I'm alive: On surviving Hurricane Helene
Cassandra Lam
Somatic Healing Practitioner & Founder of Collective Rest | Leadership Embodiment Coach | Speaker & Facilitator with expertise in API identity & mental health ?
Hi community,
Many of you know that I live in Asheville, NC. So first things first: I am safe. I am alive. I am one of the lucky ones to survive Hurricane Helene.
On half a tank of gas and a prayer, I evacuated to Charleston, SC yesterday where my partner's parent's live. I made sure to give the rest of my water?and some food to a neighbor suffering from bronchitis who didn't have enough gas to leave.
On the road, things were bleak. Of the few gas stations with power, the lines for gas started from the interstate exit itself. With two crying cats in a carrier, I couldn't risk waiting hours just to be told they'd run out. I was desperate and so was everyone else.?2.5 hours into my 4.5 hour roadtrip,?I?stumbled on a gas station without a?line to refuel.
Since landing in a place with WiFi and power, my friends and I who were able to?evacuate have been?spending our days scouring Reddit and social media for updates, trying to find people who are missing, researching things?for folks without WiFi, connecting people to information, and matching inquiries for supplies to?different distribution sites across town.?
Those of us who survived are facing region-wide outages of water, power, Internet, and cell service plus gas and food shortages with few routes in and out of Asheville due to interstate damages. This is causing transportation issues for relief and supply trucks trying to get in, which means mutual aid networks comprised of community members are coming together to get each other's needs met the quickest.
In this dire hour, I have a request for mutual aid for Hurricane Helene relief.?Whatever you can contribute will directly go towards me + my community's ability to make it through. This crisis is impacting my ability to work at my usual capacity and the need for supplies for day-to-day survival are great. Funds will be shared with vulnerable communities as well.
Once power is restored to my apartment, I plan to return with gas canisters filled with gas and as much water as I can put in my car.
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How I'm processing
It's hard to believe that just 1 week ago, I was sharing the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains with you. Today, the place I call home looks drastically different and I'm?reeling y'all.?From one day to the next, everything changed.
Last Thursday night,?Hurricane Helene ripped?through the Southeast, bringing?intense tropical storms that dumped record-breaking amounts of rainfall throughout?Western North Carolina. I went to bed praying as?the wind howled outside and?nearby trees shuddered in response. My cats were extra cuddly that night as if they knew how scary things were out there, too.
By the time I woke up Friday morning, I'd?lost power and cell service. Totally disconnected from the world, there was nothing to do but stare out the window for signs,?check on my neighbors, and wait. The creek near my apartment was roaring, but there were no signs of damage to my car or building. My neighbors were also spared.
Shortly after noon, I experienced a full body memory that nudged me to drive around for an open grocery store.?Two years ago, I weathered a bad storm while housesitting in Hansville, WA (which sits on the west side of the Puget Sound) that knocked out the power for several days in the freezing cold of November. I learned from that experience that some?grocers will be prepared with?a generator in times like this.?
After driving for a few miles with no luck, I got a text from Publix of all places.?Apparently my prescription was ready. Huh. They might be open.
When I pulled into the parking lot, it was completely full. My survival instincts immediately turned on. Would there be anything left inside? Would people be considerate of one another?or fighting over supplies? Is there something people know that I don't?
Once inside, things were relatively smooth. People were scared and frazzled, but supportive. All the ice had?sold out, but an older gentleman just happened to reach for the dry ice freezer in front of me so?I was able to grab some for my fridge. I got a few days' worth of canned goods and extra cat food, then pushed my cart into the long line. Then I noticed?people were all on their phones... so there must be WiFi here!
I logged on and was not prepared for the horrors on my screen, which would slowly unfold over several days:
Asheville is located in a?temperate rainforest that gets a lot of rainfall all year. This is the wettest, rainiest place I've ever lived. Our infrastructure is designed for water. But the storm that Hurricane Helene brought in was beyond all estimations and expectations.?
Officials are now calling this the most significant natural disaster in recorded history for this region. This was a 500 year flood AKA a flood that has a 0.2% chance of occurring in any given year.
I am?shocked. There's a lump in my throat and a weight on my heart. And the?worst is yet to come because there's information that we can't even access yet until more communities become reachable.
On top of all of this, I'm processing other difficult feelings:
A real-time lesson on resting in crisis and change
Prior to Hurricane Helene, I had exciting plans in store for October in the?Collective Rest universe. There's are two new offerings I'm developing and I had just received the download for the next Community Rest Session theme that I was hoping to flush out and announce soon.
Now that I have access to WiFi and?power, I could?keep working on those things. And I could justify it in all sorts of ways.?
Because?I LOVE what I get to spend my time and talents helping us break free for intergenerational cycles of traumatic burnout. Because?this body of work that has saved my life can / does help?many others. Because I know how to?operate pretty freakin' well under extremely difficult circumstances (shoutout to my inherited and well-honed?survival skills).
But thanks to rest, I've learned to discern?between could and should, which makes a world of difference?in times of crisis and change where there aren't extra resources to go around (whether externally like food or internally like energy).
Landing in Charleston where I don't have to worry about where to get water, good, or gas is gifting me the safe enough space I need to?catch my breath, unwind from natural disaster survival mode, and feel.?
Since other folks don't have the privilege of evacuating, I feel that I?owe it to myself and to those I want to help to be as resourced as I can.?Which necessitates that I'm clear on what my priorities are, what my actual (not desired)?capacity is, and what?that means about what I can and cannot do or be.
A BIG, but not often talked about, piece of the rest journey is learning what your natural limits are, what a yes vs. no vs. maybe feels like in your body, and operating within or according to them!?
When you've spent?decades getting by or climbing up the capitalistic ladder by pushing through, enduring, and overriding your body, heart, and soul, you lose the ability to understand the cues, signals, and subtle messages that come from within. Many of us also have a habit of assuming we know how we feel without actually checking in.?This is why I teach folks to check in with their mind, body, heart, and soul.
So while I could?work on the things I'd planned to this week, I won't. I think?a crisis like this?should change my plans and redirect the flow of my energy where it's most needed. The idea of holing up in my apartment to work on my business for myself and my Collective Rest community (many of whom don't live in Asheville) while my neighbors struggle to get food and water just doesn't sit well with me.?
Sadly, this means no Community Rest Session this month. But I look forward to bringing it back in November and being with you in other ways until then!
Thanks for being understanding. I love and appreciate this community so much!
Your Restie Bestie,
Cassandra Lam /?Lam Thùy Dung
Founder of Collective Rest
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Each session begins with a creative reflection or anonymous storytelling exercise to reveal the unconscious beliefs that get in the way of rest. Then, participants will be introduced to frameworks, concepts, and tools to empower actionable next steps in their rest journey. Lastly, participants will lie down for a guided rest practice?featuring elements such as?breathwork, visualization, somatic regulation,?yoga nidra, mindfulness, and more.
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