We all are too familiar with it now. I am writing about the devastation that we witnessed in western North Carolina last week. Hurricane Helene, which swept through Florida quickly and then motored up to the Carolina’s within a blink of the eye, did more devastation in the mountains than any hurricane on record.
The mountains of North Carolina are not supposed to experience hurricanes. Maybe they got a tornado or two, but never a hurricane, unless remnants, but Helene roared in and leveled entire towns and cut off thousands of people from food, water, electricity and even shelter.
I have seen people on rooftops, hoping someone would bring them to safety, only to have their home and themselves be swept away by heavy currents. I have seen a family tie their two children to a tree hoping they wouldn’t be swept away by water. They were rescued but the mother and father couldn’t handle the force of the current and drowned.
I’ve been through my share of hurricanes. I watched as portions of my roof blew off my house. I watched my brand-new boat sink and wind take my dock one board at a time. But I have never witnessed (by TV and internet) the devastation that occurred in North Carolina No one in the United States with maybe the possibility of New Orleans, has experienced a hurricane’s wrath such as Helene’s. When all the bodies are finally recovered, this will probably be the deadliest hurricane ever.
My heart goes out to all those that had to endure this monster. I have visited Asheville and surrounding towns on a couple of occasions and found it to be one of the most beautiful areas in the country. And the people have always been so friendly, totally opposite the cold shoulder you might get in large cities.
But this is not a column about me or even the devastation. Instead, I want to focus on the thousands of people that have come to the aid of those in Western North Carolina. I have never witnessed such an outpouring of goodwill. The American spirit is alive and well.
I have seen countless stories on social media of ordinary citizens, particularly truckers, gathering supplies and transporting them down to the mountains. I witnessed a particular fellow in Harrison, Mi, where we have a newspaper, leave a trailer at a gas station, imploring people to fill it with supplies so he could drive it down. Sure enough, within a day and half the trailer was overflowing and the good Samaritan was headed down south.
These people are heroes, and I would ask each one of us to do our share by donating supplies or money to this devastated area. There are plenty of sites willing to take your donation. One of my favorites is Franklin Graham’s Samaritan Purse. Wherever the tragedy may be, they are always one of the first on the scene to help. They will gladly take your donation and are looking for able bodies to help clear debris and rescue people in the affected areas.
