Help for Western North Carolina
I had planned to be here today talking about cute koala printables and a fun Frankenstein applique pattern, but I’ve spent the last few days watching the horrific news out of North Carolina and trying to find out what’s happening to my friends in the area.
All the news is bad. Unimaginably bad.
Roads throughout the area have been destroyed. From major interstates to small mountain roads, they’ve been washed away, crumbled to bits by the force of the water, or buried under landslides. Hundreds of bridges throughout the region are just gone. They’re using helicopters and mule trains(!) to get supplies to people who have been cut off.
Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power. No power in the mountains means no water, because you need electricity to power your well pump. And most of the water in the communities with city water isn’t safe to drink because of all the damage to the systems.
Most of the cell towers have been destroyed or are still without power, so there’s almost no cell service. I still haven’t heard from many friends.
Cars are stuck in tree tops. Buildings are flooded or simply gone. Entire neighborhoods have been swept away.
It’s going to take YEARS to rebuild, and they need immediate help NOW.
My husband Alan and I have set up a Red Cross donation page and we’re matching all donations up to $5000. I’m told the Red Cross has been really active distributing water and food, and they’re one of the organizations with helicopters airlifting in supplies. They’re also operating shelters for people who have lost their homes.
If you want to help in other ways or contribute to other organizations, here’s a list that is being updated.
If you can’t donate money, please consider donating blood. Sadly, there’s always a need for additional blood after natural disasters like this, and you don’t have to live in the region for your donation to make a difference.
Please do NOT send supplies unless it’s something an organization is particularly asking for. And (unless you’re a helicopter pilot) please don’t go to the area to help. They are still asking people not to use the roads at all except for relief and repair vehicles.
I hope you are all safe and well, and if you have loved ones in the affected area, I hope they are safe and well and that you hear from them soon.
Best,
Wendi
❤️
Posting an update here. I heard back from a few friends this morning. They are all well, but things are bad. Everyone with a chainsaw has been siphoning gas from cars and clearing downed trees from the roads. One neighbor has a generator and has been sharing it with others. Once they got a few miles of road cleared they met up with people clearing from other directions. A truck loaded every available gas container from everyone in the area and drove to Johnson City, TN to fill them so they could continue to run chainsaws and the generator. They were able to text from Johnson City, but there's still no cell service in Mitchell County. They're estimating 4-6 weeks for power to be restored. Food isn't an immediate issue because nobody's fridge or freezer is running and the food needs to be eaten, but water is going to be a major problem until power is restored to people with wells. Some of the water treatment facilities have been completely destroyed and will need a complete rebuild - not just repairs.
Thank you Wendy! Our son and his wife live in West Asheville. They and their friends are safe and their home have no damage. A neighbor is running extention cords from their house to our son's. We talked to our son today. He said they are keeping just the fridge running, thanks to their neighbor. People are working together in Western North Carolina and starting to dig out. There is a huge need.