By Kim Dinan, author of KFF Health News. Originally published on KFF Health News.
Before Hurricane Helen, I had stopped by one of the many breweries, art galleries, and award-winning restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina, and talked to people who live in these areas (including myself). Most people would have felt pretty safe. From climate disasters.
The mountains of western North Carolina are known for flooding, and the region is flooded with streams and rivers and receives abundant rain. Occasionally wildfires occur. But the damage from the worst effects of the climate crisis, including increasingly powerful hurricanes, felt like a problem elsewhere. Asheville is approximately 400 miles from the nearest coastline.
Communities are still experiencing the effects of Hurricane Helen, which tore through the state, causing historic flooding, downed trees, downed power lines and destroyed water infrastructure, leaving at least 72 people dead in Buncombe County alone. Shaking off the shock of an unprecedented storm. I thought I might be able to reach these mountains.
“People move to Asheville not only because it’s beautiful, but because it’s less prone to natural disasters,” says Asheville artist Katie Geberly. “But that sense of security is no longer there.”
I live in the historic community of Beech, Weaverville, North Carolina. It is located at the eastern end of a two-lane road called Reams Creek. Reams Creek gets its name from the waterway that runs parallel to it. Just north of Asheville, the town of Weaverville is eight miles down the road.
Helen’s destruction created major problems for people who depend on insulin, power wheelchairs, oxygen CPAP machines for sleep apnea, or home dialysis machines. Without electricity their health is at risk.
Immediately after the storm, cars had to climb over dozens of downed power lines to get from Beech to Weaverville. Other lines were propped up on the branches of large fallen trees or tied with ropes to allow cars to pass underneath. The telephone pole broke in two. A transformer was lying on the roadside, and it was unclear where a fairly large ship had been launched from. Power crews arrived at Reams Creek Road just last week, but there’s no word yet on when power will be restored to everyone.
Jackie Martin of Canton, North Carolina, relies on supplemental oxygen to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. She had four hours left when the storm hit. Because of her illness, Martin and her husband David have a generator, and David makes sure it works every month.
“I have enough gas to last about eight hours,” Jackie Martin said. But Martin’s was without power for nearly a week. When I ran out of gas, my neighbor gave me gas for my lawnmower. Another neighbor then evacuated and offered a propane generator. The Martins’ daughter arrived with four propane tanks.
“We burned a lot of gas and propane,” Jackie Martin said. “We never thought we’d need a drop, and then a little more. Thankfully, the electricity was restored a week later.”
More than 50,000 customers in Buncombe County, population 275,000, were still without power nearly two weeks after the storm. Duke Energy reported a power outage. Number of customers decreased to approximately 1,600 in the Asheville area as of Wednesday.
Debris littering the roads has been removed in most places. Cars, trucks, and military vehicles can pass through. However, huge piles of garbage still line the roads. Buncombe County is asking residents not to burn due to air quality concerns.
In a Biblical apocalyptic scene, a few days after the storm, yellow jackets swarm and seek refuge after their nests are destroyed by falling trees and flooding. Three or four days after the storm hit, paramedics drove through the neighborhood looking for Benadryl. My husband handed over what we had, a half-full bottle.
Helicopters fly overhead day and night. The Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in my neighborhood two Sundays ago and delivered bottled water and food. It could take weeks or months for drinking water to be restored in parts of western North Carolina, including Asheville.
A boil advisory was in effect for Weaverville residents until Oct. 11.
“Sewer and water pipes were disrupted,” Weaverville Mayor Patrick Fitzsimmons said. “Infrastructure was destroyed on a large scale.”
The situation for households with wells is not much better. Now, the pump won’t work without electricity. Additionally, storm-damaged or flooded wells can be at risk. Authorities are urging residents to disinfect wells before drinking water. The federal Environmental Protection Agency distributed kits to residents to test their well water.
A physical therapist at Asheville Specialty Hospital, who asked not to be identified for fear of losing her job, said that in the first few days after the storm, staff members were asked to keep water in their toilets so they could flush them. He said he brought a trash can into the facility. bucket.
“The water stopped and we managed. We took care of people as best we could,” the therapist said. “But the amount of water needed to run the hospital is unsustainable for the amount of time they think the water will run out.”
The hospital is a 34-bed long-term acute care facility located on the street from Mission Hospital in Asheville. Nancy Lindell, a spokeswoman for Mission Health, which operates both hospitals, said in a statement that patients at the organization’s facilities were in “stable condition” and were taken to “hospitals outside of the areas hardest hit by this disaster.” He said there were less than 100 “low-severity patients”.
“This decision, made in collaboration with more than 50 physicians and nursing leaders, will help ensure our ability to meet our region’s most critical needs,” she said. “Caregivers working 24 hours a day will also have peace of mind after the storm.”
Congressman Chuck Edwards, who represents North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, said FEMA has shipped 6 million liters of water and 4 million personal meals to western North Carolina. FEMA has promised to provide 120 truckloads of food and water per day, without specifying an end date. the Republican congressman said..
The Biden administration also We have started an emergency program A service for uninsured North Carolinians to replace lost prescriptions and medical devices.
Weaverville Mayor Fitzsimmons said he is concerned about the storm’s impact on mental health. “People will be without electricity or running water for long periods of time,” he says. “Their nerves are frayed.”
Richard Zeng, chief medical officer at North Carolina-based Vaya Health, said recovery will take time.
“We are now at a stage where we have to deal with the effects of the ongoing trauma that we have all suffered,” Zeng said. “Connect with others. Don’t isolate yourself too much. Eat. Sleep. Try to get back to your normal routine. Do whatever you can to reduce your stress.”
For me, it’s always been about hiking and running through ancient mountains. But there are now too many uprooted trees to do that safely. Instead, I take solace on the porch, grateful to still have a porch to sit on. It’s almost a perfect day in Appalachia. The sky is painfully blue. I listen to the birds chirping, but all I hear is the generator.
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