Staying ‘Mountain Strong’ in the aftermath of the storm

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 10, 2024

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Every month, I look forward to receiving “Our State” magazine in the mail and checking out what’s inside.

There’s always lots of quality content and images along with many themed editions that relate to certain times of the year. I received the October 2024 publication in late September and just set it aside until I had more than just a few minutes to go through it.

Of course, it was indeed early last week – Oct. 1, in fact – before I picked it up again and looked at the cover when a predictable sense of sadness consumed me.

There it was: “Beauty Seeker’s Guide to the Mountains” with a streamer across the top: “45 Pages of Spectacular Autumn Views.”

I almost wanted to cry, looking at that colorful image of the gorgeous mountains, and then my thoughts instantly shifted to seeing the catastrophic damage from a storm of biblical proportions in the N.C. mountains that stretched from the other side of Asheville to beyond Boone due to the effects of Hurricane Helene.

A week later after seeing many photos, videos and coverage along the path of the storm, it still seems like a horrible dream, but we know it’s not.

Lives have been lost and others remain missing with all the destruction caused by the rushing waters and a deluge of downed trees shifting the landscape with a fury that ripped apart homes, businesses and roads. Some towns were virtually wiped off the map.

Then, there are so many people that have been without food, water, power, transportation and no way to communicate with the outside world thanks to no cell service.

How could something like this happen, especially in the mountains? Aren’t hurricanes — particularly those that maintain this kind of intensity — typically unwanted visitors in coastal areas?

I mean, Asheville and Boone are at elevations from more than 2,000 feet above sea level to 3,333 feet, respectively, and both are more than 300 miles from the N.C. coast. Helena actually made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast, which surprisingly is less than 400 miles away from Asheville.

Those in the business of forecasting weather will tell you that it was still a powerhouse storm, plus with its size and moving quickly to the north, Helena maintained tropical storm winds, creating the perfect storm for flooding — even in the mountains. Not surprisingly, it is now the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Katrina, which made landfall near New Orleans in late August 2005.

Going back to my college days when I cast my lot with Appalachian State, the mountains always have held a special place in my heart. I remember going out to one of the overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock during freshmen orientation with other wide-eyed 18-year-olds … to look out and ponder what was in store for me in this new place away from home.

I loved my time there, and after graduating from college, I landed my first real job at the local newspaper and lived in the Boone area for another eight-plus years before another opportunity lured me back to this part of the world.

But I still go back frequently and will always be a Mountaineer!

I pray for all those who have been impacted by this tragedy and have been encouraged by the overwhelming show of support in all possible ways that has been extended to those in desperate need. It’s certainly not going to happen quickly, but with everyone pulling together, positive outcomes can emerge. 

I was reminded of the new shirt members of the App State Football staff were wearing during the team’s first game played after the storm last Saturday at Marshall.

It’s very simple but most appropriate — Mountain Strong. 

You better believe it … in the best and worst of times.