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Silence After the Storm: Hurricane Helene

11/10/2024

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BY LEANDER SHINDELL
“Driving into South Asheville, there were cars wrapped around trees, debris piled up along surviving bridges and roadways, parking lots full of mud, river sediment, and debris. There were power lines down just lying in the road. About every other house had a tree fall on it. Buildings were pulled off their foundations and floated away in the flood. The remains of a fence at an athletic park was mangled like a slinky after a toddler plays with it,” recounted Austin Brookes, DSA’s cross country coach and former Asheville resident.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Austin Brookes
Helene raised rivers like the French Broad (which rose 24 ft) and Watauga (which rose 25 ft, the highest since 1940) reached record heights during the storm. Floods swept away soil, buildings, roads, plants, animals, and people. 
   From September 24-29, the category 4 hurricane Helene with winds up to 140 mph dropped nearly three feet of water on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, devastating surrounding areas. As of October 16, almost 100 people are still unaccounted for and over 300 are dead. Major roads like I-40 W were washed away and will take several months to reopen. Thankfully, those with trucks and chainsaws were able to begin clearing roads on Friday morning after the rain ceased. 
    “When a river rises 24 ft above its typical level, you’re getting into areas that you never would have expected to be under water,” Brookes remarked.
    Rivers like the French Broad and Swannanoa reached record heights, causing catastrophic flooding.  Throughout the area, the storm caused power outages and destroyed water plants, cutting locals off from life-sustaining resources and preventing communication with the outside world. 
“Saturday we ran out of water… there was no cell service and no power,” Josie San Felici, former Durham resident and current UNCA student, remembered.     
UNCA and App State will both be online for the rest of the semester, along with most schools in the area. Some schools have been able 
to dig wells to provide water, allowing students to return in person, but most will be online for the time being, likely resulting in gaps in learning that could be similar to those seen during COVID. 
“The teachers have 2 weeks now to cut out a month of their work. I like being at school. I don't want to be online. It’s hard,” San Felici admitted. 
    Hurricane Helene and the storm that followed it, Milton, were unprecedentedly severe. As global temperatures continue to rise, it is likely that natural disasters like hurricanes will increase in frequency and severity. 
“Warmer sea surface temperatures are correlated with storm severity, and Gulf of Mexico waters were hotter than average preceding Helene. There is a high likelihood that global climate change played a role in those conditions,” Alexis Caldwell, DSA’s AP Environmental Science teacher, asserted.
    Through trying times, the people of the mountains persevere. 
    “Growing up, my mom would always talk about how the mountains protect us from big storms and tornadoes; Helene has shattered the security some felt in that. (But) all over WNC neighbors are looking out for neighbors. Through the despair and turmoil of the destruction, I’ve been moved to tears at how the community shows up for each other,” Brookes evinced. 

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PHOTO CREDIT: Joel Hillygus
Helene destroyed countless buildings, leaving many locals homeless. Oversaturated soil slid from beneath trees and building foundations, devastating the landscape. 

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