‘Just live one day at a time’; Spirit unbroken in battered North Carolina town

NORTH CAROLINA — Regina Buckner’s double-wide sits on concrete pilings, several feet about the ground here. But the muddy, roiling water from the Swannanoa River still crept inside.

“Enough to wet the floors and ruin the rugs and carpets and the flooring in the house,” she said.

She knows she and her family fared better than many of her neighbors in Swannanoa, a small city about 15 miles east of Asheville. Looking around at the shattered homes and crumbled road, words ring hollow.

“You don’t even know what to say, because it’s so bad,” she said.

But as the river has gone down, another flood has come flowing in: A flood of goodwill and encouragement, creature comforts and hugs.

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“We’ve had people from Louisiana, we’ve had people from Nebraska, we’ve had the Border Patrol come,” she said.

Among those who have come is Lin Robinson, a pastor from Rocky Mount, N.C. He started a ministry called Sow It, Do not Sell It, allowing people to donate their used cars to people who need them. With so many cars flung by the flood, he thought his ministry could shine in this storm-battered mountains.

“And we can come back and bring a little ray of hope, bring a tiny ray of hope to somebody that doesn’t even have socks and shoes to put on,” he said.

Another out-of-towner here to help is Brandon Bender of Richmond, Va. His friend, John Bidwell, had the idea to deliver a bunch of bottled water to the North Carolina mountains.

“We put out one post on Facebook, and a couple of people shared it, and it just blew up,” he said.

Churches, businesses, and families donated food and clothing to fill a couple of pickup trucks and a U-Haul. He set up in the yard of a woman with an unforgettable hug.

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“I never felt a hug like that lady gave me,” he said. “And I told her it is going to be okay. This place will build back.”

But it will take a long time. Maria Tannett’ single-wide is beyond repair after two feet of water gushed inside.

“We pretty much lost everything we own,” she said. “A lot of family mementos and stuff like that.”

She is now staying with friends in Charlotte and met with a representative from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday – and she is determined to rebound.

“We’re from some pretty tough people,” she said. “And I’ve been through a lot in my life.”

The Swannanoa is a tributary of the French Broad River. It comes from an old Cherokee word meaning “beautiful river.” But now it flows through a nightmarish landscape of debris, tumbled vehicles, mud and fallen trees.

Some people flooded out of their homes have taken up shelter in tents.

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Merritt Albin’s home endured Helene’s wrath. “I’ve been living here about 18 years,” he said. “The house can be fixed, so we’re gonna fix it.”

Still, to look around at his shattered community, he grieves. “It’s heartbreaking, bad,” he said, patting his heart. “It hits me right here. I care about these people.”

It is a community whose spirit is tested, but unbroken.

“Just live one day at a time,” he said. “Make the best of it.”

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