Oceanic changes, post-hurricane news & Hanukkah

I just signed up to (sigh) another newsletter, namely Earth DOT com news. It will remain to be seen if the articles are indeed scientifically based.

 Collapse of the Earth's Ocean currents 

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Here's a more immediate shot of how Hurricane Helene's flood waters tossed this semi-trailer on it's side in Swannanoa and the local citizens have decorated it to show their attitude toward survival.

Decorated-semi-trailer-in-Swannanoa on U.S. 70. Asheville Watchdog photo by John Boyle

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And from the Swannanoa newsletter Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS)...there's some good information on who is doing what after the hurricane. 

SGA [Swannanoa Grassroots Alliance] will be an active participant in the Buncombe County Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) that is currently being formed. The LTRG will be receiving federal assistance to support the needs of individual residents and families as we move through the recovery process.

With the support of the county, SGA is also partnering with MountainTrue and other nonprofits on a community-driven resilience planning process for Swannanoa. MountainTrue has assembled a volunteer team of designers, planners, architects, environmental consultants, and structural and civil engineers to help our community envision and plan for a future Swannanoa that will be safer, healthier and more resilient. This process, which will include a variety of opportunities for community participation, is expected to kick off in early 2025.

You can visit swannanoagrassrootsalliance.org to learn more about SGA, and to access helpful links to information and resources for individuals and businesses

The FANS newsletter group is more than just a distributor of information which has included Facebook postings. They list a few of their actions, but I was most impressed by this one:

• FANS is collecting donations for Hurricane Helene recovery through our website and social media. We're grateful to all those who've contributed. FANS recently donated $15,000 to be distributed through Swannanoa public schools to local families impacted by the storm. Plans are underway for another round of funding to support immediate relief needs in the community. If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.swannanoafans.org, and click on "Donate Now" on the Home page.

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Sixth night of Hanukkah

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I want to say that's a cat in the tree!

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Today "On Yesterday's Pages" blog:

Kindertransport to Paddington Bear

and

Lives Lost to Helene in the Asheville Area

and

The first discovery of other galaxies!

Amazing to slowly drive by

Any time you're driving on US 70 through Swannanoa NC, someone will slow down here. Maybe they've not seen the extent of the destruction before, or in my case, I just clicked a bunch of photos this last week. The other drivers (most of them) understand what's happening. See the houses in the distance? There used to be similar ones here where the earth is scraped bare, and the piles of rubbish are all that's left of people's homes, and lives. Yes this is where several people died in Swannanoa NC in the flood from Hurricane Helene.

Here's a YouTube video, one of the best I've seen showing the disaster and recovery.

Hurricane Helene: A Love Letter to Appalachia

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I've got a 2 minute clip from the interview with a father and son who lived in one of those houses. I hope it will load. Maybe I'll have to cut it down into more than one...a new challenge here!

Well that didn't happen. I downloaded it from iCloud to my PC computer, where microsoft said I could edit it in Chimp Chip or something like that. But when I asked for help, it showed a different screen completely which provided editing capabilities, while my screen just seemed a big mess. Yes I could cut. But no "save" was available. Sorry folks.

Basically this is what they shared:  a father and son and partner and dogs quickly went into the attic of their home as the water rose and they had no cell service. But they had no way to get out as the flood waters were almost to the ceiling below. So father and son swam in the cold muddy water to the kitchen window, broke it and pushed the screen out to get outside. Some woman came by on a kayak - it must have been daylight by then - and they asked her for an ax so they could break through the roof to the attic. This done, the son went through the opening and pulled the dogs to safety. (They did leave out how the partner was saved.)

I'll keep the original. It probably is copyrighted by the TV station anyway.

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Today's  quote:

I saved this for the creativity that is needed now:

From Heron Dance's Journal: "The universe is a creative entity. We are both the result of that creative process and participants in it. When we do creative work we express, in our own unique way, our reverence for life, for the holy aspects of the creative forces out there, whatever they may be. And we often then sense that those forces approve, and provide support, provide energy, to our journey.

"But first effort. First dedication. Before entering sacred realms, we need to offer a sacrifice, and that sacrifice is part effort, part courage, part faith. We need to believe in our uniqueness, the value, perhaps even crucial necessity, of what we have to contribute."

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Swinging though Swannanoa

 Last Monday I drove around roads I'd covered a few weeks earlier. There is less debris. There are less damaged-beyond-repair cars. But the place is still muddy/dusty. I noticed that also when I drove in Asheville though the flooded area.

Major intersection and damaged bridge between Old 70 and US 70. Sometimes this signal light is working, sometimes it's not, since some traffic is coming from the far right leaving the downtown area (if you could call it that) of Swannanoa.

Bee Tree neighborhood near Swannanoa

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An excellent article from Asheville Watchdog about how FEMA helps homeowners.

"Local homeowners who lost their homes or sustained serious damage in Helene’s floodwaters can begin applying next week to a federal program that may buy the home outright, or pay to have it elevated or rebuilt at a higher level..."

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The bridge over the Swannanoa River for Blue Ridge Rd is now open again! My apartment is on the other side of US 70, and Old US 70 (the 2 signal lights in the distance. Some of the reddish roofs that you see to the left of center are lower apartment buildings...I'm up the hill even further behind the woods, most of which survived.

I went across this one lane bridge on Thursday...it's needing a sign saying it's one lane!

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Photo courtesy of FEMA

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — The keys have been handed over to the first Buncombe County family receiving a manufactured home from FEMA.

The home was placed on their property on Thursday, Nov. 7, helping that family regain a small sense of normalcy.

About 142 Buncombe County families have qualified for homes like these, which are being staged by FEMA in Hickory, N.C.

The manufactured homes can be lived in until families have a new home to transition to, but the sites must have power and water access and not have the potential to flood again.

 SOURCE: WLOS Channel 13 ABC

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Today's tune by Joan Baez:

"Nasty Man" 

Joan wrote this song about this Nasty Man 7 years ago…

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Today's quote:

In a time of destruction, create something. A poem. A parade. A community. A school. A vow. A moral principle. One peaceful moment.

MAXINE HONG KINGSTON

Surviving and maybe voting

Argh! I've reached some kind of limit. First thing this morning, I wanted the warmth and compassion of a mother. Me? At my age? Well, that's the inner child who has certainly been pretty quiet while all this hullabaloo of 25 days has happened/

And now I want, desperately, a normal meal. One that doesn't have the work-around things like bottled or boiled water, paper plates so I don't have to wash them...just sit down and enjoy a meal. Sorry, going to get pizza yesterday were we had paper plates, canned sodas, and plastic forks...was just more of the same.

We're adapting! Damn it!

And surviving too!

But maybe I could drive 50 miles and find a restaurant with ice water, and cloth napkins...and a menu of more than 6 items. I'm thinking about it...

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Last Thursday I gladly picked up two more flats of drinkable bottled water by a church in Swannanoa. They also gave me a bucket of cleaning supplies. I could use the bucket (but not the size large rubber gloves!) I'll give away the caustic chemical cleaners.

I was actually looking for the hot free meal which was prepared by the World Central Kitchen, behind a place I'd never been, called the Burnt Pretzel. 

There was a sparsely populated parking lot and I walked from there to a couple of tents from which people were walking with a black take-home container. I walked right up and received chicken chunks and beans and rice, and supposedly potatoes and carrots, and some cut up fruit. I also got a cold bottle of water and ambled over to sit at one of the picnic tables within a little fenced area. 

One bite of the chicken and it's dryness and whatever seasoning was on it meant I chewed for 10 minutes (so it felt.) I tried one of the funny cubes of "potatoes" and it was hard...and I thought maybe they were passing turnips as potatoes, so I spit it out (delicately of course). So I just picked up and went back to the car, thinking a good nuking and adding some barbecue sauce might help things.

But first...

right down the street, as I drove closer to turn onto US 70, there was more flood evidence. 

I tried to slow down and get a photo of the repairs near my apartment in Black Mountain on S. Blue Ridge Rd. where the bridge over the Swannanoa River had washed completely away. As I drove, this is what I could get...

Then I decided to try to vote. A neighbor in the apartments said they'd voted by parking in the handicap voting slot...so I gave it a try. First there was a funeral going on across the street from the library, and the bank on the corner had someone out by its parking lot to keep voters and mourners out. A whole lot of cars had been parked on the street as people walked to either of those venues. 

I parked next to the disabled voting slot, where a big SUV was parked doing the curb-side voting.  I was in the disabled parking slot for voting...but I'd have to park and get in line.

So guess what I did.

Yep, decided I could get behind another 40-50 people later, but I needed to eat something. So home to put some of the food into a bowl and add barbecue sauce, and heat it up. Yum. Noticed I didn't even try the "potatoes."

And Friday...I went back to vote.

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The sobering photo of around my area hit by Hurricane Helene Sept 26/27, 2024

There are the critters to consider as well

Saturday's Critters...

Yes we must consider our neighbors that purr, or growl, or bark, or chirp!

People are like this, taking care of each other with loving gestures, all over the area where Hurricane Helene damaged so much.

From Appalachian Trail Hikers Facebook page, this was posted, a FYI.

Sorry to those that were hoping a few months would patch things up…

I-40 between Asheville and Knoxville…closed till September 2025

I-26 between Weaverville and Johnson City…closed till March 2025

Of course these are just rough dates, remember how massively delayed mountain construction projects are… ALWAYS

At my cousin's house in Columbia SC, there's a wonderful screened porch with a view of trees. Many birds and squirrels are there all day to greet me. Here's a rather poor photo of a cardinal who brought about 4 others the next morning. I should work on getting a shot without the screen interfering.

NC State Highway Patrol’s Swift Water Rescue Team arrived prior to storm in Black Mountain!

A bit more difficult to rescue the cat!

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And animal shelters are straining also. Many pets have just been let loose, which is a terrible thing for their survival. A few motels will take pets also, and FEMA is paying for their rooms. Many of the supply trucks bring in dog and cat food with people food as well. I'm not sure if it's being given away or sold. One site is Tractor Supply in Black Mountain.

I may have shared this AI image before, but it brings together the flooding with our frequent black bear visits.

I hope everyone snuggles with their little furry critters and appreciates their love.

Thanks for hosting this meme, Eileen at Saturday's Critters

Today's quote:

Gratitude is not a mere word; it is not a mere concept. It is the living breath of your real existence on earth.

SRI CHINMOY

A lunch favorite in Swannanoa NC

There are a LOT of barbecue places in North Carolina...and I'll go to the next town west of us to this favorite for just about everything naturally smoked (none of that fake flavoring here).  I do usually choose one of my favorite sauces to add to the chicken, or the ribs, or...

I sometimes choose to eat lunch with special friends (and my vegetarian friend could feast on the various southern style sides they have) and this is the first chance I've had to give credit to a wonderful restaurant.

It's also very close to the exit on I-40, for anyone interested in easy access on and off the highway...just 2 lights and turn right past the Harley Davidson headquarters store.  You still will be next to a Duncan Donuts, though I usually prefer the basket of brownies that Okie Dokies provides.

TODAY"S QUOTE:

In appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something truly sacred.

FRED ROGERS

Cemetery Roving Part 7

Piney Grove Cemetery located on 3 sides of First Presbyterian Church of Swannanoa, NC...another hilltop setting. 

Piney Grove Cemetery Founded 1794

William Davidson, soldier of the Revolutionary War.

A fairly new (when looking at centuries) marker is the first thing we saw, honoring a Revolutionary War veteran who also was a member of "the House of Commons in 1790 and the Senate" which might mean NC rather than US.  This DAR marker might have some confusion as to whether Maj. William Davidson or Col. Davidson was actually in these offices. (source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncccha/4173126688/)  And the link writes about where Maj. Davidson was actually buried.

William Davidson 1744-1804

The alphabetical by last name directory was outstanding for visitor use.

William F. Davidson 1833-1908

 

Rev. Luther Hitt (1871-1911) with an older stone leaning against his. 

Pvt. James Alexander, Revolutionary War, d. June 28, 1844

James Alexander (1756-1844) and Rhoda Alexander (1763-1848)

Wiiliam Gudger, NC Pvt, Rev War, Indian Wars, (1752-1833)

I have more pictures, but will just keep them in a file.  I have spent many hours arranging them by cemeteries and names.
Our search for the oldest marker will end today with William Gudger who died in 1833.  Maj. Davidson may have a commemorative marker but he was actually buried elsewhere.

But wait, there was one more cemetery that we found, but could not visit.  It's behind a mobile home on a private road, and people were apparently there, and we didn't really want to wade through the weeds to see the markers more closely.  In the wintertime when the weeds are down, we might knock on the door and give our benign intentions.  We did hear that Ingram Cemetery has another Revolutionary War veteran.

As close as I walked and used my "telephoto lens" on  iPhone.