The Wired Word for 10/6/2024  [[3. Resources/Readwise/Full Document Contents/Articles/The Wired Word for 1062024|Full Document Contents]] ## Document Notes ## Highlights - Dear Class Members, Prayers have been offered across the country for people impacted by Hurricane Helene, a storm that created a 500-mile path of destruction and left at least 160 people dead. Because this hurricane has caused what some are calling "biblical devastation," this installment of *The Wired Word* will focus on natural disasters, Christian responses to suffering, and where God is present in the storms of life.  **Hurricane Helene Causes "Biblical Devastation" *****The Wired Word*** **for the Week of October 6, 2024** **In the News** Hurricane Helene made landfall on Thursday, September 26, as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida's Big Bend region, blasting the area with 140 mph winds. "I've never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now," said Janalea England to the *Associated Press.* In Steinhatchee, Florida, she turned her commercial fish market into a storm donation site for friends and neighbors. The rural Big Bend region had gone years without taking a direct hit from a hurricane. But after Idalia and two other storms in the past two years, the people of the area are beginning to feel vulnerable. "It's bringing everybody to reality about what this is now with disasters," said John Berg, a resident of Steinhatchee. According to meteorologists, Hurricane Helene weakened to a post-tropical cyclone as it moved north, but it continued to dump enormous amounts of rain throughout the Southeast. In Atlanta, over 11 inches fell over the course of 48 hours, the most the city has seen over two days since record keeping began in 1878. The National Weather Service reported that the peak total in western North Carolina was 29.58 inches, in a town about 24 miles northeast of Asheville. Many communities across eastern Tennessee were still underwater as of Sunday. The remnants of Helene caused rivers to rise to record levels, forcing evacuations. Local schools were closed, including Carter County Schools which will likely be closed "for an indefinite period of time," county spokesperson Ivan Sanders said to *USA Today*. Destruction from the storm impacted the entire region, from big cities to small towns. Atlanta experienced its first flash flood emergency in history, as Mayor Andre Dickens begged residents to stay off the roads. In little Canton, North Carolina, located in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the mayor of the town described the scene as "apocalyptic." According to *The Washington Post*, a couple named Beverly and Baxter Eller had lived in the same house in Swannanoa, North Carolina, for 37 years, and it had never flooded. But when Helene tore through the region, water from the raging Swannanoa River rose to the point where it reached their front yard. They fled with neighbors to the safety of a Baptist church up the hill. When they returned on Saturday afternoon, they found that their home had been completely destroyed. "We haven't cried yet," said 68-year-old Beverly Eller, as she sat with her husband and their dog in the Toyota that is now their home. Their other car, a Chevrolet SUV, was lost in the flood. "We are just in survival mode." At that point, the Ellers had not heard from their son, who lives in nearby Weaverville. "We don't know if our son is alive, and he doesn't know if we are alive." The couple planned to stay in their car parked near a shelter for the night. Residents of other North Carolina towns are struggling as well, as they face the loss of homes that have been lifted from their foundations by floodwaters. Across the region, landslides and swollen rivers have destroyed the roads that provided access to small communities. Entire neighborhoods have been flooded or wiped away. Dams have been pushed to the brink, causing residents to flee to higher ground. The North Carolina Department of Transportation said that "all roads" in the western part of the state "should be considered closed." Avril Pinder, the manager of Buncombe County, which includes the city of Asheville, described the storm as the county's "own Hurricane Katrina." Hurricane-force winds have knocked down power lines and cell towers, leaving more than 700,000 residents without electricity or cell service in North Carolina alone. Victims of the hurricane are trying to locate missing relatives via social media, and rescuers are struggling to respond to the high volume of emergency calls. "We have biblical devastation through the county," said Ryan Cole, Buncombe County's assistant emergency services director. "We have biblical flooding here." Emergency responders in the county initially conducted more than 150 rescues. County officials set up shelters and water distribution sites, and directed people to a center that provides help in finding loved ones. Initial reports indicated that at least 49 people had been killed in five states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Then deaths were reported in Tennessee, and the loss of life in North Carolina surpassed 70. The toll of the storm continued to rise, and by Wednesday at least 160 deaths were reported in the six states. Relief efforts have been broad, coming from individuals (including at least one person using his own helicopter to assist), nonprofit groups, local and state governments and the federal government. On Saturday, September 28, President Biden said that he was being briefed on recovery efforts and had dispatched FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to survey the damage across the Southeast. "The road to recovery will be long," Biden said. "We will make certain that no resource is spared to ensure that families, businesses, schools, hospitals, and entire communities can quickly begin their road to rebuilding." More on this story can be found at these links: [At Least 64 Dead and Millions Without Power After Helene's Deadly March Across the Southeast.](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPPYWp9ZUOA0v8hTdf07XO-2FAMF8zyTt9MeqvSW7Eib8UX3hji_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmcwCRbNkrOa68G9cxNIfaZxyyCEwve9j-2FXVzQ4fBEJciI3N42ctqVwJCq8BBUTkrv23Ww6yvIEDYCMpqy1o8Ox-2FU5r-2Fq90i8xEdEGCCr2Hc0SNuvkzPa59pY708mWoW5HJGP9LSp-2F2MhuBL96Brg6cgAdAj5eupJ4VOl44f1pWVxYdY-2BPZDBV7wqtqxOomZnoDgupKq7CuJDR3jfIpDuSfWAr9Pq2tbYNlj2FWMt0ScZ2s3Dzw2DNrbfAAkJaKeX-2B-2BcbJlzJ1WNgj1S5NBtQ1w8-3D) [*Associated Press*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPPYWp9ZUOA0v8hTdf07XO-2FAMF8zyTt9MeqvSW7Eib8UXfZge_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmcwCRbNkrOa68G9cxNIfaZxyyCEwve9j-2FXVzQ4fBEJciI3N42ctqVwJCq8BBUTkrvy9VV5DbNxtOqhXk-2F9-2Fn88q7FoK7sPW4c-2FWIeuhdEnLwqGFAq6TvgPw26KTYwG5tppWIJJQKBvpHP18crKftu79ZyJuSsF6d-2FfpgvWJbQTelzx-2FPPd5ohEwRz38Lzcje-2FMTWxZsPsqZ6HIpThKV0Jq9rg0xa48XCOAsi32rIjDU7jof9TRWraAK8-2BHtRNYX9lz3vLuqe8Wpf-2Fjz91f7Qvgk-3D) '[Biblical Devastation' in North Carolina Towns Flooded by Helene.](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPOwEDRUAVktcmVsOsspgy0Vy2uOebSwUqr-2Bn5EasgzStoBVKbRZIAu4SVkv29baxhGfeexTi50zRz2HfGlxMrRRWI1Rd2ODmj3E9wAZ3ZGAPHn5xxspMBPHpFN6-2FusNhTQ-3D-3DcMDB_-2FDMt8DmC0b3MPPPEfxHbnxzgfJsbXDNMpwCP9nNwhUmwW6wkyKFLFNgtWOsfoWlqzJWknYznvBlIhQrMvSLcaZdhhbJIKGm-2F5qmCcYPIpJSn2obb9skqJf4MgaypxrLi7oLPa8a7eS7JtzjOXCCX8BHD-2F4cv9wFI-2FUH-2BL75pc25Hbh6RKf8EPZebHASiEu2b1aGXbOqJQ3Dnm6HAk92YmcwCRbNkrOa68G9cxNIfaZxyyCEwve9j-2FXVzQ4fBEJciI3N42ctqVwJCq8BBUTkrv42VUE9InqxinysSHh1fQeJVf72GShsKavufaRAM92JE3QLH7s0WAvayopVHQ3Oohl1PwWMYHi-2BPuVghst5YCntkodI3bvyUhgaauDrpa0ZLyB2PfM38cQuy-2FdflwKwsEhk8THkms-2F4nc49quJevRRqnJJrc5DRwnPBciVHXM231y0J1qSQvusMSoAsHIwX6KrluxFLPL-2FNEIPzRRNaZv-2BI-3D) [*The Washington Post*](https://u14323725.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.kR2s0BHA4IMM0a9cQYZVPOwEDRUAVktcmVsOsspgy0Vy2uOebSwUqr-2Bn5EasgzSt ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j9ahk1k4614xaypqe8w2eq7k))