09/27/2025
I struggled with how to commemorate the one year milestone of the worst natural disaster in North Carolina history
Do I share before/after images to show the progress?
Do I continue to scream from the rooftops that Western North Carolina is open & needs visitors?
I feel like I’ve done a decent amount of both of those over the course of my content, so I chose to share a more personal side: a few images that are attached to memories that will live with me forever
1-5: The sheer amount of destruction in every nook & crevice tucked into the folds of these mountains
6-7: How Marshall, NC went from looking like a war zone to welcoming back visitors in less than a year
8: The perseverance & selflessness within every single person I came across
9. Peering into the remains of someone’s home felt simultaneously intimate & intrusive
10. The feeling of being back on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 1st time after the storm
11. The mountains of supplies found in makeshift distribution centers, school hallways, parking lots, and on random, small town backroads
12. Watching my children give back rather than receive
13. Complete strangers repeatedly inviting me into their devastation in order to share their story
14. Makeshift bridges in order to gain access to roads & supplies
15. The beauty of seeing surviving wildlife immediately after the waters receded
16. The ubiquitous presence of military, SAR groups, & helicopters
17-18: The handmade signs of encouragement in juxtaposition to the destruction
19: The reopening of Chimney Rock Village: the subject of which ugly rumors swirled that the town would be completely leveled & cease to exist again
My profound admiration continues for everyone who has fought for our recovery ❤️
