Post Helene Update & Reflections

I have wrestled with whether I should share a public update about the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's destruction in the mountains of Western North Carolina. So many have lost so much, including family members, homes, communities, and businesses. A wise friend, however, encouraged me to use my voice as a small business owner in Hendersonville, NC to advocate for my beloved community and fellow small business owners as we are in the recovery process. At Edenwood NC LLC (vacation rental properties), we were fortunate to be spared major damage. We were without power and water for 13 days and our community was under a do not travel advisory for 11 days. We are among the grateful. We had the help of friends and our church denomination's Disaster Relief Team to clean up the downed trees on our business property and reopen for guests on October 10th.

I have a new appreciation for the leaders I have served in the past who I know navigated other crises with a much greater and larger burden to bear than I had during Helene. I think of the leaders of Dixon Hughes, now Forvis Mazars US , who led through the Great Recession of 2008/2009. I think of the leaders at MAHEC who led through a Global Pandemic. The mental, physical, and emotional burden of carrying a business through a crisis is no small task. Doing the work without power, water, cell service, and childcare (i.e., no school!) added another level of challenge. Dealing with your own business losses that are small in comparison to the news of major losses was an added level of accountability to try and practice what I preach to my own child: live in faith, be grateful, and remain resilient. Let me be honest with you - I have had to apologize to my child multiple times for my hypocrisy in the past 3+ weeks. At one point I admitted to him I was tired of practicing resilience and I hoped that, in the future, he would look back at his parents who feebly tried to lead through two separate and distinct 100 year events during his formative years (i.e., COVID and Helene) and give us a little grace.

I visited friends' local Apple Orchard today. Their orchard has been unable to safely reopen due to major damage on the access road to their farm. They described Helene as the "perfect storm at the most imperfect time". Henderson County in particular depends on Agritourism and the months of August through October are the months Apple farmers reap their income for the entire year. Not to mention that fall is peak tourist season and wedding season here in our mountains. The trickle down effect of loss of visitors and tourism to our area during peak season is staggering.

Some of you have likely suffered losses of your own - I would love to hear how I can support you. I am also certain many of my former colleagues and connections reading this have already given financially and even your time serving the communities of Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Thank you. Now, my advocacy for how you can help so many in our area going forward.

Since our business is nearly 100% dependent upon tourism (our properties were designed to be getaways and were not built as single family homes), I can directly track the decreased demand for travel to our area. Almost all of it is 100% well intentioned - there was a do not travel in order for days, including for Buncombe County (Asheville), which was finally lifted this week. The media coverage was rightfully directed to show areas which experienced the greatest devastation and needed the most help (and will need the most help for years to come). Different communities have been on different timetables and have different impacts. From my perspective (selfish I know!), one of the best ways you can help in the months to come is visiting a community of Western North Carolina and patronizing local businesses.

Local businesses here have a culture of supporting local businesses. For example, guests of Edenwood properties are offered a complimentary, customized travel itinerary from the talented Summer Stipe . Guests are greeted with treats from three local businesses (I like to keep these a surprise) as well as local craft beer in the fridge. Our guest guidebook recommends dozens of other favorite local businesses to match any taste or preference. We utilized a local plumbing business, a local electrician, and a local arborist to assist us with repairs post Helene. Bottom line, when you patronize one local business in Western North Carolina, you are likely patronizing many others at the same time without even realizing it.

One thing I have noticed in the course of the past three weeks is that as soon as businesses have been able to safely reopen, they have done so. Not only is it their livelihood and the livelihood of their employees, but a concept I have always believed in is that people want to go to work and to jobs that give them meaning and a purpose. Reopening for business brings a sense of normalcy in a world that has been turned upside down. Now that many businesses are reopening, the next hurdle is to see them packed with customers and filled with reservations as is customary this time of year and through the holidays. If you are able to travel to Western North Carolina for the day or for overnight travel, I would be happy to provide any insight I can on the specific community you plan to visit. If you have made it this far, thank you for caring enough to read my reflections and take under consideration how you can help Western North Carolina.