I did not expect to go nearly two years without writing a new blog post on this site.

There are many reasons for that, which are more appropriate for a separate post. Those include other writing work and searching for new jobs, uncertainty over what I would do next with this blog and another site I’ve been trying to build for years, feeling like I didn’t have anything worth saying, getting busy with new work and, frankly, sheer laziness.

But I’ve been meaning to dust this blog off for quite a while and writing something about the devastation suffered by western North Carolina by Hurricane Helene has provided some motivation.

After living in Asheville for 13 years, we moved to Johnson City, Tennessee in June 2023. The owner of the condo that we rented for four years wanted to sell and we decided not to buy it. We were offered a fair price, but the unit also needed some work and we didn’t want to make that investment.

Needing a new place to live also provided an opportunity to move closer to my sister and her kids. Years earlier, we wouldn’t have wanted to leave Asheville. But COVID changed my lifestyle and outlook, and moving to a place that wasn’t as culturally vibrant didn’t bother me as much as it once would have. Being a bigger part of my nieces’ lives felt far more important.

Also, it just felt like time to move on. Asheville had changed a lot during my 13 years there and I didn’t like what it had become, especially in how the city favored tourists over residents. But maybe that’s better suited for a different post, as well.

We’ve still kept some roots in Asheville, which is only an hour away. We have appointments there every month and still have some (though fewer) favorite places to visit, including my favorite comic book shop that provides escape and friendship. It seems impossible not to hold affection for a region where I spent a quarter of my life.

Seeing familiar places nearly submerged underwater or completely destroyed in photos and on television is surreal. (Obviously, it’s harrowing and devastating to those living amid this disaster.) The damage sustained by Asheville and its surrounding towns and counties in western North Carolina is heartbreaking.

The forecasts and projections said that the region would take heavy rain and wind, which meant there would be some harm. Severe weather has caused major flooding in the past. Many homes and businesses are close to rivers and creeks.

Biltmore Village, near the Biltmore Estate, regularly experiences flooding when there’s heavy rain. The town of Canton was significantly damaged in 2021 from rain caused by Tropical Storm Fred. In 2014, several homes in Woodfin were destroyed by high waters. Houses and communities I drove by each day were suddenly gone.

Knowing that our former home was near the Swannanoa River, I knew that neighborhood must have been severely damaged or maybe even gone. With my sister’s help, we found photos on Facebook of our former home in Asheville that was washed out by flooding from the Swannanoa River. (Our place is on the far end of the mud-covered drive in the photo above.)

The condos are still standing, even though one photo I’ve seen indicates the water was roof-high to at least some of the units at one point. Everything inside those homes was destroyed. I found out that my former neighbors were safe and able to get out of town.

I don’t know what we would’ve done. My mother is increasingly frail and has trouble walking now and I don’t know how she would’ve handled this. My sister probably wouldn’t be able to contact us and she wouldn’t be able to help because a bridge on the main highway connecting the Tri-Cities to Asheville was wrecked.

Would we be living in a tent? Depending on the work of others to clean up? What would be left for us? I’ve been obsessed with what could have been, constantly reading articles and social media posts from those struggling with losing homes and living without necessities. I stayed awake at night thinking about whether or not we would’ve gotten out in time or sheltered with neighbors who lived on higher ground.

Never mind that we would have invested personal savings into a home that was no longer suitable to live in. (I feel terrible for neighbors, both old and young, who just moved there and paid significant prices for their condos.) Maybe those homes can be salvaged and rebuilt, but that wouldn’t be best for my mother. Based on what I’ve looked into, I don’t think we would’ve qualified for any kind of aid either. We would be homeless.

I’m heartsick to see what’s happened to Asheville and its surrounding areas. I’ve never felt more fortunate — and frankly, privileged. But I feel guilty saying that, knowing how many people are suffering and will continue to struggle for years. I’m glad that everyone I know is OK, but so many people aren’t. Some are gone. The whole region needs help and will for years to come.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the River Knoll community where we lived. Those were retirement homes for many, where they likely imagined peaceful, fulfilling lives amid beautiful natural surroundings. I don’t know if that will be enough to help those people regain their homes and rebuild their lives, but I hope they get the help they need.

That goes for all of Asheville. I don’t know if that region will ever be what it once was, but I know plenty of people will try to rebuild the place they loved.