Insulated!

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I realized two days after the hurricane that I had been cut off from the world. My walk to the stop sign hadn’t changed a bit, so life felt normal to me. The cell phone had done strange things for two days, but it righted itself. I tuned in to the church service on line and found only one man from Mississippi there with me. He and I wondered where everyone was. The tech who normally streams the service joined us. He said he didn’t know if anyone was at the church. The streaming program had started automatically. That’s when it hit me. My life had gone on after the storm, but time stopped in Asheville. Many were without power, and there was major damage everywhere near the French Broad River. The city had effectively shut down. From almost anywhere in the world, you could see more about Hurricane Helene than I could.

Shortly after the hurricane seemed to be over, Joyce texted to see if I wanted to walk to the two small streams that run under the road. I had always longed to see them during a storm, so this was perfect. We could see them without getting wet. David was driving down the street after work, and he jumped at the chance to go with us. He parked in front of Holly’s house, making her wonder who had abandoned a car and walked off.

David and Joyce with one Park Branch stream

The streams were impressive, rushing down the mountain with a roar. They were hurrying too much to flood anything on the way down.

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Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

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44 thoughts on “Insulated!”

      1. David lives about 20 minutes away, but I don’t see him often. I enjoyed his being here during the hurricane. He was working during most of the storm. I’m glad the wind was not as high as predicted.

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  3. I was looking at the damage from the flooding in Asheville this morning and it was hard to fathom. Entire buildings were underwater. At least you had company for the walk!

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  4. That stream was quite swelled up wasn’t it?
    Davids hair looks longer. Glad he joined you for your walk. Things are improving.
    I’m happy you are so well insulated.
    I wish Chris’s employer would take the same into consideration. He keeps wondering what Chris is getting done and he’s having to remind him that there’s no power, no co-workers, and devastation all around him as he tries to get his job done. I think the employer is TOO WELL INSULATED.

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  7. When we are in our own home and life is going along as it usually does we can forget about the outside world, outside as in outside our own little bubble. That stream is in a rush to get somewhere.

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  9. My heart is so heavy for those around you but I’m so thankful you are safe. And I personally love David’s hair.

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  11. I’m happy you are so well insulated. Good video clip. I am so glad that you are safe and well. I will pray you are safe steady during the Strom. God bless you,Anne.

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  13. I’m so relieved you are safe, Anne! My mom is stranded in Spruce Pine without electric, cell and a way out, but on she’s on high ground. While I know she’s safe with the necessities in these conditions, I can’t wait to be able to hear her voice! My heart and prayers go out to the many who are dealing with the devastation of this storm and its aftermath.

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    1. My son lived in Spruce Pine for a year and liked it. From Washington State he told me our supply lines are broken. I hope your mom gets relief soon and am glad she is in no danger.

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    1. Everyone is fine in our development, thank you. All gasoline was sold out a day or so ago. I have a full tank and am not going out. Grocery stores will not be getting supplies for quite a while because so many roads are impassable. I may have some odd meals, but I won’t run out of food.

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  15. I had a teacher who taught us: “When the earth starts to move, it matters less where you are than whether you happen to be standing six feet to the left or right.” Congratulations on your good karma 🙏

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  16. Oh Anne, I’m so glad you were able to post. I was wondering if you weathered the storm okay. The devastation I saw on the news is unbelievable. Take care, and know you are prayed for during this time of upheaval in your state.

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    2. Thank you very much for your prayers. The little area I’m in had only power outages and spotty Internet connection. Just half a mile away was a major flood. Asheville is a huge disaster. Our supply chain can’t function because major roads have been damaged. It’s a mess!!

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      1. Oh Anne, so very sorry. My sister says she is very heavy-hearted. She loved and visited many of the places that have been destroyed. NC is such a beautiful state filled with lovely people.

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  17. You sure were lucky given the extent of the damage in the area, especially Asheville. I’m glad you were safe and sound and hopefully the smell of the skunk which I read about in the last post before WP unsubscribed me has dissipated.

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