NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Winter weather across the mountains is threatening an already fragile power grid in Western North Carolina.
“Certainly, has rested on people both physically, but I think mentally too and spiritually,” Burnsville resident and member of Big Creek Free Will Baptist Church Jody Cox said.
Monday, a thin layer of snow accumulated on top of debris and mud along the Cane River in Burnsville. It acted as a temporary blanket, disguising the aftermath of a storm that stranded the entire community for weeks.
“The community on this side of the river was completely shut off from the rest of North Carolina,” Jody Cox said.
During that time, Cox watched as his church transitioned from a place a worship into a safe haven. The parking lot became a medical hub. The chapel became a place to sleep, and the fellowship hall was turned into a cafeteria.
“People helping people, sharing food, sharing bathrooms, restrooms, the bathing, the laundry, the whole thing,” Cox said.
While acting as a hub, the church itself was also surrounded by water from an overflowing creek nearby.
“We had to take all of the carpet out and we were worried about mold in the walls, so we had to tear the paneling down.”
Monday, instead of church music, the sound of construction echoes through the halls.
While churches and the community continue to rebuild, another obstacle remains. Loose mud and tree roots have created a lingering threat to the region’s power grid.
By 2:30 p.m. Monday, at least 500 homes across the region have lost power.
“These high winds, catch the tree, push it out on top of a line, it’s going to fall and break something,” General Manager of French Broad Electric Jeff Loven said.
Back in October, Loven gave Queen City News a tour along the Cane River, highlighting the around-the-clock work his crews were doing to restore power to the region.
Since then, he says all power has been restored, but not a very fragile power grid.
Loen says it could take one to two years before the grid is back to pre-Helene standards.
“There is some anxiety that if we lose power again, so there is anxiety that comes with the weather,” Cox said.
Despite being surrounded by the constant reminder of Helene, and the potential for even more hardship ahead. Cox says if these last three and a half months taught this community anything, it’s that they have each other to lean on.
“I had one gentleman say that he hopes it would stay this way after and we are closer than we ever have been as a community, so that’s a good thing,” he said.
