After Helene

The images above are from 9 November 2023 and 9 November 2024. (I can’t figure out how to caption the photos today.) Compare them here:

I know some of you want to know about the wildlife. First of all, a migrating hummingbird came during the storm! (I had hung the feeder in a semi-protected place.) And shortly after the torrential rain stopped I saw a couple of deer and turkeys in the meadow. I was happy that they didn’t come up to the house! A few deer came Saturday, and my regulars were waiting for me Sunday morning! (I had those steps and larger ones that go into the meadow installed in the spring, and it sure was nice—and safer—to have them after all the rain!) I was pleased to find a box turtle Monday after the hurricane and am hoping that others weren’t washed away, as happened in some of the more affected areas.

My nightly routines were, of course, changed. Supper came a bit earlier so I could take advantage of the fading daylight to get things cleaned up (as much as I could without power and without using much water). I am too old to read by candlelight—or with a flashlight as I did when I was much younger—but I had some crossword puzzles downloaded on my iPad to keep my mind busy as I struggled to stay awake until 9:00. Early to bed, early to rise, and I would wake about 5AM and start the day. Having a gas stove made meals and clean-up much easier, and I appreciated the opportunity to finally use the 20-year anniversary gift I selected so long ago!

Although I was still without power or water, the days went on with some semblance of normality. I’m used to being by myself, so isolation wasn’t a problem. Most of the neighbors were still home instead of being at work or running errands, and my daily walks were often interrupted as I encountered someone or lent a hand to help out with some task or another.

Six days after the hurricane I finally drove into Weaverville on Thursday to find internet and buy ice and a few nonperishable groceries. We were fortunate that neighbors on the other side of the ridge (through the gate and the field that are always at the end of my posts) are on French Broad EMC and not Duke Power. Their power was restored within two or three days, and they were happy to let us get water, charge devices, and shower. The Army delivered a generator to our local fire station, and someone sent them a Starlink for internet, so I visited there a couple of times. The station was overflowing with food and water donations. 

Everyone who lived through Helene and the aftermath had a different experience, but I doubt that any of us could recount what happened when. After a while the days sort of ran together as we tried to get our lives back together. Limited intermittent cell service was restored Sunday the 29th, which was a great relief to my worried family and friends. What I am sure about is that our power was restored at 5:09PM on Tuesday, October 8, after 12½ days! And because we are on a well, the return of power meant the return of potable water and, because we get internet via towers and not cable, wifi. (People who use Asheville water remain on a “boil water” notice, and Spectrum is still working to restore internet to many customers.)

Some progress is being made on cleaning up along the river, but as more and more is exposed due to the lack of rain, it still surprises and grieves me when I see it. (This is the French Broad River, not the Swannanoa, which is the one you saw most often in the news.)

Of course, I have continued my rambles. I am not yet accustomed to the sight of so many downed trees, and I keep noticing more as their leaves die and turn brown and the ones still hanging on began to fall. We haven’t had measurable rain since Helene, and some of the injured trees are drying out and starting to die. Trees that were leaning are leaning more and more, or have fallen to the ground. It still surprises me to see how some to the trees were twisted and cracked.

While we were dealing with Helene and everything it brought, autumn arrived, but, like the river and everything else, it is a different autumn. Some (still-standing) trees lost their leaves during the hurricane; leaves on others have simply dried up and turned brown or blown away. Fortunately, some still have their leaves and are showing them off in brilliant autumn colors.

So life goes on in French Broad Hollow. After days of above-average temperatures, it seems that cooler weather is finally coming—and the rut, too. Itsy’s antlers have grown, and the little bucks are sparring.

Maybe it won’t take a hurricane for me to write another post.