10/11/2024
Some first hand information about Western North Carolina---
My wife and I made a supply run to the Asheville area yesterday, specifically to the Burnsville area in Yancey county, located in the mountains about 25 miles north of Asheville. We turned north on I-26 before we got to the Biltmore area, so we did not see the true effects of Helene on Asheville itself.
Driving north on I-26, the only visible signs that anything had happened were a few downed trees along the highway. The same was true on Highway 19 going into Burnsville.
As we approached Burnsville, there were a couple of supply depots. The main street of the town looked almost normal. In Burnsville, the large parking lot of the Sav-Mor has been turned into a giant supply center. Dozens of volunteers were working to unload and sort donations, while a long line of cars waited to pick up food and other necessities. The entire operation was being organized and run by civilians who simply saw that there was a need. FEMA had no visible presence in the town. (I have since learned that FEMA has personnel at the Burnsville library, but this fact was unknown to the people at the supply depot). We spoke to a few of them to get oriented, then left the bulk of what we brought there with them.
Our friend who has been working in the area for about a week met us at the Sav-Mor and led us into the mountains south of Burnsville to the Pensacola community. About two miles in, we were stopped for a few minutes as large excavators were working near the road ahead. We were not sure what they were doing until we were able to drive past. What had been a two lane road followed a curve of the Cane River. The right half of the road had been mostly washed out, leaving a cut bank with a 20+ foot drop down to the riverbed. At two points, the road was the width of my truck plus about one foot.
We passed this and drove on towards Pensacola. In many places, sections of road had been washed out by the floodwaters of the Cane. Almost every field and pasture along the river was now a mud flat. Power lines were completely down in the entire area, including dozens of power poles that were shattered, fallen, or completely missing. Many of the houses, churches, barns, and other structures had been partially collapsed by the force of the river. We saw a bus that had been carried directly into the side of a church.
In Pensacola, we stopped at another large supply depot to drop off a generator and some medical supplies. This site was also run by civilians, although there were National Guard present, along with recently arrived members of the Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Sheriff’s department, Forest Service, and other official personnel were there, but it was unclear as to their capacity. The building that was the centerpoint of the facility had 2 Starlink antennae on the roof, providing free wifi to anyone there. A kitchen and medical tent were also providing services to anyone in need.
We drove a couple of miles up a road that followed Cattail Creek, where we witnessed total devastation. Houses had been torn from foundations. Churches had been destroyed by the force of huge trees being carried downriver. We walked through a small area at a beautiful bend of the creek. Every house that was at ground level was either destroyed completely, or 3-4 feet deep in sand and mud. A Bobcat, a side-by-side, and a dump trailer had been carried down from somewhere upriver and buried next to a house. One house had been crushed by a falling tree, which also destroyed the truck parked in front of it. While we were there, the owners were working diligently to recover what they could from their homes. Other locals who have heavy equipment were clearing debris from roadways and grading the new roadbeds to facilitate vehicle access.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in this small area – everyone had evacuated or gone to high ground before the storm hit. But the homes are a total loss. The only houses that survived this area were the ones built up the hill above the creek.
On the way out, we saw one house that had been destroyed by a mud slide – about 150 yards of mountainside 25 yards wide had given way and crushed the house below.
We witnessed only a tiny fraction of the destruction that occurred in one small area. I am sure that what we saw is the same or worse in dozens of communities in Western North Carolina.
Although the lack of “official” presence was troublesome, it is encouraging to see how the American people are pulling together to take care of each other. I talked to people from all over North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and as far away as Missouri who were simply called to help, and answered the call. In our own town of Franklin, North Carolina, alone there are maybe 25 different supply facilities, with trucks and trailers going in on a daily basis.
Speaking for ourselves, we have received contributions from friends (and people we don’t even know) from New York to California, and everywhere in between. Those donations are going directly to purchase supplies. For those who are interested, the ongoing need is for generators, shovels and picks, and cold-weather clothing (it’s going to be 35 degrees in Burnsville tonight).
The needs of Asheville and the surrounding communities are not going to end next week, or even next month. These are tough people, but there are thousands who have lost their homes and everything they own. We are standing by the people of WNC and will be supporting the recovery for as long as it takes.
