I have also read and heard about Helene in the news.
Like other North Europeans, I cannot even begin to imagine the devastation, destruction, suffering, hurt etc. major natural catastrophes can bring. My heart goes out to you and everyone who is suffering because of Helene and experienced loss.
Good that playing guitar can bring some relief. Thatās the power of music maybe.
Hi Josh,
Living in the UK I cannot imagine what you have just experienced.
My thoughts are with you all.
A
My thoughts are with you Josh. Iām so sorry for your losses
glad that guitar and music could give you a little bit of relief 
Hi, my brother lives in a holler near BlowingRock. They had some roof damage and the driveway washed out, a pear tree came down, his double-wide is up from the creek enogh that they didnāt flood. Heās lucky.
Iām in Scotland but was born in Lenoir. Iāve been to most of the places I see in videos. I am so sad for the great down to earth, friendly people there.
Iām praying for you all.
I am so glad you are safe! A friend there (visiting mom at an unfortunate but probably fortunate time) said power came back yesterday.
It is so hard to wrap our heads around the scale of this type of disaster. I hope the re-birth of the communities build a sense of hope. My thoughts are with you.
I sure hope the folks in Florida, who can see this coming much more easily, learn from your hardship and get the heck out.
what amazing grace, you were saved. I will pray for you and your family and everyone
Iām also in the area where Helene hit in WNC. I was fortunate in that my home and my family are okay. I live west of AVL, where the impacts were less severe. I played my guitar a lot early on when things were just hitting and when all the roads were still blocked by downed trees and sporadic floodwaters. But then the work started and my guitar playing fell back some.
Weāre starting to move out of the critical needs stage and into the long-term needs stage. Processing the trauma is going to take a really long time, too. It hasnāt really settled in for me yet. I have not been to any of the devastated zones. Iāve skirted around many of them.
I kayaked the French Broad River through Asheville 6 days before Helene. It was on the low side, fairly typical for late summer paddling. What is it going to look like the next time Iām on the river? How are the artists going to manage since so many lost their studios and works? How many people are going to just leave? How is that loss going to impact the community? We were already losing the Salvage Station, one of our best live music venues, due to freeway construction. But they were counting on the last few monthsā revenue at the end of the season to help them relocate. Now? Theyāve got an even bigger struggle ahead.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Nate. It will clearly be a long recovery. Please let us know from time to time how things are progressing.
will do.
Iāll be going to my first guitar lesson since the storm today. My instructor started up last week, but I was out volunteering pretty heavily. Iām dialing back volunteering a bit so I can get some normalcy. Definitely not stopping volunteer work, because people still have needs, but doing all volunteering all the time in this kind of disaster is not good for the mental health.
Some live music is coming back. Thereās a local ukulele band (they do mostly covers but have a few originals, also) playing in Brevard (not hit quite as hard, they are no longer in a state of emergency) this weekend. My wife is friends with some of them, so weāre going to go see them on Saturday.
Looks like my first work shift is scheduled for the 26th. Weāre having to make a lot of adjustments, but it looks like weāve found a way to make at least some. Iām an outdoor guide. I do biking trips and mountain bike skills instruction, I do hiking trips, teach backcountry navigation, and lead kayak trips. Most of our program sites are still closed, and probably will be for a long time. I know a number were pretty heavily damaged and repair work for them (things like washed out bridges and landslides) wonāt be completed quickly.
Hey Josh @JROB623, just checking in with you to see how things are going this week. I know this is a guitar forum; this conversation is important as both you and Nate show the power and importance of creating and experiencing music. Especially in the worst times. I hope things are improving.
Hey man, as someone who has visited all of the hard-hit areas and worked right behind the national guard and army in some places, just avoid them if you can.
Some of the things you will see, will mess you up if you arenāt ready for them. It has probably gotten better than the first few days to a week but being out in it since day 1 and seeing everything, before anyone came in, itās hard to stomach some of it.
We will rebuild and come back stronger than before, like the community has been pulling themselves together, but we got to keep hanging in together.
Hey thanks for checking back in. I flew out of town this past weekend to Houston TX and then was in Charlotte NC for work, for the past few days.
It has been a busy past few weeks, but I was one of the luckier ones around. Seen some things I will never forget in that time, but getting away and celebrating new life did wonders.
I am a pretty strong, mentally person, just roll with the punches, but Asheville is going to have to keep recovering for a long time to come.
Yeah absolutely! Hopefully things get improved before too long
I imagine you must work in emergency response in some fashion then. I have a neighbor who is a nurse and former paramedic who was out in it in those first days helping to do recoveries. His family also owns a mortuary in Black Mountain. You probably know exactly the sorts of things he might have told me. You may have even crossed paths with him.
Also know someone who has been going into the Garren Creek area and helping to provide care to pets for people who canāt get out to seek help. She was out of town during the first week or so, so yeah, things have been improving. She worked to get all the pets owned by the firefighter who died in the storm out of there and into foster care. And another veterinarian who has been running a free clinic for folks in Swannanoa and Black Mtn who have nothing left.
But you know how things hit different when you hear about them indirectly vs. seeing them for yourself.
The strength in this area is very apparent. The music community is stepping up big time. Just in the past few days, Iāve encountered several benefit concerts going on with local musicians. I just hope everybody else steps up to support the arts community, also.