Hurricane Helene September 27 ~ The Storm that Changed Asheville and WNC

I hardly know where to begin. It has been 21 days since Hurricane Helene slammed into Western North Carolina. We had already experienced 9 inches of rain from a previous storm the day before so all of our rivers and creeks were already at max capacity. We received an additional 12 to 14 inches from Helene. The wind was so intense. The French Broad River, which is one of two rivers that go through the center of our city, crested at 25 feet. The other river (Swannanoa River) in our city and the one to which we are closest crested at 26 feet. Both of these rivers flooding shattered previous known records. Our family home was spared any major damage, but we lost electricity, internet and water at 5:30 am that Friday morning. We got electricity back after 12 days, non-potable water (water to flush toilets...but useless for everything else) around day 16 and internet back last night on day 20.  There are hundreds of damaged roads and roads that just don't exist any more. Whole neighborhoods have been destroyed and others are almost completely intact (like ours). It is surreal. For a few days, there was no way to leave our city since all highways in all directions were terribly damaged, which made it hard for outside help to get in to the area. Yet, FEMA and the National Guard were here in 48 hours. They had to fly in most helpers,  but they got here as fast as they could. So much more help has arrived since from the Red Cross, to rescue workers from around the country, to ordinary citizens. The people of Appalachia are strong people, and we are taking care of our own as well. Most everyone is doing everything they can to help in whatever way they can...even if that is simply keeping themselves as safe as possible or evacuating so that they don't use up the finite resources. 

A few blocks from us. This is after the water had receded. 

We are so blessed to be safe and alive together. It was a full 24 hours before we could check on my 

Mother who lives only a mile from us, but all paths were blocked by downed trees and wires. We did speak by cell phone for just a minute before being cut off. Cell phone service was very weak for many, many days.   The challenges we have faced and will continue to face are huge. We spent so many days in the dark, using a campstove to make food and trying to save what we could out of our fridge and freezer. We learned how to flush toilets with rain water and how to clean our bodies with just an 8 ounce bottle of water. We went more than a week without warm showers and watched as our world came to a stop...no gas, no stores, no restaurants, no mail, no trash pick up, no media entertainment, no news except word of mouth and sitting in our car listening to the radio while we charged our cell phones. Whole days were consumed with the search for ice, drinking water and warm meals (much of which we got from World Central Kitchen). We spent hours by candle light playing every board game we own and going to bed at 9 pm. We didn't evacuate because David had to return to work within just a few days...hospitals don't close for long. We did meet more of our neighbors and helped some of them evacuate by sharing our lawn mower gas. Everyone was out on the street trying to help each other anyway we could.  Things are getting better for our family. Rebekah is able to commute to Greenville again because she has gas and a clear, safe route to drive. She only missed two days of dance, because Greenville was also hit by the storm and did not have power for a few days so the studio couldn't open. When it did open, she moved in with another dancer for a few days, since the commute was so dangerous without traffic lights...another thing we went without for many, many days. We also managed to celebrate her 21st birthday in Greenville, because we have no restaurants open up here in Asheville. 

Our continuing challenge is safe water. We are not expected to have safe water coming through our pipes for at least another month or two. That is the reality for 80 percent of the city of Asheville and many small towns around us. Nonetheless, we are profoundly blessed. We have been granted FEMA hotel vouchers so that we have gone to a hotel in Greenville 1.5 hours away for showers and to do laundry twice. We are going to explore the public showers that have been installed all over our city in the next day or two. I am taking seven loads of laundry to Greenville on Saturday and doing laundry while Rebekah dances.

Our hearts are broken for our city and WNC. So many lives have been lost and there is nearly 100 persons still missing. They are calling this a thousand year flood. We live in East Asheville and are very close (just a few miles)  to Swannanoa, which was considered ground zero for the largest loss of life. One family lost 11 family members just 15 minutes from our home. Houses, businesses, and cars were swept away in rushing waters. More homes were lost to massive landslides. Mountains were transformed and the actual geography of some of our riverbanks moved! Our reservoir was hit so violently by the storm that the water in the reservoir was flipped upside down and all of the sediment was brought to the top. This is a rare occurrence which has only happened a few times in the United States and takes time to correct. Our water treatment plant was heavily damaged and can't safely filter the heavily sedimented water from the reservoir. So for now, we have untreated water coming through our pipes, which is why we are only using it for flushing toilets. 

September 28  Just a half a mile from our home the flood waters engulfed buildings up to the roof before receding. 

Flooding pictures taken after the water had started to recede.

All of the pictures shown here are very close to our home. We have not ventured very far into our city, because travel is still so difficult. We get a bit farther each day. We still have not been able to go east because the damage is so intense, and we don't want to get in the way of rescue and recovery operations. There are so many places in our city that are gone forever or will take a long time to rebuild. It is heart breaking. So many familiar things gone in an instant! The pictures of damaged buildings are from yesterday...day 20.

We were on an island of sorts for a few days, surrounded by water on three sides and many, many downed trees on the fourth side.  

The River Arts District, where many of our artists lived and worked. It was destroyed almost entirely.

My daughter had her first birthday party in that gazebo. It was such a beautiful park in which my kids learned to ride their bikes. 

It will be a long time before rail service returns to our mountain city. Many tracks are twisted.

Day 20

We do not know what the future holds for our sweet city and mountains. It is going to take years to rebuild, and we don't even know how much things have changed. We don't know if recovery and growth will be fast enough to provide a home for our young adults. Time will tell. For now, we are taking it one week at a time.  Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings, Dawn