On Friday morning September 27th 2024, Hurricane Helene introduced itself to the Southeastern United States. A few short hours later, nobody was sorry to see it go away but nearly everybody in it’s path had been effected in some significant way. It was a time that few of us will live long enough to forget.
First off let me just say, Annette and I got off relatively easy. While so many that we know have lost irreplaceable things and continue to suffer as a result of the storm, things here went rather well. We lost power and internet for only a day and a half and we happened to have a lot of items lying around like a camping propane stove, some propane tanks, lots of candles, battery powered flashlights and a battery powered AM/FM radio that really helped. We also had solar rechargeable power bank which proved helpful as our smartphones and their associated, not to mention overloaded, cellular networks were basically our only way to talk with others during the actual storm.
We had a single tree in our yard fall and it fell backwards into the area behind the part of my backyard that I actually care about which I refer to as “No Mans Land”. I don’t think it damaged anything, though it might’ve grazed the neighbors very old and very rickety fence. They are trying to make an insurance claim for that… more power to em! Our house faired rather well and our crawlspace remained rather dry except around the door where some water did get in.
On the flip side, so many that we know and love are still suffering as a result of this storm. We know people that still haven’t gotten their power back. We know people who probably won’t have an internet connection anytime soon because Spectrum here took a severe hit here that they appear to be having trouble recovering from (we have AT&T Fiber which seems for us to be working absolutely fine). Most of the hoarding in our area seems to have come to an end as well. It’s now easy to get gas, bread and milk (don’t ask me why people hoard the last two). I have even heard one might actually be able to buy toilet paper now. I have no idea why people were hoarding that, but they were.
We also know people who live in Western North Carolina, which by all accounts, was absolutely ravaged. Our hearts go out to all of our friends and acquaintances up there because they have just started taking steps down what will undoubtedly be a long road to recovery. Forget power and Internet… lots of these people don’t even have good reliable access to clean water much less food or shelter.
As for the storm itself, I’m still working through my feelings on it. I simultaneously feel incredibly lucky and insanely guilty for seemingly getting off so easy. The first few days afterwards, I felt depressed as everybody around us was worse off. We opened our home to our friends and family and offered any and all assistance that we could to those that we could help.
In addition I’d like to thank my employer Paylocity for their flexibility during all of this. When I was unable to work the day of the storm, they didn’t even bat an eye. They offered me as much time off as I needed, but as fate would have it, I was able to return to work the following Monday. I probably should’ve taken another day or two as I really struggled juggling work and all of the other stuff that came up this past week. However some of my other co-workers have not been able to return yet due to a lack of power and / or Internet and Paylocity has been quite accommodating. So thank you all for that, it is much appreciated.
I don’t think this is the last unprecedented storm we are going to see around here. Climate Change is clearly starting to really shift our weather patterns for the worse, and I believe that circumstances like this will become more and more common place as things get worse. I don’t know or care what your politics are, but the evidence behind climate change has become undeniable. Do yourselves a favor and get on board. We can’t fight this battle alone. We can only win it together. Individuals reducing their consumption is a start, but ultimately unless we all come together on this, it won’t be enough.
Finally, while I was pretty satisfied with how we fared during the storm, I do think there are things we could do to make the next one better. For starters, I personally want to acquire more solar powered items. The solar powered battery we had really came in handy. Another buddy of mine has already found a few other solar powered items he has purchased that I will likely purchase as well. As for buying a generator, I don’t think that is really my jam. I don’t like how noisy they are and I don’t like the idea of having to scavenge for gasoline every day to keep the thing fed. My parents and brother had to deal with that and I feel like its a bit of a double edged sword. Your mileage may vary of course.
In any event, I hope everybody we know is safe and sound and getting by. If any of y’all need anything, please feel free to reach out and we’ll try to do what we can. Times like these bring out the best and the worst in people and we remain determined to put our best foot forward, regardless of how rough it gets.