The rain came in like a blessing. A gentle hand to wipe a little mud away. It’s been four weeks with no rain here in Spartanburg. Believe it or not, we needed this.
Mill Spring is recovering, and also providing a lot of support to their neighbors around Lake Lure. I know a lot of good people out that way. You can tell from driving through that they took a lot of damage – both flooding and wind. The chainsaws have been as hard at work in this area as they were in Spartanburg County, and I still hold the theory that the vortex bore north and slightly west from here through the mountains. The sign for the pick-your-own vegetable stand is still up, although the tent was torn up, and I’m not actually sure if it’s operating or not. There are areas on Highway 9, around the Green River and Little White Oak Creek, where I kept the windows rolled up from the flood mud. (I’ve seen it really bad on Highway 11 and Coxe Road as well.) It’s really heartening to see the horses, cattle, goats, back out in the pastures.
The Dark Corner is famous for breeding some of the finest horses in the world. Believe it or not, I have a little experience with taking care of horses (and mucking out stables lol), back when I was a kid in North Carolina. I’m not claiming to be a seasoned rider or anything; it’s been many years since I was on the back of a horse. Just saying, they’re pretty cool animals – and sensitive creatures with a lot of needs, very difficult to keep and raise in captivity.
There are hollers around Polk and Spartanburg Counties. You find then around Clifton, Glendale, New Prospect, Campobello, Mill Spring, Green Creek, Green Hill. These are NOT tourist towns – they’re mainly farming communities in the foothills, with houses, trailers, cabins, shacks, sometimes nestled along dirt roads in the low spaces between ancient hills that are only a couple hundred feet high. Thank goodness they all seem to be getting back on their feet – from what I’ve seen anyway – but you do still see the scars everywhere you look. Clifton and Glendale in particular looked like they were in rough shape, and they are not a particularly wealthy area. There is SO much roadside debris to still be cleared, all over the place. We need to find a way to store the usable lumber and, uh, use it. That’s tons and tons of healthy pine and oak wood that snapped, and shouldn’t all go to waste.
I’m also really concerned about the orchards in Cherokee and Spartanburg Counties. They took on massive flooding from the Broad and Pacolet Rivers, as well as extensive and intense wind damage. These same farms have already struggled this past season, when flooding earlier in the year took out strawberry crops; the year before, a late frost zapped the peach harvest, forcing some farmers to source peaches from Georgia just to have something to sell in the roadside markets. Those markets support a lot of local farmers who are going to need a lot of busines – they’ve kept us fed for generations, and if we lose those farms, they will be bought up by corporations to put subdivisions, or those giant gray concrete monstrosities on instead.
So I guess what I’m saying is…
Come out to the mountains and the foothills.
Come to a town that’s open for business.
Come fill up at a roadside farmer’s stand, or visit a local farmer’s market. It’s healthier anyway, I promise you.
If the local community hubs can’t take your donations, you might find someone on the side of the road who needs then.
There’s a whole lot of good happening right now in the mountains, and we should all be a part of it.
Be safe and have a wonderful weekend 
Mill Spring (supporting Chimney Rock as well): Tryon Equestrian
Asheville: WNC Farmers Market
Hendersonville: Hendersonville Farmers Market
Spartanburg: Hub City Farmers’ Market
Bellews Country Store
Tate Meatworks
Travelers Rest: Travelers Rest Farmers Market
Greenville: Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery
Pumpkintown: Pumpkintown Mountain Opry
Aunt Sue’s Country Corner
Landrum: Landrum Farmers Market
Campobello/Little Chicago: Peach Country Roadside Market
Chesnee/Campobello: Strawberry Hill USA Farm
Gaffney/Cowpens/West Spartanburg: Abbott Farms Produce
Cowpens: Cowpens Farmers Market
Boiling Springs/Inman: Hughey Farms
Boiling Springs/Cherokee Springs: Belue Farms Natural Market
One month later, I finally hear the train running again. I’ve always said it sounds like it’s singing through the trees. It’s a haunting pitch, but comforting in its own way. I know this song well.
I wish I could hear the owls again. A few days after the storm, I heard one calling… and I didn’t hear the other respond. I haven’t heard either one since that night. I hope their chicks will come back here to roost one day.
I guess this is what recovery sounds like.
The sounds you once knew and the sounds that you won’t hear anymore. One instrument picks up the refrain while the other takes its rest.
I just don’t want to wake up and hear the river from my bed again. I prefer the creek’s quiet hum and gentle rhythms.
You want to visit the mountains? You want to see beautiful fall colors? You want to support folks who need it without putting yourself in traumatic situations? You wanna just take a regular vacation, darn it?
Highway 11. That’s where you go.
You take I-85 right up to the giant peach. Yes that giant peach. You stop at Abbott Farms Produce and get you some of their apple bread. I mean it.
You just take that highway, skip through I-85 nonsense, and ride baby ride through the most picturesque autumn mountain scenery with the least amount of traffic. Chesnee is a great little town to stop for gas and food. They got hit REAL hard by Helene, and that town is full of a bunch of great people – a lot of the best folks I’ve known have lived in Chesnee. There’s an archery shop, a tattoo parlor, an herbalist, and a coffee truck all right next to each other. Bantam Chef Restutant is a local favorite.
Then you will drive past Strawberry Hill USA Farm, which is quite literally the most picturesque farmland I’ve ever seen in my life. Rolling green hills, rusted tractors nestled along aging barns, more American flags than you can shake a p*litician at. You can watch it all from rocking chairs on the front porch of their general store/ice cream shop.
After you pass through Campobello, you gotta stop at Peach Country Roadside Market where Highway 11 meets the very very end of New Cut Road, because the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from there is perfect. Then you turn around and hope you’re lucky enough to pick up one of those ice cream pies from that nice Amish lady who writes “God loves you” on all of them.
You’ll wanna drive safe and careful through Cleveland (yes, this is a small mountain town in SC), on your way to a magical place called Pumpkintown. The trees are just as orange as the town’s namesake right now. Pumpkintown Mountain Opry is the coolest building in South Carolina, with a fascinating history, AND really good pumpkin spice lattes. Aunt Sue’s Country Corner is a cozy marketplace full of local artisan goods. Also, consider pulling over to enjoy the view of Table Rock for a few minutes at Grant Meadow Overlook, like I did in these photos.
The photos that will come next are of a place so beautiful, I won’t even tell you where it is.
That’s up to you to explore.
Drive safe 
I have shown you destruction because that was the reality. Now I’m going to show you miracles – those of nature and those of man – because that’s the reality right now, too.
I passed by a thousand rhododendron bushes yesterday, in mountains that weren’t hit nearly as hard as the Hickory Nut Gorge. But without a doubt, the only flower I’ve seen on any of them… has been this one in Lake Lure. 30 days after the flooding began.
Yes, I do believe in miracles.
Pick yourself up and carry on. You are going to get through this, and you are going to be okay. 
“The glittering leaves of the rhododendrons
Balance and vibrate in the cool air;
While in the sky above them
White clouds chase each other.”
–John Gould Fletcher
This is the best explanation anyone has provided so far of what happened that day.
Ashevillewx-Meteorologist Hunter Ward
10/27/24Helene and What Happened in WNC? It has taken me some time to reflect on this life changing event. What didn’t really seem possible on models leading up to the storm, came to fruition. Each run winds got higher and rainfall totals increased. For 3 days leading up to this storm I had near sleepless nights. Why? Because this storm just felt different. On Wednesday an Upper Level Low moved into place over Tennessee and it began to interact with a moisture push that was far out in front of Hurricane Helene. By late Wednesday evening many areas had already received over 5” of rainfall with some areas seeing 10”+ of rain from the initial push of moisture. Along the Blue Ridge Escarpment the rainfall was just wrung out of the atmosphere and excessive rates fell in locations like Lake Lure & Bat Cave, NC. We could have easily survived this inital punch with little repercussions here in WNC. The mountains shed that initial push relatively well and if the rain had stopped life would have quickly returned to normal. As we know, that wasn’t the case. With the Upper Level Low still in place on Thursday evening over TN as Helene made landfall it rotated toward the Upper Level Low by way of the Fujiwhara Effect. This is important because this large scale effect in the atmosphere kept Helene from recurving and slammed it right into WNC. As we progressed to Friday morning soggy soil awaited 50mph+ winds and another 3”-10” of rainfall. As stated in many of my posts before the storm, this was a recipe for a natural disaster. The right front quadrant of a Hurricane is always the strongest part of the storm. You can vividly see the trail that the right front quadrant took by just looking at the wind damage maps. From Bat Cave to far North Yancey Co. the wind damage to the trees is just astonishing. A 20-30 mile path of just an absolute desecration of trees. Now other areas got high winds and tree damage, but this 20-30 mile area got the worst of it due to the right front quadrant. Winds gusted over 100mph at Mt. Mitchell and you can clearly see around Black Mountain, Swannanoa ect where those mountains have been scalped (photo below). The trees are just gone or all pushed over. What happened next changed the entire landscape of WNC. As those trees fell, the soil around them that was already extremely loose, let go of the mountain. With that soil now moving it was similar to a domino effect. Those trees and soil hit other trees knocking them down and gravity brought those flows down the path of least resistance. Unearthing boulders, these flows eroded everything in their path and when they arrived at the main channels they began to create dams. Remember that rainfall rates increased significantly as those highest winds gusts moved through WNC and then persisted for 2-3 hours after. As those rainfall rates increased, the mud/debris/boulder slides continued and enhanced. So you have debris flows coming from many locations where water barely flows and then those debris flows moved into the main channels (French Broad River, Swannanoa River, Pigeon River, Cane River and several others). As the water rose, so did the debris content in the water. Whole trees from higher up on the mountains made their way into the valleys below. Water leaves the mountains very quickly and all that mud, boulders, and debris begin to exit at an incredibly pace. Water rose to record levels along many creek and river basins moving into many businesses and homes that had never seen water inside before. As the water rose many structures began to be struck by debris as well. That created extra resistance in the water flow and put extreme force on many structures foundations. We saw countless foundations fail due to debris and water inundation. As those foundations failed, the structures became in a crude way, a boat. As these structures met rapids the river turned into a blender. At each overpass structures were mangled and dunked into the river. By 11am on Friday, most of the rivers were closing in on peak flow. By 3pm the sun was coming out in many locations. Without communication, no one knew how bad things were. There were many locations that only had power outages and downed trees. People in WNC knew flooding was happening but unless you were witnessing the rivers it was hard to fathom what was happening all around. So, after about noon on Friday the people of WNC went to work. We started checking on our neighbors and getting a plan of action. We all eventually remembered radios and we turned it on to 570WWNC. Listening for mere moments and all of your senses were heightened. Swannanoa is gone? Chimney Rock gone? Garren Creek? The water system is destroyed? Over a million without power? Thousands missing? WTF just happened. I was predicting a life altering storm, but I don’t think I could have imagined what was about to occur. As we came to this realization that life would never be the same, WNC didn’t hide, we jumped into action. In hindsight, I wish I would have pulled up google earth to reiterate vulnerable neighborhoods. As meteorologists we will continue to work to get the message out and learn from each event. This community that I grew up in and have called home for 35 years continues to amaze me. I love you so much WNC.
THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM SPARTANBURG COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES REGARDING IMPORTANT HELENE UPDATES
– FEMA Disaster Recovery Center is here until November 6th / 8am-7pm / 175 Community College Dr Spartanburg
– Have Debris that you cannot afford to cut and/or remove? – Call Crisis Cleanup Hotline at 844-965-1386 – Deadline to call is November 1st – Once again, that number is 844-965-1386
– Can’t attend the DRC in-person, call FEMA at 800-621-3362
– Storm-related vehicle damage? FEMA may be able to provide financial assistance to help fill the gap – Find out more by coming to the DRC at 175 Community College Dr Spartanburg, or going online at disasterassistance.gov, or calling 1-800-621-3362
Thank you everyone
Messages from friends asking how you’ve been, reminders to stay in touch…
A big hug from someone you didn’t hear from until days after the storm passed…
Pregnancy photos in the fall mountain colors from a friend bringing new life back into the world…
Last minute road trips to Asheville for a night out with friends at an open and inviting business…
And honestly, that drive up I-26 at night, you can pretend nothing happened a month ago. You can forget for a little while. It all looks the same as you travel back down into the Dark Corner with only headlights to guide your way.
You can’t actually forget. The entire world has been shifted here, unmistakably, irreversibly. There is a before and an after, and there always will be. Yet even after everything, it still feels like the mountains are helping me more than anything I can give back.
Appalachia will endure.
My very awesome friends and followers donated some funds to help this crew get some additional fuel and supplies:
…And there was much rejoicing.
10/31/24 coming to you with a personal update 
Black Mountain, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Old Fort, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Marion, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Hendersonville, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Asheville, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Mill Spring, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Saluda, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Tryon, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Rutherfordton, NC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Landrum, SC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Chesnee, SC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Gowensville, SC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Pumpkintown, SC is OPEN FOR BUSINESS
I SEENT IT. 
Ya’ll drive safe and Happy Halloween
Carolina Strong 
Good morning
EDIT 11/4: it’s been 3 days now, and some of this information has changed or been specified by the hubs themselves. Communicate with the hubs themselves/check their official channels for updates on what they need today! Thank you to everyone who has been sharing.
–
Saluda hub: Green River Adventures
distributing supplies at
150 East Main St, Saluda, NC 28773
Swannanoa hub: Restoration Church of God
needs BUILDING MATERIALS AND BUILDERS at
90 Buckeye Access Rd, Swannanoa, NC 28778
(UPDATE 11/4: Mary Beth Poole has been providing regular updates foe this hub)
Black Mountain hub: Silverados
needs HELP WITH ORGANIZATION AND DISTRIBUTING
2898 Highway 70, Black Mountain, NC 28711
(UPDATE 11/4: find full updated list at Valley Strong Disaster Relief)
Old Fort hub: The Davis Country Store & Cafe
needs HEATERS, GENERATORS, CAMPING STOVES AND BUTANE
75 East Main St, Old Fort, NC 28762
(UPDATE 11/4: find full updated list on their page, specifies what kind of gear and fuel they need)
Spruce Pine: Project Skyline
needs GENERATORS, HEATERS & FUEL at
12255 Highway 226A, Spruce Pine, NC 28777
(UPDATE 11/4: find full updated list on their page)
There are a lot more needs than this.
There are a lot more hubs than thus.
I’m just keeping it simple here.
Let me know if any updates or corrections are needed.
Be safe ya’ll
This is what recovery looks like
Please support the town of Saluda.
And please bring FOOD to: Green River Adventures on East Main Street.
The town of Saluda, NC is named for the mountains in which it sits – where the Saluda Grade Railroad once crested, picking up and dropping off passengers multiple times a day between Spartanburg and Asheville.
Much like Tryon a few miles down the mountains, the town is now better known for its cute, colorful downtown shops and restaurants, and the sprawling horse farms located outside of town. Here, you can pickup homemade soaps, lotions, honeys, baskets of farm-fresh produce, bottles of fruit cider and home decorations. You could finish your holiday shopping by this afternoon without spending a moment at the mall. (Tell your wife!)
Cheerful flowers poke out of pots along the sidewalk. Ice cream parlors and general stores beckon with doors wide like open arms. Mewdlic’s made me a real good cup of coffee, and hosts jam nights on Wednesdays and Fridays – musicians are welcome to stop in!
There is art! There is history! There is beauty!
But – stay on the safe roads! Scroll further through these photos to see what you might be driving on if you leave the main highway (176). The highway is CLOSED between Saluda and Tryon, so you’ll want to come in via I-26.
P.S. If you have a bicycle, or heck if you want one, please go support Adventure Cycles NC on the edge of town, and tell him Jessie says hi!
[see original post for photos]
[click here for more photos of Saluda, NC, before and after Helene]
I saw Black Mountain was open for business, and had to go see it for myself. I’m so glad I did!
(Bring cleaning supplies to Silverados!)
There are towns that need help desperately. There are towns that are opening back up for business. And the line between these is way more blurred and indistinct than they should be – but that’s just how it is right now.
In the long term, in order to save towns and homes, we also need to save jobs and livelihoods. We need to save farms, family-owned businesses, downtowns, country roadside shops.
Just like it’s possible for a place to be beautiful and hurt at the same time…
Just like it’s possible to love what you’re doing, and still appreciate the gravity of what has been lost – and survived…
Just like it’s possible to cry out in despair, and to carry on with your head held high…
It’s possible to support Appalachia’s immediate needs, and its long term economy at the same time. Safely AND respectfully.
Drive safe 
Thank you for being here, and thank you for helping us rebuild so much land, and save so many people when time was critical. Thank you for all the donations. The battle is won, and God is good. Now comes the winter.
Appalachia WILL endure. And it will take all of us.
Dark Corner Media & Entertainment 