01/01/2025
This article from the Oct 9th Mitchell News-Journal is perfect. Still applicable, still don’t have a good answer to this question yet, unfortunately.
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"What do you need?"
Well, electricity, mostly.
As dreadful as Hurricane Helene has been, the outpouring of generosity from both home and abroad has been heartwarm-ing. Food, water and supplies have flooded into the tri-county area. We've had the opportunity to meet and learn from both professionals and volunteers who dedicate a large portion of their lives to just this kind of disaster, and everywhere we hear the question: "What do you need?"
We need time - every little essential daily activity that we used to take for granted takes so much time now - time to figure out a safe route to travel; time to carry and heat water; time to charge batteries and travel to somewhere with an internet connection; time to get everything done before dark.
Locally, we've been impressed by the hidden talents and ingenuity of neighbors who have worked to clear and repair roads, grade washed-out driveways, and check on shut-ins and those stranded in the back hollers - "What do you need?" We need breathing space from chaos; a break from having to stop and think and figure out a new way to do every single thing that has to be done in an ordinary day. We need predict-ability. We need routine - even if it's a new routine, if we could just get used to something happening in regular, easily-anticipated way.
Further afield, friends and family check in constantly, wanting to know what they can send, where they can send it, and if they should drive up here and get you — "What do you need?" We need to go back in time, and try a new approach to persuading stubborn residents to evacuate vulnerable homes. We've thought of new arguments; we just need a chance to share them.
"What do you need?"
We need patience with spouses and family members and neighbors and "helpers" who maybe haven't given much thought to the unintended cost of un-asked for interference with damaged property. We need to take a breath and remember that everyone is rattled and tense and overwhelmed and not thinking clearly.
"What do you need?"
We need wisdom, sometimes in a really big hurry, as we try to decide which damaged and maybe repaired-a-little roads are safe to drive over.
We also need to go back to following the actual laws of the public highways - they're not like what fork to use at a banquet, guys, they actually serve a purpose, even in a state of emergency.
A non-functioning traffic light is to be treated like an all-way stop. Abruptly pulling out in front of people was not safe before and it's not safe now. You can't block traffic to randomly shout at people you know because you're glad to see they're safe, or at people you don't know who might need a case of water that they're not currently asking for, on account of how they're otherwise engaged in operating a motor vehicle.
Unnecessary accidents have already happened, with injuries straining an overburdened hospital system. If that is not sufficient deterrence, know that the North Carolina Highway Patrol has brought in reinforcements from the coast and they are handing out tickets.
"What do you need?"
Of course we also need patience with drivers who are anxious, distracted, and driving slow in order to be prepared for obstacles they might not had the opportunity to identify yet.
"What do you need?"
Sometimes we're not entirely sure. We've never done this before."