"We made it a point to try to visit them hardest hit areas starting with staying in the middle of it all in Swannanoa. The devastation there is beyond words."
"The water rose 60' in some areas. Normal water flow is 500 cubic feet per second. Once a year when the dam was released flow would raise to 3500 cubic feet per second. THIS flood created a situation of 55,000 cubic feet per second which equates to over 1.7 trillion gallons of water running through Swannanoa. Cars and homes looked like they were peeled away with a giant can opener. Debris piles were at every water bend and/or bridge overpass. Highway roads crumbled away leaving large gaps and millions of dollars to repair. Home access roads were wiped away leaving many people stranded without access off their property. Areas of mud slides and trees that fell like toothpicks changed the mountain topography. Trees were snapped in half with the winds. Areas searched were marked with giant orange Xs. Codes surrounding the X on the remaining homes meant different things like searched/time, hazzards found, humans/animals found or cadaver hits. The orange checks on debris piles mean cadaver dog hits for human remains. So many missing people on several lists its impossible to know accurate numbers but I can assure you the death toll is substantial. The tap water now carries a yellow hue. Farms were leveled, town stores were destroyed, churches and schools have been turned into shelters and distribution centers to offer comfort and some semblance of normalcy. We saw many food trucks come in from out of town to offer free meals to the volunteers and displaced. The sounds of chainsaws and heavy equipment could be heard 24/7. The smell of diesel fuel, chemicals, death and mud filled the air. In the darkest hours of the darkest days the community was lifted by the volunteers who traveled in to assist where they could. Some are volunteering time to organize supplies, many rescue and emergency personnel to help with survivors. The Amish community traveled in to help build Tiny homes for those who lost everything. And then just the regular every day community members who opened their homes and land to help as they could. One rescue operation took over a local Harley Davidson turning their garage showroom into a epic command post. We met up with a representative of Savage who showed us some of the hardest hit towns they were working on. The town of Relief may have been one of the hardest hit areas we were able to visit. Towns of Lake Lure & Chimney Rock were so ruined many volunteers could only access these areas on foot or by helicopter as their main highways were swallowed by waterways. The heartfelt stories of resilience among volunteers. Even in some of their darkest moments they found silver linings and that helping others helped themselves. We made connections with many people who are the every day heros"
-Heather Wild
Commentaires