By Thomas Mabry
Oct 9, 2025
 |
The last ten days have been a blur. After days of hearing about Helene approaching to make a direct hit on Asheville and the mountains north of Asheville, I was shocked when the NWS predicted 48 hours out that this storm would produce results as catastrophic as the Flood of 1916. Being a historian, I knew that our area would be devastated. Why the authorities took no known action to insist upon evacuation of the area, I will never know. I guess that's a story for another day.
We awakened to loss of power and water and internet service on the Friday morning when Helene hit - 9.27.2024. I did go out immediately and assessed the damage in our neighborhood and tried to leave our cove but was blocked from both ways of egress.
My cellphone showed only SOS coverage and the need to let my family and friends know that we were okay became paramount. Eventually, a bunch of guys cleared the roadway out of the cove so we could get access to Asheville downtown. There were no lights, everything was closed and the traffic lights did not work. We were able to make our way to the River Link Bridge and saw the river crest at its highest level in recorded history. My videos and still photographs were eventually featured in the New York Times, on Fox News and even a Japanese news agency. The destruction of the River Arts District which we loved was beyond belief - it looked apocalyptic to the extent that I could imagine that word to convey. What many claim is the soul of Asheville was crushed under the highest crest ever of the French Broad River.
 |
We still had no reliable cell signal and before dawn on Saturday, Kitty and I ventured out to assess storm damage in the regions outside of Asheville and try to get to Tennessee via I-26 North to Erwin to get a signal. Mind you, there was no electricity and no signs and no presence of law enforcement. We were eventually stopped at the Wolf Laurel exit by a bunch of cones but no signage. Trucks were stopped, and the only information we could get was that I-26 North to Tennessee was closed. Because now we needed to try to get to Burnsville to try another way to get to Tennessee, I drove 5 miles south in the northbound lane of if I-26. That's so illegal but there was no law enforcement presence in the area at 4:30 AM. No one stopped us - we made it as far as Burnsville but broken gas pipes and debris stopped us from accessing the alternate route. For reasons that now escape me, we thought Tennessee would have internet access that was being "blacked out" in North Carolina. We had no information at the time and were going on assumptions - which is never a good idea.
We finally made it to the West Yancey Fire Department in the Bald Creek area where we saw lights - the only lights in the whole area. I stopped and found that a shelter had been set up there and heard tales of stranded travelers. I also heard the first misinformation about road access - we had just traveled a stretch of highway that someone claimed was "inaccessible." The misinformation has skyrocketed to extreme proportions until now ten days later.
 |
We made our way back to Asheville (legally) and were driving around downtown, emotionally numb from what we were seeing and what we were feeling about what was quickly forming in our minds as a true catastrophe. Kitty happened upon a working WiFi signal downtown in front of the Buncombe County Register of Deeds office. The sidewalk with the homeless venturing to and fro became my base of communication operations for the next several days. We were able to get out the word that we were okay.
 |
I have nearly 40,000 followers on Facebook and 14,000 on Instagram, and I quickly realized that my followers (and others) were clamoring for information about the whereabouts of loved ones and accurate information about the relief efforts. I also quickly realized that I had a platform to get out information.
Vetting those sources with my intimate knowledge of Western North Carolina brought my lawyer skills into play, sifting the BS from legitimate, needed info. I had 1500 text messages seeking information and could not answer all of them. I'd answer one then ten more would pop up: "Has anyone heard about my grandmother, she lives in the mountains and I haven't heard from her in 5 days" was the tenor of the messages. The desperation was palpable and incredibly moving.
I've been taught to keep my cool under emotional circumstances and that experiential learning was a great help in vetting the sources of the information. What also helped is that I personally knew many of the people who were sending me information and, thus, I knew who was credible and who might not be credible.
After gaining access to the outside world, I also learned that the WNC Helene disaster was an international story. I had received inquires from the New York Times, Fox News and even a Japanese news agency. Remember how formal we prepared and executed contracts in the good ole days? In the Helene aftermath, my desk was a concrete sidewalk and my means to execute contracts to license the videos and still photography shots was an iPhone with spotty cell phone reception. The juxtaposition of how we contracted in the 80s and how I contracted last week will leave a mark on me forever.
I realized my best way to contribute resources to the community was through keeping a consistent line of communication intact with my friends and followers, primarily on social media. After being interviewed by Stephanie Abrams of the Weather Channel one morning before they headed to the hard hit community of Fairview, she and her staff realized that my knowledge of the backroads would help them navigate. I didn't take them up on the offer - there were other personal obligations to which to attend.
 |
My father's funeral was two days away in Nashville before we finally got sufficient gasoline and an open route to Tennessee. I could then tell my family that we could get there. Asheville to Nashville seemed like the longest trip ever. I was able to call my mom, and she was thrilled with the news.
 |
The trip from disaster to civilization and back to disaster was an unforgettable phenomenon. When people learned that we had been in Asheville for the past week, most were so compassionate, save a Cruella DeVille who insisted on promoting a narrative "she had heard from a friend on social media about the $750 (government payment)" that was patently false. She became visibly angry and snarled when I correctly pointed out "that's not the whole story." Being invested in a particular narrative despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary is a systemic problem is correct American society that is so evident in the communication of the events surrounding this disaster.
But I digress.
Getting hot showers and hot meals after a week of doing without was a Godsend. My father's military funeral was an event that we were so happy to attend. It took persistence, planning and a bit of luck, but we did get to see friends and family - a real plus. And on the way back, we were able to travel 441 through the Smokies and see early fall colors and I got to photograph many beautiful scenes that warmed my heart.
They are calling this Tropical Storm Helene but with wind gusts of 106 mph on Mount Mitchell, the sustained winds were reported by local citizen meteorologists to be more than the 75 mph required for a hurricane. We had reported wind gusts in Asheville of 46 mph but the wind that downed to generations old tree at our water source has withstood many 46 mph winds in the past ten years. The tree did not withstand Hurricane Helene.
Back in Asheville, still with no electricity and no water, we were back to the grind of collecting toilet flushing water from the community swimming pool and candles and no cold drinks and no hot food. My employer with my social media job offered a stay in Charlotte to work so we took them up on it, and we are loading up our electronics for the trip, along with fine cat Django and all the supplies we can take.
I plan to be in Knoxville to cover the Tennessee-Florida game for the Knoxville Daily Sun. Our colleague Chuck Cavalaris has offered space in his residence so I can set up in Knoxville.
Kitty and I are the Daughter and Son of Appalachia with ancestral qualities of perseverance, persistence and an undying love of the mountains. Recovery will be slow and false narratives will abound, but we know what we saw and felt and experienced through this human tragedy caused by the forces of nature. The hubris of the 21st century community of mankind was never more existent than what I've realized these past ten days. We are numb still and will be so for awhile but we will endure. The prelude to my 70th birthday was a bang. Life is far from over for us.
