Volume 25, Issue 8
Page 16
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Hurricane Helene (Continued from Page 13)
And when the water levels began to rise, they rose at rates and quantities that were considerably out of the norm. I heard a report of a man and woman who were on their front porch, watching the water levels in the river rise. The man was looking up-stream through the rain; he heard a sound of roaring coming, and then saw the trees up on the mountain move in a very strange and un- usual way. He immediately told his wife that they should go inside the house. Only four or five seconds later, the house burst into pieces around them. He was knocked unconscious for a time; when he came to, his wife and child were gone. He somehow sur- vived, but his wife and child did not. Some people might say, “well, that is just what you get for living along the banks of a river,” but in my opinion, when the river waters rise to levels higher than what has ever been recorded in modern history, then it’s not so much due to someone’s failure to plan and prepare. How can you plan or prepare for that? How do you protect your family from that? Wouldn’t that be sort of like saying that the victims who worked in the twin towers on 9/11 got killed or injured as a result of their own lack of ability to make good choices? These were events of which one just could not prepare for the destruction that was coming upon them, because the cause of the destruction was completely out of the realm of what they knew to be “a normal happening.” It’d be mighty difficult to plan for inci- dences the likes of these. The flooding was immense and caused catastrophic damage. Some towns were flooded to unprecedented levels, with water rising high into the second stories of buildings. Washed away were bridges, homes, properties, buildings, road- ways, automobiles, railroads, railcars, tractor trailers, recreational
vehicles, industries, farms, farm equipment, retaining walls, septic systems, propane tanks, fuel tanks, storage containers, busi- nesses with everything in them, etc. The list goes on and on. Many communities, towns, and cities within the region were highly impacted, if not completely devastated! Lakes were filled with acres and acres of debris of all kinds, some of which floats and some of which sinks. The river waters were more violent than most can imagine. Automobiles which were swept away were later found looking as if they had been put through some kind of shred- der or compactor. Persons that were swept down river, in many cases did not fare any better than these vehicles. Some of the un- fortunate souls who did not survive the storm may never be seen again, for their bodies could be trapped under the waters of the lakes and rivers, or buried on the lake bottom beneath layers of earth and debris. A quick internet search provided the following information re- garding some of the infrastructure damage as a result of the storm. “The storm damage in western North Carolina after Hurricane He- lene swept through on September 27 was immense. More than 1,000 bridges, some 5,000 miles of state-owned roads, 160 water and sewage systems, and an estimated 126,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.” Keep in mind that this is reporting only the numbers for North Carolina. And what about the railroad? An internet search provided an AI Overview which reported 40 miles of CSX’s former Clinch- field Railroad were destroyed, and roughly 50 miles of Norfolk Southern tracks were impacted. This surely seems like a matter of major concern, economically for certain and potentially even a
ception of the vehicle that he escaped in, is gone. He’ll have to make a new start, and mostly from scratch. Most people who lived in these homes were not required to have flood insurance, be- cause they didn’t live in what was considered to be a flood zone at the time; so they likely will not qualify for reimbursement from their insurance companies, for their loss of home and/or contents. When the flood zone is reassessed along the rivers, many of these properties may very well be designated to fall within the limits of the newly established flood zone, and some properties could be designated as being a flood plain. Either way, this would be an- other major blow that could be crippling to the landowners for var- ious reasons. Many properties are expected to be taken by “imminent domain,” for the building of new roads along the river. Now let me address the psychological impact that this tragic event could have on those who experienced it firsthand. Does any- one else besides me remember when there were no planes in the sky for at least two days after 9/11/2001? And as the planes re- sumed flying, did anyone else besides me suspiciously or cau- tiously keep an eye on low flying planes — especially if they were flying in the vicinity of a city, or a large public gathering of some kind, such as a stadium event? I’ve heard that persons who work in high rise buildings were quite concerned for their safety for years following the 9/11 attack. Fortunately, I’ve not had to work in a high rise. How many people were nervous about flying after 9/11? How long did that nervousness persist in your thoughts? 9/11 was a mighty tragic event which impacted the lives of a great many Americans, and even people around the world. That was a day that changed the course of history for many and the world has somehow seemed different ever since. Well, for those here in Southern Appalachia, this storm event was similar in many ways, for it completely shattered or tragically impacted the lives of a great many. In the wake of this tragedy, there are persons who are laying down each night and waking up each day without their loved ones lying alongside of them, or even in the room down the hall, for the waters took them. When it starts raining, many begin wondering, when it is going to stop? They ask themselves questions such as, will there be another flood? How high will the river get? What if the dam breaks? Will another landslide come down from the top of the mountain? Is my family safe here where we are? Should we go to higher ground? Will the tractor be okay out in the barn? Do I need to let the animals out of their pens? Do I need to move the vehicles further away from the river? Is it safe to go to sleep? What is that noise that I heard up river? If I rebuild the home, the barn, the shed, the dock, the deck, the porch, the business… will it just get washed away again? Did I make a poor decision which resulted in my family being caught up in this tragedy? Why did I live and they died? Why did my home survive the flood, but my neighbor’s home did not? How will I come back from all of this? How much homeowners in- surance is enough? Should I even purchase insurance anymore? Why did God allow this to happen to us? What have I done to de- serve this? And the questions go on and on and on. It is important for us to know and to realize how tragic this event was in the lives of a great many folks. We need to be aware of how much this has impacted their lives, how long it will take for them to rebuild, and how long it will take them to physically, mentally, and spiritually heal. For those who live within the devastation zone, their perspective of history going forward will be divided between the time before He- lene and time after Helene — for like 9/11/2001 had that effect on our nation, so has 9/27/2024 affected Southern Appalachia. Let us be good neighbors, sufficient servants, and especially adequate siblings to our fellow Americans, and to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us remember to pray for these people who are dis- tressed and suffering during this time of much grief and trouble and let us provide help and support to them in the ways which we are able. When some are faced with this much tragedy in their lives, they tend to either turn closer to Christ, or further away from Christ; let us do our best to lead them toward the Light! As I travel through and work within the devastated areas, inter- acting with those who are suffering and in need of assistance, I am working to lead them closer to Christ by gifting out Holy Bibles and a small book called “The Life And Teachings Of Jesus Of Nazareth.” Let us be witnesses of Christ, let us be the salt and light of Appalachia, and let us build up our brothers and sisters with God’s Word! Isaiah 40:28-31, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His under- standing is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Amen! If you would like to participate in the gifting of Bibles and books, or if you would like to volunteer your time and skills to serve in the disaster clean-up and rebuilding efforts, or support worthy min- istries working to rebuild and get people who are still living in tents into safe housing, please email me at the following address: ClayParker@gmx.com
regional, if not a national major safety concern. So why don’t we hear more about all of this on main- stream news? I reckon this would be the subject for an entirely separate article. How mind-blowing this must have been to the people who thought they were safe and well pre- pared to ride out what they considered to be a moderate weather event blowing through the re- gion. The people that live along the rivers in these mountains thought they were living in about the safest place in America, where the only thing that they really ever had to worry about in regard to their physical safety was trying to avoid having an automobile accident, a hunting accident, having a heart attack, or getting admitted into a modern day hospital during a so-called “scam-demic!” I’m quite serious when I say that these folks thought that they were living in one of the safest places in the world, which is precisely why they chose this place to live. In the mountains of a conservative southern state, in the heart of “the Bible belt,” a region that many people refer to as “God’s country.” So imag- ine living here, possibly for your entire life up to this point, and having all that you need in place to ride the storm out inside your home, with your wife and children by your side — and the next thing that you know, a wall of mud and debris comes crashing through your home, from either the hill behind you, or by way of the river suddenly coming out of its banks and rising to levels reaching 29 feet up into the trees! Your vehicles are floating down the river along with everything else that you own! You try to get your family to higher ground, fighting against the current, but the water is too strong, and the de- bris is beating against you from one direction while you are swept in another direction against trees, boulders, fence posts, farm equipment, or anything else that is in your path! You want to help your family, but there is no way for you to do any more than just try to stay conscious and try to survive as you are swept away from them, downstream within the torment of the river! And if you happened to survive, you may very well have lost family mem- bers to the storm, and you may not have a home, a bed, a vehicle, a job, or even your Holy Bible re- maining. Not all the disaster victims had it as bad as oth- ers, but there is no doubt that it was a life-changing event for everyone who lived within the devastation area, or anywhere close to the devastation area. I saw a report of a man who said that before the storm, he owned a 1.5 acres of land between the road and the river. He reported that he had a very nice large yard that surrounded a very adequate and sufficient home. After the storm, all that re- mained of his high ground was small portion of the driveway out near the road; the rest of the high ground, along with everything on it it, was washed away by the waters. All that remains is a well head that is mostly filled with mud, and for the most part a river bed. All that he once owned, with the ex-
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