I’ve been trying to write about this for a while, but it’s been really hard… The devastation Hurricane Helene left in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where I live, has been surreal. We had some rain for a few days before, which, combined with the rain and winds brought by the hurricane, produced an insane amount of water rushing down the mountains at full force, flooding the reservoirs, breaking dams, and softening the soil enough to produce landslides.
Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the Appalachians, is 6,684 feet above sea level, so imagine the power gravity also gave to the excess water! It slammed everything in its path, leaving this gorgeous area in shambles. Sadly, it was not an isolated event; flooding also happened in Mexico and different regions in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Traditionally, dragons rule rivers and water, so talk about a Year of the Dragon! (see 2024 Is the Year to Embrace Your Inner Power.)
I barely slept that night, hearing the wind and the constant thumping of what I assumed were branches falling on the roof and porch. As soon as dawn broke, I went to the kitchen to take a look and was shocked but also relieved. The porch was covered with big branches blocking the view and the way out, but no trees had fallen on my house; it was intact except for a couple of gutters from which water was pouring like a faucet. When it stopped raining, I went around to look at the backyard.
It was completely covered in pines and oaks. They were taking all the space and smashed the chain link fence around my property in a few places; my small pond, however, was spared (thank you!). One of my trees was blocking my neighbor’s driveway and garage, and someone was helping him chop it up with a chainsaw so he could get his car out. There was no power, no water, no Internet, and no cell service. Many roads were blocked by trees, flooded, or destroyed, but I was able to get to the highway to see how my daughter was doing.
That drive was harrowing. Milky, clay-colored water rushed furiously along the lower areas, covering many buildings, structures, and vehicles; all I could see was water and mud where commercial buildings used to stand. When I got to the main bridge above the French Broad River, my heart sank. The River Arts District (RAD), a socially and economically vital neighborhood usually brimming with galleries, art studios, breweries, parks, and greenways—where most of us enjoyed events, music, and hanging out with friends—was completely underwater as well. All sorts of things, big and small, were floating away, and a whole section of the city was gone!
My child was fine but had no power, no water, no Internet, and no cell reception, like most neighborhoods, and her workplace at the RAD was destroyed. On my way back, I could see even more devastation. Toppled trees everywhere. Fallen transformers and power lines scattered along most roads. Houses squashed by trees. Broken bridges and flooded streets. Cars, trucks, and trailers on top of each other or rammed against poles and buildings. Some neighborhoods looked like war zones (sadly, many still do). I heard ambulances, helicopters, fire trucks, and chainsaws everywhere.
We had no idea of the extent of the damage until more information arrived from personal conversations, social media posts and videos, as well as local and national news. People had drowned, were missing, or were isolated in remote, jagged areas. Landslides had swallowed whole houses and some families. Floating trucks and trailers had destroyed or blocked bridges and roads. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate I-40 were broken for several miles and there was no access except to or from the South. Then, we learned that areas in neighboring states were affected as well (Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida).
The Power of Our Wounded Mother Earth
The disaster was surreal, but the support was and continues to be incredible despite people initially spreading misinformation and lies on social media for political reasons. The response from both locals and outsiders was immediate. Neighbors joined forces and shared tools to chop trees and clear roads. Charitable organizations and volunteers started providing water, free food, and supplies right away. Both the local and federal governments sent aid and rescue teams, as well as the National Guard to search for missing persons in remote areas only accessible by helicopter or mule.
It also provided emergency financial aid and lodging to those who lost their homes or jobs. People from other states came with trucks loaded with water and supplies to give away and ready to lend a hand. Utility workers worked non-stop to remove downed power lines and restore services. Mobile cell towers and Wi-Fi Starlinks were scattered around the city to help with communication.
The main water plant was severely damaged, and the water got polluted with all that was floating in it. It took a while to fix the plant and treat the water, so most people had to boil their water and use it mainly for flushing toilets. I was fortunate to have clean water in less than a week (my neighborhood’s water comes from a different, smaller plant). I got power, Internet, and cell service in about three weeks; I had to go downtown every day to communicate with my clients and the world. Fortunately, the water has now been restored in Asheville and is potable!
A lot of people lost their homes and/or jobs and either left town or have been living in camps with portable toilets and showers. At some point, the Amish community and some non-profits came to build tiny houses in certain areas. It’s been a slow yet steady process of resurrection and healing, but the people from Appalachia are fiercely resilient and love these mountains to death, as do all of us more recent “imports.”
There is no way to understand the forces behind natural disasters, but they certainly show us the fragility and impermanence of the things we rely on or get attached to while they shatter our illusions of control. This is the Plutonian energy that uncovers the underbelly of what we don’t want to see or accept in ourselves and others as we resist a deep transformation. In Aquarius, Pluto will likely force us to come together to build (or rebuild) communities and to recognize where and how we have become so disconnected from the natural world and from each other. (I will explore this in more detail at a later time.)
Things are getting better here in Asheville, but we are still grieving and traumatized, coping with the physical, emotional, and financial aftermath of this disaster. I, for one, have put on hold all my projects and been focused on healing and coming to terms with the world around me to clarify my next steps (especially after the results of the presidential election!). But my community still needs support. So, if you feel inclined, I’d encourage you to support the artists and businesses that suffered great losses as well as any of the following organizations, which have been and will continue to be essential to bring things back to normal in the years to come:
United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
The Community Foundation of WNC
Let’s not forget the artists:
And the animals:
You can also come visit and enjoy these beautiful mountains, our communities certainly need the tourism that sustains them! We may be fixing roads and neighborhoods and restoring buildings, but the City of Asheville as well as its surrounding areas still have great things to offer!
© 2024 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.