Two Weeks On

The following is admittedly an awkward oversimplification of an awful crisis, and is applicable to only one county in a twenty-five county dystopia in the southern Appalachian Mountains, hammered by a flood “unprecedented in modern times.”

 

Two Weeks On

 

Now it is two weeks since the arrival of Helene and I am proud of my community. 

• The people-helping-people volunteer networks set themselves up quickly and worked tirelessly to supplement the churches in their relief efforts. 

• Utility crews from all over, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, were at work around the clock even before the storm was over.

• Volunteer civilian helicopters and pilots were soon at work evacuating stranded people and hauling supplies to isolated communities.

• Small local radio stations, that had generators, operated around the clock broadcasting vital relief and transportation information.

• The government of our town was prepared and their plans worked. The town never lost municipal water, and public safety performed 85 swift water rescues, within the city, of folks who failed to successfully evacuate. 

• I am proud of my county government Emergency Operations Center for effectively coordinating the overall response to the crisis.

• State and Federal aid and relief, including military assistance, arrived in due time. A US highway that was washed away has been rebuilt and reopened to through traffic.

• I am particularly proud of the people of my community for not giving traction to the rumors that began circulating in the first few days after Helene’s arrival. Careful examination of the rumors would cause one to suggest that they amounted to willful untruth with the intent of political sabotage.

• And Local and State politicians of both parties and unaffiliated have done a wonderful bi-partisan job of disseminating accurate information regarding the relief efforts—private, charitable, and governmental.

• The congressional delegation from our area (all Republicans) did likewise—while pleading with their constituents to ignore and silence the rumors.

 

The rumors are beginning to die out except those being generated at the national level and appearing on X (the app formerly known as Twitter) and such other sources. Now with the onslaught of another super storm, Hurricane Milton, conspiracy theories abound at the national level.

 

The websites of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and FEMA are doing a good job of providing accurate information about the relief efforts and programs.

 

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