Local takes a look at current conditions of NC, TN one month after a devastating hurricane
As we approach the one-month “anniversary” of the biblical flooding in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Helene, the mountains and their people are in various stages of recovery. Things are back to business in some places like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. There are ongoing efforts to help raise awareness, money and other donations. But other than a few signs throughout the area, you wouldn’t know that historic, epic levels of devastation remain.
In North Carolina, some communities are in dire need of fall revenues and are even running “we’re open for business” campaigns. But others just a few miles up the road may never recover.
In some places, the power is back. Drinkable water is finally back in many areas. Plans and funding are being organized to replace damaged or destroyed infrastructure. In other places? They’re still looking for bodies.
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A look at East Tennessee (state of recovery)
Generally speaking, the damage in East Tennessee was less than that in North Carolina. However, certain communities in Northeast Tennessee – Washington, Carter, Unicoi, Johnson, Greene and Cocke counties – suffered devastating flooding. That is not to diminish the pain and suffering in East Tennessee at all. At least 17 people have died and billions of dollars of homes, farmland and infrastructure were destroyed. In any normal idea of a disaster, what happened in East Tennessee would be considered a tragedy of epic proportions.
It speaks to how bad things were in Western North Carolina that the gargantuan destruction in Tennessee has been somewhat overshadowed.
Response shifts to aid and assistance
On the Tennessee side of the mountains, the response has chiefly shifted to getting aid and assistance to storm victims. State and federal agencies have set up stations known as MARCS – MULTI-AGENCY RESOURCE CENTERS AND DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS. They are staffed with personnel from FEMA and other federal, state and regional partners to ensure residents have access to all available resources following the flooding event. There is one MARC each in Elizabethton, Jonesborough and Newport.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited the region to tour the damage and discuss repairing the infrastructure. Speaking on I-40 near Hartford in Tennessee, he indicated efforts are gearing up to get both I-26 and I-40 back open.
“It’s a unique situation to have I-40 and I-26 both unavailable, and it’s critically important for everything, from U.S. supply chains to small mountain communities, to get that up,” he said. “I’m very impressed by the work that I’ve seen on the ground, the creativity, the work ethic, and the energy that’s going into restoring a critical link like this. We will do everything we can, starting with the $32 million we have already advanced toward getting the first pieces of this work done. And I’ve committed to Governor Lee that we’re going to do everything we can and to the communities out here that we’re going to be here every step of the way.”
More information on road conditions can be found here.
A look at Western North Carolina (state of recovery)
The disparity of recovery in North Carolina is stark. For instance, in more populated and accessible places like Asheville, the recovery and relief efforts are moving forward.
But in the higher, more remote mountains, the process of simply getting necessary aid has been frustratingly slow. How much more severely was North Carolina hit? Several of those bodies that were recovered have not yet been identified. Also, several who are presumed dead have not yet been found. The North Carolina Department of Human Services said the death toll was at 98 in North Carolina as of Oct. 26. Also, 30 people were still missing.
Travel in Western North Carolina
Some communities and businesses are reopening and also encouraging travel when possible. Cherokee and communities to the South like Bryson City are accessible from the West via Highway 441 from Gatlinburg to Cherokee. I’m seeing a lot of businesses near Waynesville and Maggie Valley encouraging visitors. That said, expect some alternative routes.
While recovery efforts have been focused on communities, people and houses, parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway were devastated as well. The National Park Service recently announced that 20 miles of the parkway near Ajo Gap is reopening, while other areas remain closed.
Naaman Horn, a Parkway information officer, told KFOX14 that the damage from Helene is significant. Keep up with current Blue Ridge Parkway closures here.
“[There’s a] bunch of trees on the road. There’s some structural damage to the roadway. There are a handful of landslides that have impacted roads along with, again, a bunch of hazardous trees that are down along the road. We’re still assessing. It could be a while before we fully know the extent of the damage,” he said.
The total cost of damage from Helene, from Florida up into North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee will likely exceed $50 billion. Full recovery will take years, maybe generations in some places. But recovery will happen. Things will return to normal or close to it. How do I know? Well, my favorite apple orchard in Hendersonville, Grandad’s, is serving up apple pies and treats after suffering a devastating blow. Also, Biltmore will open with its Christmas decorations on Nov. 2.
But there are other signs as well. Each day is a step forward. While there will be steps back, we will eventually reach our destination.
Lessons learned from the flood
What have we learned? The Tennessee Valley Authority called the rainfall from Hurricane Helene a 1-in-5,000-year event. I don’t know that realistically anyone could have been prepared for just how bad it was going to be. The water at the 100-year-old Nolichucky Dam in Greene County was nearly 10 feet above its previous record. That fact that the dam didn’t fail is a miracle.
The real question, I suppose, is does this remain a 1-in-5,000-year event moving forward? Should the people of the mountains do a better job of hurricane prep? It would seem prudent to do so. I’m sure that TVA officials and their North Carolina counterparts are taking a hard look at the aging dam systems with the intent to fortify them to attempt to match the newly revealed possibility.
But how far do we go? What lessons have we learned? It’s a hard question to answer. I feel like we’re too close. I’d like to say we’ve learned to take at least the idea of climate change more seriously, but I don’t believe that’s the case.
I suppose that we’ve learned that being 1,800 miles from the gulf isn’t sufficient distance to consider ourselves immune from hurricanes. In my lifetime, hurricane remnants have been coming up to the mountains. There has certainly been some damage, but I never imagined it could be anything like this. Maybe we’ve learned to watch the weather reports a little more closely. Maybe we’ve learned to listen a little better when the National Weather Service warns us that dangerous weather is possible. I think we’ve also learned we can count on our neighbors in times of need, but I suspect we knew that already.
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