From Conference to Chaos

Gather ‘round for story time, kids…

This adventure starts at the NCSHRM Conference in Cherokee, NC, where I was assisting my friend and past speaking coach Brian Hilliard during his two presentations there on Thursday and Friday.

We were all aware of Hurricane Helene and the emergency alerts that were noisily popping up on everyone’s phones. Some people decided to leave Thursday evening to avoid any issues.

Some of us may have considered those people overly cautious. After all, this wasn’t still a Cat 4 hurricane; it would only be a tropical storm by the time it got to the Carolinas.

After Brian’s 7:15 am session on Friday, I caught up on a little work and made three appointments to see apartments in Charlotte that afternoon and Saturday morning. I left Cherokee at 11:40 with the plan to make it to the first apartment by 3:00 pm.

First Came the Water

The first part of the drive was easy. It was a bit windy, but nothing of concern. About 60 miles into it, traffic on I-40 east slowed to one lane, where what looked like a river was flowing across the highway in Swannanoa. Cars were driving through what I’m guessing was a foot (maybe more) of brown, muddy water.

Uh oh. A thousand thoughts were racing through my head…

My friend Tracy’s car was totaled a few weeks ago in Florida when she got caught in a flash flood on a side street in St. Pete. My car is low profile (see pic) – could I even make it through this water?!

I pulled over to the side for a minute, where a few other cars were stopped. What were the options? Sit there and wait for the water to subside? How long would that take? Or drive through? That was about it. There was nowhere else to go.

I said a few prayers. A tractor trailer approached and drove through. I tucked in behind him, put it in first gear and kept talking to my angels. Three quarters of the way through I had to move it to second gear and momentarily thought I was going to get stuck. My heart was pounding. Please, please, please let me make it though this!

And by the grace of the Universe, I did.

*I do not have a picture of this, which I though of in hindsight, because I was too focused on making it through.

Ok, I can still get to Charlotte on time. Four miles later traffic slows drastically and eventually comes to a grinding halt. No one’s moving. Cars are turned off. And we sit. I’m listening to a radio station from Asheville talking about how high the water had gotten there and what kind of damage they were seeing.

Next Exit Black Mountain

Until we’re inching again. Right up to a guy telling everyone to get off at the upcoming crossover because there’s a mudslide up ahead and the highway will be closed for at least 24 hours. The first exit after that is Black Mountain.

I’m happy to see a gas station because, did I mention, I now only have a quarter tank of gas? (I left Cherokee with a half tank and figured I’d get gas when I got closer to Charlotte.) Cars are parked at all the pumps. Except of course none of them work because there’s no power. I parked my car at the Walgreens next door and stared at the offline Waze and Apple maps, wondering if there’s a way around the highway so I can keep going.

There’s a Quality Inn hotel across the street. I thought maybe someone working there would know a way around. The woman did not know anything and directed me to an atlas on the table that a guy was already intently studying. It quickly became apparent there was no way out. I-40 west was now closed as well because of that raging water flowing across it.

There were three women sitting in that area of the lobby who invited me to hang out with them. Kate, Marie, and Kathy had been in Asheville celebrating turning 70 this year. They were on their way back to Marie’s house in Wilmington.

We sat and chatted all afternoon while Kate and Marie busied themselves with the colored pencils and coloring books I had in the car. I knew immediately the Universe had set me up to not be alone through this experience.

A steady stream of people came through asking if there were any rooms available, but there weren’t. Any that were vacant were dirty because again, no electricity or water. Which means there were also no bathrooms.

Then the Cowboy Comes In

When Cody showed up in a big cowboy hat and boots with his bag of belongings, he was sure he had a confirmed reservation. But no.

Cody had been delivering 45,000 pounds of beef to the Ingles warehouse three miles down the road Thursday night when out of nowhere a flash flood came through the parking lot. Water rose up to the windshield of his tractor trailer. He broke the window of the door to get out and stood on the roof of the trailer, terrified and praying for his life while the whole vehicle rocked in the water. He showed us the videos.

The $85,000 truck his boss had purchased only a month prior was totaled. (You know I feel sorry for the cows that died in vain too, right?) Cody had no idea how he was getting back to Branson, MO to his wife and two little boys.

At this point, a woman who had also been at the NCSHRM conference showed up. She and her co-worker had somehow scored a case of water from a store across the street, and she generously handed a bottle to each of us. Then she disappeared back to her vehicle.

I Don't Even Know How We Got There

As the day wore on, we figured we’d end up sleeping in our cars in the parking lot of the hotel. But Cody had nowhere to sleep. He heard there might be a church close by that was taking people in, so he and Kate set out to find it. They returned with news that a center was opening and was taking people in. We decided to all go there. Marie and Cody and Cody’s bag could fit in Kate’s Honda CRV. Kathy came with me as I followed closely behind.

I thought it was going to be a short drive of a few miles. It ended up being at least half an hour, as we drove through side streets and were redirected through parking lots because streets were blocked by downed power lines and giant trees. You can see a few pictures with this post, but they don’t really capture the scale and scope of the destruction. The smell of fresh cut trees filled the air as sunset approached.

We finally made it to the center, just before dark, although I have no idea how we found our way there. All I can say is I’m eternally grateful for Cody’s navigating.

At the very far side of this complex, utility trucks were staging and rolling out. At the other end, the Red Cross was registering people and handing out supplies in a dark and cavernous warehouse-like facility.

Masses of humanity hunkered down. Some people were sitting outside with their dogs because animals were not allowed inside. Thankfully, there was a relatively clean bathroom facility with toilet paper.

The ladies and I immediately decided that sleeping in our cars was the better alternative. We parted ways with Cody and wished him luck. I hung out in Kate’s car for a couple hours as we all chatted more and munched on snacks and our water rations before retreating to my “sleeping quarters.”

I am grateful I travel with a quilt my mom had started sewing and her quilting guild friends finished for me after she passed. It gave me comfort as I tossed and turned all night, willing sunrise to come soon.

In the morning, I bid farewell to Kate, Marie, and Kathy, wishing them luck in finding gas (they only had 30 miles to 0; I had 90) and a way out of Asheville. A police officer who wasn’t from the area and didn’t really know anything said he thought parts of I-26 were open. I remembered passing I-26 on the way into the facility so I made my way back there and got on going east. I figured it was at least the right direction, although I still had no GPS or cell service. My plan was to drive as far as possible and hopefully find an open gas station before I ran out.

To make this very long story just a wee bit shorter, the gas light came on before I made it to Shelby, NC where some parts of town had electricity and where my cell service returned. I finally found my way to a working gas station where I only waited 20 minutes in line before my tank was full and I was on my way back to my current cat sit with Lily in Richmond.

Throughout it all, I maintained my mantra of “everything is always working out for me.” There are so many lessons of faith and opportunities for gratitude in this experience. I am here for all of them.

When you’re ready to give your team the tools and techniques to maintain calm through situations like this, let’s set up a time to chat.

Lori Saitz is the CEO of Zen Rabbit, a forward-thinking health and wellness company specializing in helping corporations build healthy and high-performance focused teams and workplaces. She’s also the host of Fine is a 4-Letter Word. As an award-winning author, speaker, and broadcaster, she has been published in Business Insider, and worked with various organizations, including AARP, Insperity, Women in Technology, Infinity Broadcasting, and JK Moving Services.