Day 4 of the Apocalypse, Gerton, NC pop. 231

Hurricane Helene was catastrophic for residents of Western North Carolina.

We are living in an Apocalypse.

We are safe. Our home did not sustain damage. We have dozens of trees down on our property and road, as well as multiple landslides.

We live on top of a mountain and are without power or internet. We are rationing propane usage for our generator. At this time we still have food and can access our well water when we run the generator.

I have no phone, email or FB access. I hiked 5 miles down the mountain today to be able to post this to my FB account via an emergency wi-fi signal.

The roads below us are either destroyed or washed out and are unusable by foot or vehicle.

The only way out for us is to bushwhack 3 miles down the mountain with our dogs to the fire station for rescue.

We plan on evacuating when our propane runs out. Meanwhile, our neighbors who were not here during the hurricane have allowed us to raid their homes for provisions. They have been an incredible lifeline for us.

Our next-door neighbor is a firefighter. Every day he and his wife go out to rescue people who are trapped on our mountain. Jeff and I are focusing on helping our local community to hear news from the outside world and communicate with loved ones, as Jeff’s phone is the only one on the mountain with any service, and it is spotty at best.

Hickory Nut Gorge, where we live, was hit incredibly hard. So many houses and businesses were washed away by the flooding, and many people are trapped in their homes. As of today, we have not heard of any fatalities in our community.

Our small community of Gerton, NC has 231 residents and is about 30 minutes south of Asheville, NC. We are extremely isolated. Yesterday 4 people from Homeland Security were finally able to get to our fire station to begin to assess damage.

Because of our small size and location, we expect to be one of the last places to have power restored and roads fixed. It may be months before we get help.

Thank you for your prayers and support. I don’t know if I’ll be able to respond to anyone due to service issues, but I may be able to read your messages.

I just burst into tears when I saw a Blackhawk helicopter fly directly over our house while I wrote this message. I am grateful that help is on the way.