvage what they can.
No rain is forecast for at least the next week, and temperatures should be pleasant, producing ideal working conditions for the many people working on restoring the water system, rebuilding roads, clearing debris, and just figuring out what to do next. It is eerily reminiscent of what I saw in Waveland and Bay St. Louis, MS, after Hurricane Katrina.
Some of you have inquired about donations. Here is a link to Christmount, with instructions on how to donate. https://www.christmount.org/ Here is a link to our church, again with instructions on how to donate through Givelify. https://www.fccblackmtn.org/ I am the Assistant Financial Secretary, so you can be assured of receiving a tax letter in January.😀
Again, we deeply appreciate you thoughts, prayers, and concerns.
Gordon, Sylvia and Tony
