We knew there was a storm coming. We had charged up all of our devices and power blocks knowing that we would lose power. We had stocked up on a few things that we could cook easily on a camp stove. We were ready.
…or so we thought.
Hurricane Helene really did a number on us. It hit Greenville with full hurricane force, not tropical storm force or anything less. I think this is the first time in history that a hurricane has hit our town.
I was about to walk into the kitchen when I heard cracking outside. The next thing I new, the large red oak next to our house was now sitting IN our house. The tree didn’t so much fall onto the house as lean on it, but it kept going. It took out about a third of our home.
Of course, power went out. Our entire street was hit hard. We had several large trees across our driveway, so our cars were trapped. Even if we could get out, trees blocked the street. Every house had downed limbs and trees.
The amazing thing is that the entire neighborhood banded together in a way that still amazes me. We got together with chain saws and a rented Bobcat and cleared at least one lane for cars to pass. Neighbors even came to our house and cleared our drive for us. Our house and one other sustained the most damage, and our neighbors have been so kind, providing us with a generator and other needs and checking in on us.
We were fortunate. Laura, the cats, and I are all OK. All of my musical instruments made it. The kayaks survived. Laura was able to retrieve her sewing materials. A large portion of the house is still livable, so we’ve been able to stay in it. We have great insurance, so the house will be rebuilt. I can’t say as much for North Carolina, where there was such devastation and loss of life. We’ve had several emotional meltdowns as we look at the magnitude of destruction, and especially when family was in harm’s way with Hurricane Milton. Even so, we consider ourselves lucky.
I would post photos of the the huge multi-ton cranes required to remove the tree, as well as the tremendous clean-up effort, but we have limited bandwidth and I can upload many images right now. Even two weeks later cell coverage is crappy and home internet is still out.
During those two weeks we’ve had multiple teams in to clean out the damage bits and build temporary walls and roofing, now covered with tarps. They have ripped out plaster and taken up carpet and flooring, and generally made a necessary mess of things. We finally got power restored to the livable portions of the house just yesterday.
We’ve been able to find temporary housing for while ours is rebuilt. It will probably take a year to complete. Right now we don’t know if we have to start from scratch or if part of the house can be saved. Regardless, it will give us a chance to rethink some things, such as the kitchen layout. It’s kind of exciting, in a way.
With the chaos of the storm, I obviously haven’t had a chance to do any exploration or writing. That’s going to have to wait awhile. I’ve also put the podcast on hiatus until things settle down. Things will get back to normal. It may be a different normal, but we’ll get through.
Oh, my gosh!!! I am so glad that y’all are okay!! It will certainly take time for everyone to recover from Helene. I’m thankful that all of my family and friends are okay. Look forward to hearing from you when you can write. Take care.
I’m so very sorry you’re having to go through all of this. Home is where we’re supposed feel safe, so this must be an assault to your sense of security as well as a loss of property. I hope the days to come bring you comfort and a new reason to rise each morning. Very best of everything to you!