When you look at homes for rent in WNC right now: if the trees in the background are green and full, the photos were probably taken before the storm.
Best of my knowledge
UPDATE 11/4: needs at The Davis Country Store & Cafe in Old Fort have changed – see their page for more details. They need heaters, cold weather XL and XXXL jackets, dorm fridges, bedsheets, camping stoves, butane.
It’s Thanksgiving season now 
Gonna hit different for a lot of us this year.
All I know is, there’s something beautiful going on in the WNC mountains, and there is a whole lot to be thankful for this year.
Life is hard for a lot of people right now. There’s a lot of need in a lot of areas – I’m just condensing and summarizing information as best as I can here.
Every single donation I see is an example of love.
It’s love that someone has for a complete stranger – to say “I see you. You have survived and you will continue to survive. You deserve to be here.”
Just look how much love came out of something so awful. Look how many ways people have found to get around every obstacle, save every person possible, stabilize society and put the region immediately on the path towards rebuilding. Look how people have come together in a way we haven’t seen in this country in a very, very long time. It gives you hope. It gives you real faith in humanity. It makes you feel alive.
I’m honored to be a part of it in any way I can.
But there are some real heroes out there doing incredible work every day. They need our help 
Appalachia WILL endure!
Exodus 20:4
This is not a political post.
This is a reminder that no politician will be your savior.
No human being can fix the entire world, end all wars, feed every hungry child, and coordinate every effort towards growth and progress. Not you, not me, not the most dedicated volunteer or the most pious preacher.
And another reminder: no matter who you vote for in this election…
You deserve a roof over your head.
You deserve a hot meal and a cold glass of water.
You deserve peace and safety for yourself and your children.
You deserve to be here, and I’m glad that you are.
If you do admire a person for their deeds and actions, speak of them truthfully and openly. False stories of valor and sparkly AI are not needed.
Today, and all week is a great time to thank a line worker, offer some food to someone on the street who looks hungry, and drive safe on the roads.
America has always been so much more than our leader at the moment.
[see original post for images]
Pssst… let me tell ya’ll a secret:
Lake Monticello is absolutely gorgeous.
I sure did take all these photos 
Not bad for a phone camera, amirite?
[click here for more photos of Lake Monticello]
This is rough to see…
Fairview sits at the top of the Hickory Nut Gorge – just south of Swannanoa, on Hwy 74A between the Biltmore Village, and Chimney Rock. This is where the headwaters of Gap Creek and Reed Creek are located, and where Porters Cove, Buckeye Cove, and Jim’s Branch eventually drain. What we are probably seeing here are the floodwaters – and houses and cars – that swept from the Swannanoa River down to Chimney Rock. The Lake Lure dam eventually prevented all of this debris and muck from flooding Upstate SC and Polk, Rutherford, and Cleveland Counties – a dam where the flood gates had risen from 9 to 27 feet just hours before Helene even hit. Although we were warned during the storm the dam was expected to fail, miraculously, it held.
In the very first days or even hours after the storm, you may have seen the aerial photos from local news organizations proclaiming that Hwy 74A had become a river itself with all the flooding. Here, you’re getting the close-up view of that same river. At time of writing, more than five weeks later, 74A remains inaccessible downstream around Bat Cave and Chimney Rock. (It’s generated a lot of conspiracy theories, but there is a really simple explanation why the road was washed out in some areas, and you’re seeing it here unfortunately.)
In the early days after the storm, Fairview did not have power or utilities and was barely accessible. Their pharmacy was operating in the dark just to get prescriptions out to residents in need.
Please keep this town, Oteen, Gerton, and Bat Cave in your thoughts, as they recover and rebuild 
In the heart of downtown Columbia, the Saluda and Broad Rivers converge to form the Congaree. 130 miles from the Lake Lure dam, the mud level is over your head throughout the park.
[see original post for more photos]
[click here for more photos of Riverfront Park, downtown Columbia]
I recalled that the floodwaters had made their way through the Midlands after they passed through the mountains and the foothills. I remember my friends around Columbia astonished that they were being flooded days after the hurricane. However, more than five weeks after the storm, it was jarring to see how high the floodwaters had risen more than 100 miles away from the Lake Lure dam, where the Broad River rose at the floodgates from 9 to 27 ft in less than 24 hours before the storm even hit.
There was a man standing waist-deep in the river, fishing. It’s a public river and he had every right to do so. There was no public warning about the bacterial contamination still detected in the Broad River upstream – particularly from Lake Lure, where sewage was still seeping into the water, leading to high E.coli bacteria levels being detected just miles from the South Carolina state line.
Honestly I see some absolutely awful and horrifying scenes, things that replay in your mind when you go back home to “normal”
and then I see a post about a woman who lost everything, and was randomly gifted a new pair of pajamas, and she’s sharing her joy and gratitude for this anonymous gifter
and yeah I can keep going, I can keep doing this. Yeah. It’s worth it.
It’s different when it’s not behind a phone screen though. There are folks living with this every day, and it’s what’s left of their homes, everything they know and love. Helping… helps with everything.
There are signs along the road that say “THANK YOU FOR HELPING”
–
I know trauma. It’s an old friend of mine.
You think you’ve seen it all.
But the human brain is not meant to comprehend this level of devastation… because this isn’t supposed to happen. The geographic scale of damage, paired with the heartbreak and the toll it has taken, is incomprehensible. I want to say “unreal,” because it’s not. It’s extremely real. Not everything in WNC right now is tourist-friendly like most of the photos I’ve shown you recently.
I’m no stranger to the brain’s survival mode.
Or the body’s starvation mode.
There’s gonna be a lot of need for help through Thanksgiving.
There’s gonna be a lot of need for help through Christmas, Haunukkah, and whoever’s inauguration day.
There’s gonna be a lot of need for help through the springtime, when we’ve got the mountains cleaned up better and flowers are blooming on the trees again, and people have a warm place to sleep and a warm bowl of food that they know where it’s coming from.
We are going to make it happen, because I’ve never seen so many people come together for so much good in my life. They are working miracles out there. And deep in the holler, further back into the far corners where so many died but hope lived on, they are praying for ya’ll to get there to help them rebuild their roads, their homes, their stores. They are praying for food and warmth through the winter to come. I don’t always know the best way to do this. But I do trust in the path before my feet – or my wheels – when I’m following the Lord. I do that by following my conscience, and so are so many other folks right now. So many people doing God’s work and ya’ll don’t even know. God bless all of ya’ll.
๐
I’m gonna tell you one really good thing you can do for folks who need it right now:
You can order a Christmas tree from Avery or Watauga County, North Carolina.
– Elk Park Evergreens
– G&S Trees
– Cartner Christmas Tree Farm
– Evergreen Ridge Christmas Tree Farm
– Sugar Mountain Wreath
– Christmas Tree Hill Garden Center
– Sugar Plum Farm
– Trinity Tree Farm
– Sugar Grove Tree Farm
– Twin Pines Nursery
– Franklin Tree Farms
– Hidden Cove Tree Farm
– Rusty Spur Christmas Tree Farm
– Wolf Creek Tree Farm
– Bluestone Greenery
– Greene Family Tree Farm
– Clawson’s Tree Farm
Good morning 
Landslides you’ll mostly see in the higher elevations/High Country, although I have seen some as far southeast as Spartanburg County. Remember – the rain and the tree loss were so dramatic during the storm, they unearthed entire boulders that came down from the mountains. I have seen homes that were taken out by landslides – and others I couldn’t believe were still standing. Especially up in McDowell, Mitchell, Avery Counties, but that’s just what I’ve seen. ETA: I shouldn’t leave out Rutherford and Polk either.
We are looking at rain showers, but not severe storms, coming into WNC this week – and remember it is a huge region, so that doesn’t mean everyone’s gonna get rain at the same time. Just note that we have had very little rain overall since Helene. There is the positive side of washing some mud and dust away, but it brings its own set of challenges as well – not to mention the folks who are sleeping in tents in the rain. I’m also thinking about more precarious poles and trees coming down. Even Spartanburg, one of the first cities accessed and cleared by FEMA crews after the storm, has not been able to fix up all of our storm damage yet. There may also be a lot of anxiety and trauma response for survivors dealing with the weather all over again.
Use extreme caution while traveling this week – especially if you’re headed to the High Country – and don’t take any unnecessary risks. 
When I woke up on the morning of Election Day 2024, I heard rain, and my very first thought was of landslides.
I don’t even live in a location where that would be a concern for me personally.
Before the WNC situation, most folks followed me for my takes on music or politics (I prefer both of them to be independent.) Western North Carolina is a deeply politically divided region – yet in the wake of Helene and the urgency of survival that united us all under a common banner, partisan politics had become an annoyance, a fly buzzing at my ear to remind me that there were people in this country who just didn’t understand how critical our situation was right now.
However, with arguably one of the most important choices in our nation’s history upon our doorstep, even I was finding it difficult to evade both the elephant AND the donkey in the room much longer.
In 2016 I was a political science and mass communications student at UNC Charlotte. In 2020 I was sitting in Pack Square, downtown Asheville, NC when they announced Biden had won the election. For the past six weeks, I have crisscrossed the land I love in order to deliver supplies, talk to locals, see for myself what’s going on and where help is most desperately needed, raise awareness in the right directions. This is what I have to say about WNC, politics, and the election:
There was one supply drop, weeks ago… deep in a very badly hit area of WNC, where only one volunteer was trying to manage a large site that day. As I walked trying to find someone, I encountered a man and his young son. The man mostly spoke Spanish, and his son was translating for him. He told me they were looking for a generator, and they had heard they could find one there, but they couldn’t find anyone to talk to, and didn’t want to walk inside and take things without permission.
We were above 2000 feet.
As I spoke to them, a man approached us to explain about the man not speaking much English, the son translating, and the generator they were looking for. He had been trying to help them already before this point. He wasn’t a volunteer, so I imagine he was a neighbor.
He was wearing a ะขrump 2024 shirt. The internet tells me this cannot be.
But it’s a very familiar logo along with probably 80-90% of the signs and flags you see in people’s yards, except for Asheville. Other than Buncombe County, I expect ะขrump and most Republican candidates to win most races in WNC today. In case ya’ll were wondering. I don’t believe many folks had a strong change of opinion either way after the storm, and if anything, it probably solidified feelings on both sides – this is a deep red region all the way down into most of South Carolina.
That man and his son left, I think, before either of us found a volunteer. I hope they found a generator soon. I hope there are enough resources for folks who are dealing with language barriers. In addition to Spanish, there’s also a large Eastern European immigrant presence in Spartanburg and Polk Counties, and I hope they are getting any translation services they might need. I hope the man in the ะขrump shirt trying to help him also has what he needs by now. Even though public resources are already scarce in many rural communities, there have been churches, federal aid, local volunteers, and NGOs helping the Hispanic communities and immigrant communities overcome those language barriers to getting the help they need. I just hope there is enough.
Don’t call this an official poll, but just based on the political signs in people’s own lawns, ะขrump will win WNC. Feel however you feel about it, I’m just telling you what I’ve seen. Buncombe County is the most populated by far, so in terms of overall population, it’s a little more even. In areas where they are still mucking out homes – or sleeping in tents – you don’t really see political signs like that.
In the most badly affected areas, I mostly just see signs that say “THANK YOU” or “THANK YOU FOR HELPING”. That’s the message they have for America. That is what WNC wants the public to know: Thank you for helping.
But there’s something that the siqq memers, the most brilliant political analysts in DC, and the Washington Post journalists in those FB groups, don’t quite understand – and I don’t think anyone could understand it unless they come out and experience it for themselves. But I will attempt to explain it to you anyway:
When survival mode kicked in, party politics went straight out the window. What we saw instead is what humans are truly made of, in the darkest moments – or weeks for some – before the outside world could even reach them. We saw some awful, horrible things… and still see them every day. But we’ve also seen an incredible amount of GOOD happening. People are looking to help in any way they can, and people who need help will get it from wherever they can as well. Who cares about those barriers? They only divide us and slow us down towards building a better future for everyone.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU to everyone who’s donated, everyone who’s shown up to help, everyone who has received and sorted and handed out those donations, everyone who has helped get the word out. Thank you to crews from Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, who came to clear trees and power lines in the early days and weeks, making it possible for us to reach our neighbors with critical aid.
That’s EVERYONE across the political spectrum, people who have never voted before now, people who never will vote. America – and beyond – came together for America, right here in Western Carolina, torn apart more than once by conflict in our history – but now focused on protecting, feeding, and rebuilding our communities, just as Americans should. Just as everyone should. Regardless of how the election turns out, regardless of how you voted…
If what is happening in WNC could happen all over the country right now, we could save America, and turn things in the right direction. Regardless of who the President or Mayor is. What we truly need is each other.
–
One more thing I really need ya’ll to understand right now:
A huge number of early voting and mail-in ballots were cast in North Carolina, especially in the mountains, where getting to the polls and back today just wasn’t a guaranteed option. This is even more early and mail-in ballots for NC than in 2020, when covid pandemic concerns caused many voters to mail in their votes or vote early, and the resulting delay in counting those ballots contributed to conspiracy theories later on.
Every vote deserves to be counted. These folks deserve to be heard more than anybody, especially at the local and county levels. What happens after today will affect their rebuilding for years to come, and those needs look different in each district and each county.
I expect that it could be a few days before we know the results of the election – it might not be announced tonight. North Carolina is a swing state. They cannot rush this process.
Unfortunately it’s a perfect storm for disinformation and conspiracy theories this time around, too. For the sake of the people of WNC and all Appalachia, I am begging ya’ll to avoid spreading rumors and hitting the share button immediately on something, without thinking and maybe even researching it first. We – your neighbors, We the People – cannot afford more deception and panic right now.
We are STILL in survival mode, and there are still folks without generators who need to stay warm as it gets colder up there. That is more important. That’s what the news needs to report for WNC – send help regardless of who wins.
The best and biggest middle finger you can give to the system right now is to be kind to as many people as possible, help your fellow neighbor, and treat others the way you would want to be treated, if that awful storm had hit your town instead.
–
No matter what happens today:
You deserve a warm, dry place to sleep.
You deserve to know where your next meal is coming from.
You deserve peace.
You deserve your oxygen tank and your hormonal prescription.
You deserve a break after all this.
You deserve less s p a m.
You are going to get through this, and you are going to be okay.
I believe in ya’ll. And ya’ll means all.
I believe in America.
I believe in people.
You should come and see it. 
I was unfriended about a dozen times following that post.
Here’s a trick for insomnia:
When you lay down, try to work your way from your head to your feet, relaxing the tension from every part of your body. Then you want to try not to think about anything at all.
If that’s just not happening – I get it – think about your favorite series, whether it’s TV/Netflix, movies, books, comics, video games, or the stories your grandmother used to tell at night. Try to tell yourself the entire story in chronological order all the way through, but only in your head. You probably won’t make it all the way through.
Hope this helps 
Good night ya’ll
Generally, it takes longer to count all the votes in densely populated, urban areas (like Atlanta or Asheville, which lean Demoัrat) than in smaller rural communities (which tend to vote more conservative). So the early votes that come in will be more Reัublican, the ones that are announced later on in the evening might be more Demoัrat. That’s gonna be the “blue wave” Dems are hoping for this cycle, like every cycle.
That’s also gonna be the difference between “prediction” versus “current vote tallies” right now in the news. The current vote tallies might shift blue in some areas during the night; the predictions should already account for this, although some states and cities are still very much a toss-up.
The three states that are projected for ะขrump at time of writing (Indiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky) were all expected to vote for him anyway.
My friends are scared for their safety and none of them are threatening civil war or denying the results.
Trans friends. Immigrant friends. Survivors of Helene friends.
We are going to get through this and we are going to be alright. It is going to take all of us in order to build a better future overall.
I made a decision long ago that I would NEVER again hold back who I am out of fear. Neither should you. You deserve to be here and I’m glad that you are.
Look out for one another.
Wisconsin just went red.
ะขrump officially wins.
It’s still about us, ya’ll – let’s focus on moving forward and stop giving this man the attention he craves.
Good morning 
We all deserve to be here.
Some Americans vote in what they believe is their own best interest.
Some Americans vote in what they believe is the best interest of their community.
The difference between these two groups is much greater than the difference between Dems and GOP.
But the distinction becomes a LOT blurrier when you are actually at risk of being politically targeted – even in America.
That’s what’s going on right now.
I understand forgiveness now a lot better than I did before.
Not the outcome you would typically expect from a natural disaster.
I’m convinced it’s the only way any of us are going to get anywhere at this point.
Upcoming benefit concerts!!
11/09 (noon) Saturday @ Mountain Brook Vineyards, Rutherfordton, NC
11/09 (evening) Saturday @ Main Street Market Rutherfordton
Contact: Zachary Pruitt
11/15 Friday @ Hayes Auditorium, Banner Elk, NC
11/17 Sunday @ MeeZy White‘s porch party, Spartanburg, SC
Contact: MeeZy White
11/19 Tuesday @ Gilkey School Community Center, Rutherfordton, NC
11/22 Friday @ Sly Grog Lounge, Asheville, NC
Contact: Hayden Dunlap
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None of these events I have any involvement with
God bless all ya’ll
UPDATE 11/08 @ 20:30: this blew up a little bigger than I expected, and a lot of folks are asking why I did not include one town or another. The reason is because this is ALL information I have personally compiled or, in a few cases, gotten from folks I trust on the ground. I’m probably not reporting on your town because I haven’t made it there yet – I’m trying! But I can’t be in every town and holler at once lol.
–
Good morning 
Here’s how the various towns around WNC are doing – to the best of my knowledge:
ASHEVILLE: open for business… somewhat. No potable water yet. South AVL is still VERY messed up. 
EDIT 11/08 @ 20:30 – I can see from a lot of comments that what I think of as “south AVL” AVL thinks of as “east AVL”… the neighborhoods where the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers flooded. I took some smaller internal and back roads around AVL a little while ago – especially east and south – and yeeeeah I can see why the Army was showing back up today.
There are a thousand folks asking about taking care of the homeless in Swannanoa – PLEASE point some of them towards Tunnel Road and RAD, if the tents are still at RAD.
BAT CAVE:
UPDATE 11/08 @ 20:30: very messed up. Folks need help and will into next year.
BLACK MOUNTAIN: open for business… but you still got a lot of folks without homes right now. Be mindful.
ETA: most water is not potable.
BOONE: safe(r) to drive in the city, felt pretty normal, but internet goes in and out so credit card payments are not always an option. Carry cash.
BURNSVILLE: the damage here, as well as Celo, Pensacola, Green Mountain, and Red Hill, was massive. It will take a long time to rebuild.
CHIMNEY ROCK: come back next year.
FLETCHER:
UPDATE 11/08: open for business, but the back roads… I think some of these USED to be roads??
GERTON:
UPDATE 11/08 @ 20:30: damn, it is even worse than I thought. Do not attempt the back roads.
HENDERSONVILLE: if you can cut trees, you can find your fortune here. But it is back open for business. 
LAKE LURE: actually opening up slowly for business – from the south side. Can also come in from the east. Marina probably won’t be open for a good while. Last I knew, sewer was still out.
LENOIR: other than the Army passing through, seemed pretty normal to me.
LITTLE SWITZERLAND: repeat after me: Highway 
226Alt is closed
MARION: open for business
MARSHALL: progress is being made every single day, but I don’t know that they’re quite back open yet.
MORGANTON: open for business.
NEWLAND: it’s improved even just in the last few days, but ya’ll, pray for Newland. Pray for Minneapolis, Cranberry, Elk Park, Roaring Creek, Frank, Spear, and Plumtree. And get some food and HELP out this way!
OLD FORT:
Update 11/08 @ 20:30 – many roads in and around downtown are technically closed to all but local traffic. However, businesses are starting to open up again. A lot of homes were destroyed in this little town and there WILL be ongoing needs throughout the winter.
SALUDA: open for business, but still in need of help as well. Only accessible from I-26. Stay on the main highway for your safety and watch out for landslides.
SPRUCE PINE: trying reeeeally hard to open back up for tourism. Some of the surrounding areas are still in REALLY bad shape. Not getting as much atte tion as they need right now.
SWANNANOA: absolutely packed with volunteers and promises. I have no clue when they’ll have a downtown again.
TRYON: open for business, but 176 heading towards Saluda will be closed into next year.
WILKESBORO: open for business and haven’t seen any issues.
–
Let me know if any updates or corrections are needed.
Be safe and have a great weekend
I am so sorry. It’s gonna be amazing when you rebuild.
– things are improving, businesses are slowly opening back up, yes it’s true. But I’m still hearing that you will probably have to pull over somewhere and hike up that way. Remember, the whole town exists along one tiny, windy cliffside road. The speed of rebuilding in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock has been absolutely incredible.
I actually thought it already had.)
) to run on groceries and gasoline at the only functioning businesses for miles. I walked the neighborhood with a few neighbors and we got snacks at the corner store, which deserves a medal for their efforts by the way. We gawker at the flooding river. The Greenway was completely gone, brown waters gurgling over the pedestrian bridge that normally sits 20 feet above them. The neighboring apartment complex had flooded buildings.
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