The Horrors of Hurricane Helene
My experiences from inside the storm
Every Autumn for the last decade or so, my area received hurricane warnings. In most cases, the major threat resolved before reaching us. I don’t want to minimize the property damage and lives lost in previous storms, but in my area, it usually made for some windy mornings and a bit of rain.
Knowing this, and with similar news reports, most people didn’t give Helene a second thought. School was canceled because it is always canceled when these storms come through. Buses can’t travel if the winds are too high, but again, this is usually a minor inconvenience.
At worst, I expected to lose power for a few hours or maybe a day. Instead, Hurricane Helene tore through with a surprising devastation.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I lost power, but my home is mostly untouched. As I write this now, over 150 people are dead. Others are stranded and running out of supplies. Entire cities were wiped away.
My experience
I always wake up early. The storm was already beating against my house, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. The day was about e-learning with my students and catching up on grading. (E-learning is basically when the kids work from home due to inclement weather. I usually answer questions via…
