Winter arrives early
Plus: UNC Asheville to hold classes online for remainder of fall semester; Samaritan's Purse details massive airlift; Benefit concert adds Avett Brothers; Thomas Wolfe House damaged
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Snow is usually celebrated in the mountains.
It means roads are undriveable so school is canceled. The day is spent playing outside instead of watching TV or scrolling on phones. Kids gather with their siblings and neighborhood friends to go sledding and have snowball fights, and may even come inside later to drink hot chocolate in a warm, cozy house. The mountain peaks in the distance are bright white instead of their normal hazy blue-grey, and Thanksgiving and Christmastime are around the corner.
But not today. While most of those things are still true, snow this year means something very different.
It was snowing this morning in Avery County. My heart sank at the images and videos on my social media feed, remembering all of the people who lost their homes and are living in tents, or folks who still don’t have power, or how the freezing weather might delay recovery efforts and repairs. Today, temperatures are in the 20s and 30s, according to Ray’s Weather, a trusted weather source in the mountains and foothills region.
Local photographer Rey Castillo Jr. took this photo Tuesday in Beech Mountain, North Carolina, in Avery County. (Photo courtesy of Rey Castillo Jr.)
Helene has exacerbated Western North Carolina’s housing crisis, and evictions are expected to rise in the coming months, Carolina Public Press reported. Some landlords have waived late fees but are still expecting monthly rent, and for those who are out of work right now, money is tight or nonexistent.
When the hurricane devastated Western North Carolina more than two weeks ago, the thought of “well, at least it’s not unbearably hot outside” crossed many minds when AC units were rendered useless. People were still in shock and the extent of the damage was still being tallied, so I think it was difficult to think long-term and about what the cold winter months ahead would mean for the area.
We all thought we had a little more time to prepare for those freezing temps. The snow this week says otherwise.
If you’re looking for a way to support Western North Carolina, consider donating to one of the organizations listed at the end of this newsletter. Here are a few places in Charlotte collecting clothing for Western North Carolina survivors.
Here’s the latest coming out of Western North Carolina:
Power update: Nearly two-thirds of the 10,000 current power outages are in Mitchell and Yancey counties, according to WCNC chief meteorologist Brad Panovich.
College updates: In Boone, Appalachian State students returned to class today for the first time in almost three weeks, WRAL reported. UNC Asheville will be online for the remainder of the fall semester starting Oct. 28, according to its website. In Cullowhee, Western Carolina University’s website says students will be back on campus starting Monday.
Early voting starts tomorrow: The N.C. State Board of Elections has added a voting option for those who have been displaced by the hurricane. Voters can now drop off their absentee ballot off at any of the early voting site across the state — not just in their county.
Massive airlift by Samaritan’s Purse: The charity Samaritan’s Purse has coordinated airdrops of 1,800 generators, 1,700 heaters, 24,000 bags of food, 11,500 blankets, 15,000 solar lights and 60,000 gallons of water out of the Boone Airport, which consists of a “1,000-foot airstrip that’s 40 feet wide,” president Franklin Graham said. The charity says the effort, which uses Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, is the largest civilian airlift in U.S. history. (Watauga Democrat)
Concert for Carolina adds artists: North Carolina natives The Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice and Parmalee have been added to Bank of America Stadium’s Concert for Carolina on Oct. 26, joining Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and Keith Urban. The concert is sold out but will be live-streamed for free for those in areas affected by the hurricane.
Thomas Wolfe House damaged: The Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville announced that it would remain closed indefinitely because of damage from the storm, which toppled a tree against the house. The state historic site is the boyhood home of the 20th-century American novelist. (WLOS)
Photo of the day: Entire N.C. section of Blue Ridge Parkway remains closed
The Blue Ridge Parkway shared a photo on Twitter/X of a landslide along the parkway, saying the entire North Carolina section of the parkway is closed. Last Friday, the National Park Service opened 198 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, from milepost 0 to milepost 198.
Lindsey Banks is a staff reporter with The Charlotte Ledger. Reach her at lindsey@cltledger.com.
How to help
Many organizations have deployed groups across the region, tasked with distributing food, water and supplies. You can donate to their efforts at the links below.
Hearts with Hands, a local disaster relief organization, has a donation page to provide food, supplies and water.
United Way of North Carolina has established a fund to help residents affected by the flooding.
MANNA Foodbank, which serves 16 counties in Western North Carolina, is accepting food, supplies and monetary donations. The organization’s warehouse on Swannanoa River Road in Asheville was damaged by the hurricane.
The American Red Cross is accepting donations to help residents in the Southeast.
Samaritan’s Purse, which is headquartered in Boone, is scheduling volunteers to help with debris cleanup.
Operation Blessing has a donation page to provide food, supplies and water.
E4E Relief, a Charlotte-headquartered provider of emergency financial relief programs on behalf of corporations, is accepting donations for their newly established Hurricane Helene Community Fund, offering financial support to individuals with long-term impacts from Hurricane Helene.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman