“Melinda, do you think we need to do anything to prepare for the storm? I know you guys don’t usually have much bad weather, but you never know. Let’s check the reports.”
“Mom, we have been so busy I haven’t really paid much attention, but you’re right. We both know what Katrina was like. Maybe we should at least cook something up in case the power goes out.”
We had been rambling around the cute little mountain towns shopping and eating for the past few days with no thoughts that things in her area could change in an instant. About this time, a friend from Picayune text me that she was on top of a mountain in Gatlinburg.
Melinda checked with her friend, Karrie, who manages a resort there to see what she thought. When Karrie mentioned the possibility of landslides and downed trees, we began to take things a little more seriously, but still never imagined how far south things would go in a few short hours.
Water is such a powerful force and roared through the mountains leaving devastation in its path. We were high and dry at Melinda’s house, but a few miles away the river was thundering through the downtown leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
I have seen Newport’s downtown go from rundown empty buildings to darling establishments. Every time I visit I am excited to see what cool, new shop or eatery has opened. And today business owners and volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to dry out, clean up and start again.
A few miles down I-40 is Hartford, Tenneessee, a gorgeous town whose main claim to fame is whitewater rafting. It’s been a minute, but Glen R. and I rafted with one of the companies located there. It was fabulous! We even had a class 5 or two on our trip! I was happy that we did it; it was actually one of the last fun things Glen R. and I did together. We really never know what tomorrow will bring.
The folks in Asheville, North Carolina, and all the surrounding small towns and communities didn’t know what was coming. They have had tragedy before, but it’s not usually from a hurricane. Those of us in the Deep South, who have lived through Katrina particularly, have a deep compassion for people dealing with the aftermath of a big storm. Relief organizations are stepping up, and I’m sure help is coming from all over.
What I will remember most is the community banding together to do whatever was in their power to help their neighbors. I went with Melinda yesterday to Crossroads Community Church where the members were working frantically to set up supplies for those in distress. It was beautiful to experience the church do what the church is supposed to do.
Last night First Baptist Newport in Tennessee opened the doors of their lovely new sanctuary set high above the town for a community prayer service. It was touching to see people from many churches coming together to seek the Lord’s guidance for helping the hurting.