I wrote about Hurricane Helene for three reasons: 1) to honor and remember the victims, 2) to educate others about the importance of evacuating and preparing for storms, and 3) to share a portion of the proceeds with victims who provided interviews and BeLoved Asheville.
To give you an idea about what the book encompasses, some chapters included are: The Storm of All Storms, An Ocean in the Mountains, No Escape from the Storm, Perilous Situation, The Aftermath, Mental & Physical Health, One Disaster from Homelessness, Lessons & Future Preparations, and Victims Lost.
Copyrighted ISBN: Paperback 979-8-99942851-6 and Hardcover 979-8-99942850-9
Book retail price: Paperback $30 and Hardcover $35
I wrote about Hurricane Helene for three reasons: 1) to honor and remember the victims, 2) to educate others about the importance of evacuating and preparing for storms, and 3) to share a portion of the proceeds with victims who provided interviews and BeLoved Asheville.
To give you an idea about what the book encompasses, some chapters included are: The Storm of All Storms, An Ocean in the Mountains, No Escape from the Storm, Perilous Situation, The Aftermath, Mental & Physical Health, One Disaster from Homelessness, Lessons & Future Preparations, and Victims Lost.
Copyrighted ISBN: Paperback 979-8-99942851-6 and Hardcover 979-8-99942850-9
Book retail price: Paperback $30 and Hardcover $35
Some events happen only once in a lifetime, if you’re lucky, but some people now fear that this is only the beginning of the destruction we will experience from future storms due to climate change or global warming. Hurricane Helene swept into North Carolina as a powerful tropical storm that first materialized in North Carolina and Tennessee on Friday, September 27, 2024. As though an atomic bomb had been dropped. Helene caused Western North Carolina to suffer the loss of lives and property, thus destroying the idea that living in the Appalachian Mountains was a haven of safety. Ten days after the storm arrived, USA Today reported that Hurricane Helene is now ranked in the Top 10 Deadliest Hurricanes.[i]
Various media platforms strongly urged the community to take the warnings seriously by purchasing bottled water, filling bathtubs and sinks with water, restocking batteries and non-perishables, and fully charging cell phones. Whether everyone followed those suggestions is doubtful, but just as in snowstorms, the bread and milk disappeared quickly from the grocery store shelves. However, unlike with the COVID-19 pandemic, toilet tissue aisles remained intact. (Thank you for the small miracles.) From what I’ve been able to ascertain, most people did not take the storm warnings seriously because Western North Carolina is too far inland to be affected by a hurricane. Everyone believes hurricanes only affect coastal regions, and tropical storms have only caused minor flooding in the past. Because of this belief, the public was wholly unprepared for the cataclysmic storm that brought us to our knees.
On Thursday, September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene arrived in Florida’s Big Bend area as a Category 4 hurricane. With its arrival, 800 miles of land experienced disastrous flooding and strong winds, resulting in countless power outages across the state.[ii] Western North Carolinians felt secure and protected by the surrounding mountains, which had always sheltered them from the worst storms and tornadoes. Sadly, no one could have predicted what was coming our way. Big Bend, Florida, was 652 miles from Asheville, North Carolina, and Western North Carolina continued life as usual.
Although heavy rains were forecasted for the Asheville area, communities were only concerned about the worrisome areas, as community leaders and first responders alerted them to the possibility of flash floods and potential evacuations. Natives of Asheville reminisced about the last significant flood that stole 80 lives in July 1916. On July 5, 1916, a Category 3 hurricane, called “The Gulf Coast Hurricane,” visited Alabama. When it arrived in the Appalachian Mountains, heavy rains persisted for days. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Category 2 “Charleston Hurricane” slammed into Charleston, South Carolina, thus resulting in additional heavy rainfall and complete saturation in Western North Carolina. The “Great Flood” recorded flooding levels at 24.67 feet, but Hurricane Helene obliterated that long-standing record.[iii]
No monetary amount or prayer could have prepared Western North Carolina for what Hurricane Helene unleashed on them. Rain totals throughout North Carolina ranged from 14 inches along the Blue Ridge Mountains, 31 inches in Yancey County, and 24 inches in Mitchell County. AccuWeather reported, “The original estimates of storm damage were $50 billion but have been updated to more than $225 billion.”[iv]
The communities closest to the rivers lost their power first. However, further away, communities lost their Internet connections, thus causing a common lifeline to valuable information, family, friends, and coworkers to disappear. Their inability to communicate with the outside world led to inaccurate reports of missing people, but this was the least of our worries following this storm.
Close your eyes and reminisce about when you were a child and your family had a landline in your home. Do you ever recall a situation where your family lost the ability to make a phone call? Those were the good old days because no one was addicted to their phones, and life continued. If you couldn’t call your best friend, you would hop on your bike and ride down the street to their house. Or your mom reassured you that you could try to reach them later. In the worst case, you had to wait until school the next day to tell your best friend whatever it was that you deemed so urgent the day prior. Now, with the luxury of cell phones, we expect to be able to reach anyone at any time, no matter the weather or situation.
Following Hurricane Helene, the lack of communication presented many challenges for the affected counties in Western North Carolina. [TW1] The fear of trying to contact a loved one, a friend, or another human being was indescribable. Your only option is to keep going to your vehicle and listening to the local radio station for updates. They tell you this road has been washed away, or the flood level of this waterway is higher than ever before, and houses are being washed away. Your mom lives next to that river, and you’ve been unable to reach her. Can you put into words what you are feeling at this very moment?
DIANE HANEY – Candler, North Carolina
What were you doing the day of the storm?
“I was hanging out at home with my two dogs, Smokey and Chaos, and trying to keep Smokey calm because he’s scared of storms, and I was worried about my girlfriend because I couldn’t get a hold of her. Didn’t have any cell service or power. I tried to leave and go see her, but there was no way out. Every way I turned, it was either flooded or trees down.”
Did you ever make it out of your area?
“Nope. I tried driving my old truck and then went back home and got my motorcycle, but it was about out of gas, and I still couldn’t get around the trees, downed powerlines, or flooding.”
How prepared were you for the storm?
“I wasn’t prepared because I just figured we’d have a lot of rain. We’ve got a couple of ponds in my neighborhood, and I was shocked to see them flooding, but we’d had rain for two or three days before Helene.”
What scared you the most about the storm?
“Not being able to get in touch with my girlfriend to make sure she was okay. A day or two after the storm, I had a friend who tried to help people, but the police weren’t allowing them into the areas. He told me about seeing bodies in trees, and I just can’t get that picture out of my mind.”
What lessons did you learn, or what do you want other people to know?
“First, I will make sure that I have a full tank of gas in all my vehicles because we couldn’t find gas for days after the storm. Second, I bought a generator because we were without power for so long. I’m thankful I live in a camper and cook on a grill most nights. And, third, I’ll make sure to have plenty of dog food on hand because that was hard to find, too.
I need everyone to know that a hurricane is no joke. It doesn’t matter where you live, it can destroy everything. I don’t care if you want to call it Hurricane Helene or Tropical Storm Helene, it’s all the same. As far as I’m concerned, I will always call it Hurricane Hell because I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime, and I pray I never see anything like it again.”
JOHN DOE (ANONYMOUS) – Swannanoa, North Carolina
Tell me about your Hurricane Helene experience.
“September 27, 2024, was the worst day due to Hurricane Helene. I'm from Swannanoa, North Carolina. We didn't think of preparing because of the past Hurricanes that only caused some flooding, but nothing like this. Flooding in Swannanoa was never this bad. No one was prepared for this type of flooding.”
Did you lose anything in the storm?
“The only thing I lost personally was what was in my freezer and refrigerator. Residents closer to the river lost almost everything they had. Some people didn't lose as much as others. Houses were gone, and many lives were lost. The flood was estimated to be around 30 feet above the Beacon Bridge. Some businesses were gone. No matter how you think the next flood will be, it's best to be prepared even if it doesn't happen.”
Can you think of anything positive that came out of the storm?
“The only positive thing I can think of is how the community rallied together to help out where it was needed.”
Do you plan to stay here?
“Personally, I will stay in Swannanoa because I have lived here so long. I knew a lot of people who passed away from the storm. The water was so high that the only thing you could see was rooftops.”
Were you able to help anyone during or after the storm?
“I live on the Old Highway 70 side of the Swannanoa River. I personally went down that way to see if there was any way I could help. When I got as far as I could go, it was devastating to see. Cars, utility trailers, 20 and 40-ft containers were going down the river, which had completely covered the roads. As far as I could see, there was nothing but water. No power, no drinkable water, no cell service for days to come. People on the Old Highway 70 side of the river had no way to get out, and no one could get in until Saturday, the 28th, and that was only by UTVs [Utility Task Vehicles] or boat.”
[i] www.usatoday.com, Randy Aldridge, Top 10 Deadliest Hurricanes, Oct. 6, 2024.
[ii] www.cnn.com, Ray Sanchez, The Power of Water: How Helene Devastated Western North Carolina, Oct. 6, 2024, 7:05 PM.
[iii] www.wavy.com/100-years-later, Keaton Eberly and Laura Smith, Oct. 12, 2024, 8:02 AM.
[iv] www.carriermanagement.com and AccuWeather, Helene Damage Numbers Climb, Sept. 27, 2024.
[TW1]I rewrote. I’m not sure about this sentence. I know what you’re saying about the carrier pigeons. But I’m wondering if it might be worded differently.
Hurricane Helene: Resiliency After the Storm – Part One is a powerful and deeply human account of devastation in Western North Carolina, a region often thought to be naturally protected by its mountains. Initially described as a tropical storm, Helene quickly intensified into a hurricane, and early warnings failed to capture the magnitude of destruction. The book recounts the immediate impact on communities, homes, pets, and the natural environment, providing a vivid and empathetic picture of the storm’s aftermath.
Content Warning: This book includes photographs and descriptions of death and loss, which may be emotionally challenging for some readers.
The author writes with transparency and purpose. While many individuals were able to provide hands-on assistance after the storm, her role was to document experiences and preserve the memories of those affected. Proceeds from book sales support restoration and relief efforts, ensuring that her work contributes meaningfully to recovery. While personal reflections and emotional responses are interwoven, occasionally blurring the line between objective recounting and subjective interpretation, these nuances highlight the author’s deep investment in the subject and her commitment to honoring affected communities.
The narrative flows effortlessly, particularly when presenting multiple perspectives from survivors. It is straightforward and well-organized, covering several counties in Western North Carolina, as well as referencing other states impacted by the hurricane. This structure allows readers to understand both the immediate and broader regional effects, while keeping the story accessible and engaging.
The emotional weight of the story is palpable. Lives, homes, pets, and landscapes were lost, and the book conveys the human complexity of disaster—many cannot leave due to financial or health constraints, and even those who evacuate may face significant loss. As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, I found a profound sense of understanding while reading. The story highlights themes of resilience, community response, and the importance of empathy, demonstrating how firsthand accounts can deepen our awareness of the human cost of natural disasters.
I received a copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery in exchange for my honest opinion. I rate it four stars because it is a story everyone could benefit from reading. It is particularly suited for those interested in natural disasters, regional history, or human resilience. Through clear, empathetic storytelling, the book leaves readers with insight, perspective, and appreciation for the strength and solidarity of affected communities.