Disaster’s long shadow: hurricanes and heartbreak
Darian Trabold, Editor-in-Chief
When I was sitting down to write this editorial I originally considered writing about all of the exciting events we have at St.Mike’s this month (which are featured above) but then Hurricane Helene hit my home state of Florida and suddenly my thoughts went to those affected by the hurricane. While Floridians were affected greatly by this hurricane, with many losing power and extreme flooding leaving debris, North Carolina suffered horrific damage in places that were never supposed to be affected by hurricanes. I am quite frankly frustrated by the lack of media attention on this devastating tragedy so I want to use this space to highlight the impacts of Helene, specifically on North Carolina.
As a chronically online person, I was horrified by the discourse surrounding the victims of this natural disaster. People did not understand why they did not evacuate, almost implying that they deserved what happened because they did not leave or because of who they may have voted for. Appalachia is not a place where people can just leave. It is extremely rural and has high levels of poverty, making evacuating extremely difficult for many. Moreover, Appalachia was not supposed to be hit this hard, Hurricane Helene made a last-minute turn, leaving people virtually no time to escape and prepare. Entire towns have been wiped off the map, that is not something anyone can prepare for or something a place deserves.
Western North Carolina is mountainous, which was supposed to make it a “climate haven” from natural disasters like hurricanes, however, Hurricane Helene has proven nowhere is safe from natural disasters. Its geography also makes rescue and rebuilding difficult. That part of North Carolina is now completely cut off from eastern Tennesee, with roads anticipated to not be fixed until mid-2025. I cannot even articulate how disastrous Helene was and it breaks my heart to see such destruction.
To make matters worse, as I write this, Hurricane Milton is heading right for Florida, now a category 5, stretching our limited disaster resources thin and hitting people while they are still in the early stages of recovery from the last hurricane. If you are able I implore you to support disaster relief efforts. A personal favorite of mine is the Cajun Navy. If you cannot donate, please check in on your friends who have family in the affected areas; I can speak from experience – there is nothing more stressful than praying your family and friends are safe during a natural disaster and there is no worse feeling than having to message loved ones if they are safe and not getting an immediate response. While this may seem bleak, one thing about the South is we support each other; community is everything and I know we will get through this together.
Photo Credit: NOAA
