Recovery

On the list of things I never thought I'd see in my community, a FEMA disaster recovery center sign ranks up there at the top. 

I thank God that I do not need to stand in line for hurricane recovery assistance. We never lost electric power, so I didn't suffer like many around me. I don't drive the back roads of the county, so I have no idea of extended damages. I listen to others tell their stories, and yes, even though we are on the edge of major destruction and not as broken as the counties farther west, our people need help. 

For several weeks I have heard helicopters flying over my house, like the one I hurried outside to capture in this photo. These metallic birds of paradise were taking things to other, more needy places. But not to us. We have been helping those more hurting than ourselves. My community is taking survivors food, clothing, and flood buckets, and now blankets and wood for heat since the first snowfall has graced our beautiful mountains in the past few days. 

I've been so concerned about those in the mountains that I ignored my own back yard...people who lost their homes due to trees landing on their roofs...people who had no water because the electricity was off, and therefore their well's pump couldn't operate...people who lost everything in their deep freeze (that was my mother's words for the big, white box in our basement). We are a rural community. This time of year, our freezers are filled to the brim with summer harvests and butchered cows, but the joy of eating the fruits of our sweat-filled labor just won't happen this year for some of us. Food prices are high enough, so my friends who depended on saving money through home-grown deliciousness will not have that to fall back on to stretch the weekly paycheck. FEMA, those people DO need you. Thank you for being here.

As we drove past the main entrance of the county health department (FEMA ground zero) to loop around and take these pictures, I saw a line of cars waiting for the clipboard-bearing workers to bring forms to them. Sad occasion. My heart goes out to them. This, the extension of government for the people, is necessary help for those who are desperate. Tax money at work. 

Catch of the day,

Gretchen

Lingle School

Much of what I write on this blog is about western North Carolina and its beauty, its history, its people. The world has seen all this melt away in one evil swipe from Hurricane Helene. My husband and I were fortunate that we had no trees crush our cars or power lines fall in our street. We didn't lose power, only cable and internet for five days, mere inconveniences compared to what I saw on the news. 

On the third day after the hurricane hit, we ventured out. Our aim was to check on Tuttle State Forest, which we had heard through the facebook grapevine, had sustained major damages. Saddest of all I saw was this schoolhouse.

This is/was Lingle School, established 1867. It was renovated and placed at the state forest for display and safekeeping. Imagine the hurricanes this building weathered in its span of existence. Until now. A tree found its way down and landed square on the roof. With the accompanying deluge of rain, the inside artifacts were damaged. Hopefully some can be salvaged, but for now, no one dares enter the building. 

This view shows more damage, but note that the well beside the schoolhouse survived quite well, as well as a well could do. So did the outhouse behind the school...both well and outhouse are non-functional, only for educational purposes.

   

Not so fortunate, however, was this construction outhouse, that was, on the day before the hurricane, quite functional. 

Tuttle Educational State Forest is in the process of adding a full size classroom building. Fortunately, it had little damage beyond the outhouse beside it for construction workers.

Losing Lingle School is sad, but in the wider scope of the extreme losses in the region, it is a small sadness. No one was killed. No one was injured. The history of the school is preserved in other venues. Perhaps the building called Lingle School will be salvaged to rebuild. Perhaps not. For now, we wait.

Catch of the day,

Gretchen