Untitled Narrative
It all started on September 25th, 2024. There had been news about bad weather and a hurricane coming through. There it was, an Emergency Alert. It popped up on my phone stating that there was a tornado in the area.
“What? I didn’t think there could be tornadoes in the mountains,” I said to my mom.
I had completely underestimated Mother Nature, a lesson that would prove invaluable. I woke up and thought, no way school seriously got canceled just because of rain. I walked outside and noticed how high the river water looked. I had no idea what was to come.
On Friday, September 27th I had woken up to a new reality. We now had no power, running water, or any service. I could hear the rain falling rapidly from the sky and hitting the ground like popcorn popping, unpredictable and loud. I lit a pumpkin spice-scented candle in my room, watching its flame grow as it provided our only source of light until setting up our generator.
I stepped outside and was instantly shocked by all the fallen trees and the fact that the river in front of my house had quadrupled in size. There was a fallen utility pole that was hanging into the water. It was bobbing up and down, barely holding on. The water level was rising without any hesitation and taking anything that got into its path. My family and I watched in horror as we saw ginormous trees pulled out by their roots and pieces of buildings quickly raced down the river.
As the amount of the water grew, so did my fear. I prayed for the storm to calm down and to keep us safe, and it worked. Once things toned down, my mom and dad attempted to go into town for more gas. They came back and informed my siblings and I that the main road to our house had been completely washed out and didn’t even exist anymore. This was devastating news but we didn’t give up, we decided tomorrow we would find a different way.
Life without power was difficult. That meant no water to drink, shower with, or flush the toilet… As well as no lights so it was pitch black unless we used candles or our generator. Making food was fun because we used our propane grill outside.
I traveled with my mom and grandma the next day and we went on an adventure to find a way into Boone. It felt like there was a zombie apocalypse going on. Everything looked and felt so different. Many things were broken such as bridges and buildings. There were trees, mud, water and rocks everywhere which made driving hard. Roads were inaccessible.
A few days passed and we were finally able to make it into town to get the resources needed due to people in our neighborhood coming together, working hard, and fixing our roads. The familiar landscape was now unrecognizable. I was upset about losing a few (minor) things and issues going on at my house but I soon realized other people had it way worse than I did.
One day while driving into town with my dad and grandma, we noticed a group of people waving us down. They were screaming that someone was hurt. Without hesitation, we ran to help. An elderly man had fallen into a ditch and together we lifted him out and made sure he got the medical attention he needed. By coming together as a community, we saved this man’s life.
I completely underestimated the damage that natural disasters can cause and the effects it can have on a community. With much loss and sorrow, soon enough everyone was coming together. These few days will be an everlasting memory in my heart, and a reminder to cherish what I have and to never take my surroundings for granted. Western North Carolina is still making up for the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and though much uncertainty and loss has been caused, our community emerged and was united by acts of kindness and support.
Emerson Martin
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