I know I have not posted in a long time. I hope to write a few update posts from the last year. It has been very busy, with mostly positive events. However, first I will cover this important anniversary.
This week marks two years since Helene tore through our city and all of WNC. The devastation was vast and is still ongoing. Every picture in this post was taken within the last week.
The present federal government hasn't kept its promise to help, and any money that has come to WNC in the last year has come as a result of lawsuits. I personally think the government should use our tax dollars to help its citizens...all of its citizens...not just the chosen few. To this date federal funding has covered 16% of the $60 billion in total damages from Helene in WNC, and the president told us that he won't give anymore if we don't vote as a region the way he wants us to. What an un-American statement. In comparison, federal aid covered 78% of damages from hurricane Sandy and 73% of damages from hurricane Katrina.
All this to say our recovery is very slow. The scars seen and unseen run deep. There are towns that are still hard to access. PTSD is very prevalent among our citizens, especially the first responders. Yes, there are still people in campers and many homeless families. My husband and I recently traveled to the town of Chimney Rock. Getting there pre-Helene took us 30 minutes...now it is more than an hour's journey in which we traversed temporary bridges and roads (some dirt where once they were paved). We went through stretches where parts of houses were hanging off of cliffs and where there is still no power. The river is filled with giant boulders, and it has left its bed and made a new course in places. In fact, more than a dozen river systems and watersheds were permanently altered by Helene! I just can't express the vastness of the devastation.
This first set of photos are from the recreation area below our nature center zoo. This is 1.5 miles from our home. It will be a long time before this section is worked on. There is a temporary one lane bridge with a temporary solar traffic light giving access to this area (which includes our city's zoo and 40+ homes). The water rushed through here with power that is comparable to the flow rate of Niagara Falls. At one dam in our area the flash flood came at 1.2 billion gallons per second. In comparison, Niagara Falls flow peaks at 700,000 gallons per second, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is understandable that bridges, roads and buildings the water met are gone or destroyed.
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| Layers of asphalt moved by the rushing water |
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| This was our city's largest community pool. It is now filled with dirt. |
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| This was the bridge into the community. |
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| The road is gone. |
There are many abandoned buildings or blank areas where once there were buildings. These pictures are 2 miles from my home in the opposite direction.
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| My children used to have a doctor in this building. |
The next set of pictures were taken on the road to Chimney Rock.
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The force of the water split this boulder.
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| This is all that is left of a small historic amusement park. |
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| New road and a lost bridge. You can sort of see how the river moved its course in this picture. |
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So many houses are still hanging off cliffs.
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That is all the words I have today. We are broken...but we are strong and resilient. The people of Appalachia will rise and our communities are still close-knit.
Blessings, Dawn
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