Nothing is more heartbreaking than seeing what happened to the southeast last week as Hurricane Helene made her presence known up and down the I-75 corridor. Residing in northeastern Florida, we had some high winds and rain, but were fortunately spared from the worst of the weather.
Plenty of photos were released over the weekend of the catastrophic devastation, the likes of which I’m not sure I recall ever being so far inland. Literal ‘Main Streets’ flooded, leveled, and in some cases filled in with tons of debris and silt.
The southern Appalachians have become a very special place for me since moving south a decade or so ago. They’ve served not only as an escape to enjoy the beauty of the the lush forests and cool mountain waters, but also are the home to many of my closest fishing friends.
Kinder, gentler times
After witnessing the aftermath from afar, I can’t even imagine the manpower and resources required to rebuild these homes, businesses, and general infrastructure. It’s certainly going to take a long time.
If you haven’t, please consider contributing to relief efforts such as the American Red Cross, and keep climate change at the forefront of your mind when voting this November.