In the WAKE of Helene

We write this letter from Dorchester, SC, where we are enjoying a bit of a respite from the chaos in the wake of Helene’s wrath on Asheville and the surrounding area. You all have heard the news, and we can assure you that the destruction in the town of Asheville is every bit as bad as the news portrays it. We are grateful for our good fortune in that our house and shop remained above river levels. It was a close call for the shop, but the only water that got in seeped through the back wall.

We went to check on the shop on Friday, arriving at 4:30 PM. When we got there, the river level measured 22” from the top of the dock. A half hour later, it measured 17”, and our path to get back to the car was getting flooded quickly, so we had to leave. We shot a couple of videos while there that we will share with this note. Based on the watermark on the dock wall when we returned on Saturday, the river rose to within 8” of the shop floor level.

Even though we were there through the storm, the experience remains in a category of our minds that we reserve for imagined horrors. The level of devastation in Western NC has changed the region in ways we cannot know yet.

The day before the storm hit, we moved the last boxes from our old shop, exhausted from 7 weeks of intense pushing to get our little company back to business in the new location. (contractor delays, permits etc extended the move timeframe)
We had been looking forward to taking a much-needed break soon. Melanie and I needed some time off, Mother Nature had other plans for us.

Our home was only out of power for about seven hours; we were very lucky on that count. But we understand we will be without water for at least two weeks. Gas supplies are hard to find within an hour-plus radius of Asheville, and no re-supply is in sight. Our employee, Jack, is trying to buy a car to replace his truck that got smashed by a fallen tree on Friday.

All this made it obvious to us that we needed to get out of town and put a plan together with rested minds and bodies. Melanie’s brother and sister-in-law had just the place for that on the banks of the Edisto River. We have been here many times before so we are familiar and comfortable with the space. It’s medicinal impact is already making a difference.

We will be back in Asheville and making furniture soon. In fact we kept one craftsman making while we moved. We shipped a dining set just before the storm and will assemble Sonus and Lily chairs as soon as we can get the shop up and running and Asheville gas and water supplies return. We just cannot know how soon.

This set-back will impact all of our orders, not just the ones due in the coming month. Some of the work we do depends on collaborative efforts with other local shops too, so even when we get back up and running our ability to hit targeted timelines will not be entirely in our hands.

We ask all of you to bear with us as we re-group, re-set, and restore our ability to get back to work.

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MORE INFO ON WNC CONDITIONS

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For those of you interested in a community members update, see below:
Flooded towns:
Boone
Hendersonville
Hot Springs
Black Mountain
Burnsville
Spruce Pine
Old Fort
Swannanoa

Towns that are gone:
Marshall
Chimney Rock
A bunch of others, headed west…
We were hit hard in Waynesville. Almost every bridge and culvert on our road is gone, one house collapsed, road collapsing in multiple spots.
All towns in Haywood County- Waynesville, Clyde, Canton, Maggie Valley, Jonathan Creek. Morganton also got messed up pretty bad.
The RAD flooded and so did Biltmore Village (RAD is River Arts District)
The French Broad River crested at 27.3 feet.
Power is supposed to be back on sometime this week. There are 15k people from surrounding states and Canada helping to restore power.
Not sure about water. (Probably weeks)
26 is open south of Asheville. It is currently the only way in or out of the town.
40 west fell off and doesn’t exist any longer going through the cut into TN
40 east I think one lane is open. (it has been reported as closed)
26W north of Asheville – is completely bisected at Erwin TN which is mostly gone.
There are about 200 rds. closed in WNC.
Supplies are going to be airlifted in at some point but I don’t know when or where we can pick them up. The Asheville airport is currently closed, no flights in or out.
Latest news on water is that it’s being trucked in by water trucks and there will be distribution centers set up in the area. Locations TBD.
Gas is really a problem. Smart people are staying home and not venturing out at all.