Hurricane Helene Update : Oct. 1

Walmart is now open, but only between 10 & 6, and only for 40 people at a time. We weren't required to come back to work until we were safe, and the company would payout for the entire first week even if we didn't work at all.

Another super-sad image from the aftermath:  Lake Lure. All of the debris flowed to the lowest point. Lake Lure was ruined by all of the debris, even whole homes ... and bodies.

Downtown Asheville after the floods receded.

And parts of the poor Blue Ridge Parkway would be closed until next spring.

The Short Story of Hurricane Helene 

On the night of September 26 , 2024 Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina as a true representation of global warming and climate change. Asheville, Lake Lure & Chimney Rock were completely destroyed while all surrounding areas, including ours, were ravaged, and Helene would fight with Katrina as as deadliest Hurricane in modern US history with 238 officially dead, and probably many more deceased homeless. Water is the true killer of any hurricane, and we had both wind AND water. Our diciduous trees were not designed for this wind, and many of them came down, ruining countless homes. The biggest problem was the water reservoir and watershed located just north of Asheville. We had many days of rain, pre-storm. This had already filled the reservoir. Helene made it overflow and the resulting flood flowed into the valleys destroying everything in its path. This flood converged in Chimney Rock destroying the entire town and ended at Lake Lure which became a literal graveyard of homes, debris, ... and bodies. We would spend 1 week without power and 2.5 weeks without phone and internet. Our entire yard would be littered with fallen trees, our driveway blocked (our chainsaw owning neighbors would free us), and our outbuilding (a hopeful stables for my future goats) was destroyed, but our home was untouched!