Soon, the deafening silence will be infiltrated with the sounds of generators firing up, helicopters overhead presumably bringing in supplies and continuing the search and rescue efforts and chainsaws continuing to clear fallen trees.

Soon, the sun will rise and give light to the recovery efforts, SO many efforts. When someone asks how they can help, it’s hard for me to even begin to share the vast opportunities that are available. There are national organizations, local organizations, grassroots efforts, individuals who’ve lost everything and that’s just one facet because there’s also the choice of where. I’ve been watching needs being met in our town of Weaverville, but there’s great need all over WNC and Florida and Georgia and Tennessee. It’s overwhelming. Here are a few of the organizations doing good work here and are in need of donations to keep doing that work: BeLoved Asheville, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, Asheville Humane Society, Food Connection, MANNA FoodBank, World Central Kitchen

I’m sure there are many, many more, but I know donations to these organizations will be fed directly into our community.

The Weaverville community center, where we’ve been volunteering for the last two days, received truckloads of supplies again yesterday afternoon to replenish supplies: food, water, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, diapers, formula, pet food, batteries and more. And, it’s not just material support. People coming through the lines, embracing, crying and exchanging both stories of loss, grief and coping, but also stories of helping, unity and love. It’s emotional, man. And tears are on standby at any moment, triggered by a hug or a story or a scene.

Life is not normal right now. I haven’t even begun to think about normal things, but I suspect I’ll need to soon. Even though my focus is on making sure my family and community has basic needs and safety, I realize the world is still going on around us, business as usual, bills being drafted, kids being educated, travelers on vacations…

I can’t think too far down the line. There are too many unknowns. For now, it’s just one day at a time. What’s the next best thing…for me, it’s helping in anyway I can. It saves me from drowning in the grief of what and who have been lost.

Photo of one our neighborhood nightly gatherings in the cul-de-sac where we have been sharing meals and music and keeping each other sane.