Day 20 of the Apocalypse, Ground Zero, Gerton, NC pop. 231

Hurricane Helene was a 30,000-year storm event.

This was the most catastrophic tropical cyclone event that has happened on our continent, according to NOAA data.

Here in western North Carolina, we had 31.3 inches of rainfall in three days, causing massive flooding and mudslides.

At least 230 people have been declared dead, with hundreds more still missing, according to NBC News.

Helene is the deadliest hurricane to strike US mainland since Katrina in 2005.

CBS News called this biblical devastation.

That phrase, biblical devastation, hit me like a sucker punch.

That is exactly what our reality feels like. This is the type of devastation that belongs in the Bible.

I am not downplaying or dismissing any other devastation that has happened on our planet. I am saying that since September 27th, our reality changed forever. What happened to us is unprecedented.

I am a different person than I was 3 weeks ago. There is no normal to return to. There isn’t a new normal, either. We are living in a liminal never-never land where the future can’t even be considered because we are still in rescue and recovery.

Last night we had freezing temperatures here in the mountains. People whose houses were destroyed are living in tents without heat. 5,000 households are still without power. Many people are living without water.

The search for nearly 300 missing people continues, 4 miles down the Gorge from us.

The destruction will take years to rebuild.

Media attention for this event has already died down. Volunteer support has already slowed.

We are only 20 days into this event, and people are already forgetting.

Please, if you are reading this, share this story. Help us to keep this at the forefront of people’s minds.