The WNC Flooding In Has Caused Immense Human Suffering - And It May Be Getting Worse
This is spinning out of control and could ultimately prove to be worse than Hurricane Katrina.
The news from Western North Carolina in the wake of Helene continues to be grim and unnerving.
Communications are still erratic and power is not yet widely restored. The basics - food, shelter - are still in short supply, and evenings are getting colder.
Elon Musk has emerged as a central figure in this. First, he has agreed to supply Starlink units so that people can get word out to their friends and loved ones. We’ve been aware of Starlink for some time but haven't looked at the units. They’ve really evolved. It’s some of the more impressive hardware we’ve lately.
And second, X, formerly known as Twitter before he bought it, has emerged as a crucial tool for many.
This has happened in two ways. First, people are using it to search for the missing. Much like New Yorkers putting up desperate posters after 9/11, Western North Carolina residents are seeking information about loved ones on X. Here’s an example. There are many, many others. It’s just heartbreaking.
There are also the very personal but currently unverifiable accounts. One resident had this sent over by a friend who is a linesman:
“This is the update I just got from my linemen friend in Asheville.
“Went up old fort road where it connects to number 9. Whole area is gone. 100ft ravine where houses used to sit. Kids walking around naked asking where there parents are at.
“People BEGGING for water. Black hawk helicopters from fema. I don’t wanna talk about the smell of the dead bodies. I’m in disbelief“
Again, there are more accounts like this. Hills have been described as islands, with people cut off by the flood waters.
Other accounts talk about bodies in cars and trees.
The truth is even today, when 1,000 people are listed as missing, we have no idea how many souls have been lost. Residents have suggested they think the toll must be much higher.
There are too many tragic stories to list but this is a good example of the staggering losses people have suffered.
Basically, this is just overwhelming for everyone involved. We don’t know if the hints and allegations of massive, yet unrecorded deaths are true, but what we do know is bad enough.
If you haven’t, please find some way to help. Not many of you own helicopters obviously, but if you do, you’ll never find a better use for it than right now. As for the rest of us, we can contribute money. And if you live close enough, you might consider volunteering or offering shelter to people who suddenly have nothing to claim and nowhere to go. As noted, the mountains start getting chilly at night in September.
Imagine for a moment that you are there. Your house has been washed away with all of your possessions. You’re very hungry but there’s no food. You cannot go anywhere because the water is still too high and not only can no one help you, no one even knows where you are. You have nowhere to go but the wet ground, without a blanket, and shiver as you try to get some sleep. You hope the bears, cats, coyotes and wolves stay away.
How can this be?
These people need your help, and they need it now. Please consider pitching in to the best of your ability, in whatever form that may take. If nothing else, you can call your elected representatives and push them to do something useful.