My heart has been heavy for all of the folks who lost their electricity during the storm. Many of whom still haven’t gotten it back. Besides being an inconvenience, people have lost the food that was in their refrigerator and freezers. Others are dependent on electricity for oxygen and various medical needs.
Our power goes off fairly frequently, but typically it’s only a few hours till the EMC gets things back in order and it comes back. During a snow event or a severe thunderstorm it might stay out longer, but nothing like folks are experiencing now.
I’m so accustomed to flipping light switches that when the power is off and I have to go in the backroom I can be carrying flashlight with me and still automatically reach up for the switch.
We cut the light on and cut it off. And we have a big light 🙂 That’s what we call the ceiling light in various rooms. At night in the living room we have lamps on as we sit around but sometimes we have to cut the big light on to see something.
When it comes to paying for our electricity I pay the light bill each month.
In yesterday’s post Don Casada shared the following information regarding the power outages.
Tennessee was largely spared, although that’ll be no comfort to the folks in upper east TN who weren’t. A good source of information on power outage status is available at:
You can click on an individual state, then once more at the individual county level. As of this moment, the numbers of customers out of power are:
SC: 390,681
NC: 307,612
GA: 259,460
VA: 24,338
FL: 21,587
WV: 7,724
There are some NC counties which are still almost completely without power. In Mitchell County, NC, 11,000 out of 12,000 (rounding) customers have no power – at least from the grid. In neighboring Yancey, 12,000 out of 15,000 are without power. In more populous Buncombe, it’s 93,000 out of 159,000 and in Henderson County, south of Buncombe, it’s 50,000 out of 69,000.
But this is not just an Appalachian event. The counties in Georgia which were primarily affected are not in the northern part of the state, but the southeast. Some small rural counties there are almost completely without power.
Given the road destruction and resulting isolation, it would not be surprising if power is not restored to some sections before the end of October. According to multiple sources who are in a position to know, the death toll will rise substantially. As Randy and Angie say, we need to keep praying.
The numbers Don shared give real insight to just how severe the storm damage is and how widespread it is. I concur with the last sentence of his comment, we need to keep praying.
Last night’s video: 2 Things I’ve Never Done Before.
Tipper
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During Katrina in 2005 we were blessed to only be without electricity for a bit over one week. A friend and others in the same county, as my family, went without electricity for well over a month. It’s hard to get by without something we depend on every second of our life but it can be done. That is if you still have a home, for this too is the tragedy of a hurricane and flooding. This is a horrible situation and only God can give us the strength to get through this. My heart aches for all those who’ve lost their lives and their families who survived them. I will continue praying for all of them and hope this will be over as soon as possible and time allows. God bless all the victims of Helene, may He give you peace and healing of all the pain and suffering you have endured. Amen
That’s alright Tipper, the other day I was listening to the radio and kept trying to turn the volume up and down with the TV remote lol. I’m so used to hearing the TV that it was just habit grabbing the remote to adjust the volume but our cable and internet have been out until yesterday. Still can’t believe we only lost power for a couple of hours at our house. I’m so grateful, and praying hard for all our neighbors who weren’t so fortunate
Several things, LEC has starting working this morning in my area on replacing the poles and restringing the lines and say they will be working all day and there may be another crew to take over during the night. I need to apologize and clear up something I wrote in an earlier comment about my neighbor and him working for the power company and him and his relatives having power since Monday when no one else does. He just happens to be the beneficiary of being connected to the same line that goes to the large main Greenville Country landfill- Twin Chimneys, there is nothing underhanded going on.
Ed, I tried to drink some Boost when I was in the hospital a couple of years ago, I didn’t like it either.
Caye, we never bought much in those shops, but would go in the Apple Barn? in the corner where the bridge crossed the river on Hwy 64 from Hendersonville. Somewhere between Hendersonville and there will would buy apples and some mountain cabbage to take back to give to family members and neighbors. If I had it to do over, I would have bought the cabbage by the sack full. I was always on the lookout for a jar of sourwood honey.
I say neighbors a lot, I am pure tee country to the bone and neighbor to me can mean someone that lives a mile or two away. In the past most of us natives knew about everyone that lived in a ten mile radius of us.
One more bit of humor. Dusty told me that a woman had who lived down along the river had rescued a boathouse and tied it to a tree. Apparently she had gone on Facebook and like you would for a kitty or puppy reported it found and where it would be.
Yes, Tipper. Continuing to ask God to help those who have lost not only things, modern conveniences, and jobs, but who have also lost family, friends and neighbors. May God comfort and provide for them all. And may God also help those people who are working so hard for the safety and well-being of everyone harmed by the storm.
I live in California with a never ending unease of an earthquake. But I grew up in Texas with tornadoes and my family hales from Kentucky including the deep hollers of Appalachia. My relatives now live in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and more. I am so concerned for the people of Appalachia who have suffered in this storm. In my own way I am trying to share your information and that of other resources. So Tipper thank you for continuing to bring forward not only the beauty of your home community but also the concerns of this difficult time. You have built a larger community of folks that stretches from coast to coast and we care about you and yours. Keep up the good and important work that you are doing.
A lighter note:
On the good side my almost 7 day ordeal without electric and water has caused me to lose from 149 to 140 lbs.
On the bad side I had been trying to eat enough extra to gain back to 155 like my doctor wanted without resorting to Ensure or Boost or something like that. He recommended Boost. I said I would try! I couldn’t handle it. Even when I tried chocolate! Then I tried vanilla. When I closed my eyes I couldn’t tell the difference. Too sweet, too sticky! Like drinking Karo syrup! Yuck!
Don’t get me wrong. I eat good (well?)! It just so happens that the foods I prefer to eat don’t come with a lot of calories.
God help God help
It’s sad so many are affected by this storm. After watching so many YouTubers videos who have been affected by the hurricane it has made me even more aware of being prepared for any emergency. I’ve always tried to be somewhat prepared, but I think I need to step up my efforts in having supplies, but more importantly having a plan to be able to communicate somehow with my family. I know those who live in the mountains have always been prepared but even this time they did see this coming with the force of flooding that caused so much damage. The lack of communication has really taught us all a lesson in finding an alternative way to communicate when the phone and cell service are down. My hubby is an Amateur Radio operator aka Ham radio, so that’s helpful, but he doesn’t have the system towers like he use to have when he was actively involved with other operators in that field. He helped during hurricane Hugo, but at that house location he had big towers. He doesn’t have that now, but he still has a hand held radio that can get out if all our phones service are down. A couple of extended family members have them too, least we could contact them since they live in other states to get ahold of our daughter and other family members that live in NC. Prayers continue for all the victims of this hurricane. Lord only knows how long it’s going to take to recover from this tragedy.
My father used the word “cut” when referring to “switching” lights on and off!
Lighting tip: Even with normal electric service, we keep small, inexpensive flashlights in every room in the house and in the garage. They are quickly available to everyone and very handy for illuminating dark corners, dresser drawers, closets, etc. , and for finding things we drop–pills, pins, hearing-aid batteries, coins. We keep a better-grade light in the car, for console and under-seat searches, checking the oil, and in case of a roadside emergency. I buy 3-packs of the little cheapies at Harbor Freight stores here in Daytona. They run on AAA batteries.
What most people fail to recognize is that the “customers” Don refers to are not people. They are meters. Or maybe said, households. The power company doesn’t know how many people that are served by that one meter (at least we hope they don’t). The average housing unit in the US has 2.6 people living there. So multiply that “customer” number by 2.6 to get a truer number of souls who are suffering. I was one of those statistics until yesterday evening at 4:40 PM.
Please don’t forget the people in Avery, Burke, Caldwell and McDowell and other often forgotten counties in Western North Carolina in your prayers. There are 57,000 customers still without power here now according to Duke Power’s outage map.
The old part of the town of Morganton is decimated. Big 200-300 year old trees have blown over onto homes almost as old. The Ingles #120 on Carbon City had water up to the roof and the whole building will be torn down and rebuilt. Other businesses along that road have suffered similar fates. It has been stated that the Catawba River hasn’t been this far out of its banks since the great flood of 1916.
I have been able to venture out much and I’m sure I haven’t seen even a fraction of the decimation nature has wrought.
Even amid all the destruction around them people here are gathering non-perishables to send to folks farther to the Southwest who they see as having a greater need.
Why does it take a disaster like this to bring out the good in people?
Ed, I would like to add this to your last sentence or question, have you ever noticed many people never give God a thought as long as things are going smoothly, but let them hit a bump in their smooth life and the first thing they do is start praying to God for help. I guess as long as things are going good, they feel like they don’t need Him.
I continue to pray for your family and all of the others that are impacted by this storm. I enjoy your post about your wonderful family. It is always uplifting to watch you cook and garden. I am encouraged by the girls devotions. Praying for you all to be safe. God bless you. You are such a blessing to so many.
We lose power all the time on this mountain. It doesn’t interfere with life much except to run the well. So we bought a generator, which is fine until you don’t have access to propane or gas. We’re working on a solution, we have a spring lower down the mountain but it would be quite the hike carrying water. My husband is going to witch the mountain above us to try and find another spring.
Tipper and all – sitting here in southern Indiana this morning – and following along on the devastation from afar and just feeling helpless. I’ve mentioned before that we have spent a lot of time in the Buncombe, Madison, Cocke and Anderson (TN) counties the last few years looking for my husband’s family’s roots. In doing so, I’ve joined many facebook groups and zoom calls with others doing the same – but most are located in those areas. I’ve heard back from some whose internet or power has been restored – but like Randy – many have not.
My husband found Tipper’s YT channel a while back and then I found BP&C blog after. We traveled to Blairsville a couple of months ago to Tipper’s book signing. We drove there from Clinton/Oak Ridge and traveled up, down, across those beautiful mountains. It was quite an interesting ride as well. We go south to the area whenever we can and continue to look for those family roots and just breathe in the beauty, the people, and learn the history.
Tipper I love your channel, I love that you and others here educate us who are just “visitors”. Your passion, love, and lifestyle is what many people seek – but never find. You are truly blessed – as are those who post here.
Our hearts are breaking for you all – for the last week I’ve watched, cried, looked for your posts (and the girls) to understand what was happening there and praying for safety for all. I know many people are doing the same. We are donating to the areas since our physical presence wouldn’t help as much – at this point – but maybe later when other tire and help is still needed – we can come.
I’ll end this lengthy post and just say thank you Tipper and prayers for you all. I tell my husband often that he is so blessed to have family connections/blood lines to those in the TN, NC and SC region – because you all are truly the salt of the earth. Keep Celebrating Appalachia and stay safe. We love you all and will be continuing to pray.
My brother lives 50 miles NW from Columbia, SC. This area has never seen devastation like it is. No where near NC, but the power has been out since the storm hit and they are told 5 to 7 weeks before it is restored. At least they have a house to live in.
We can just keep on praying for the ones without power and for the crews working to restore power. They have a daunting task ahead of them. Love and prayers to all, both with and without power. Help out any one you can. Love to Granny and all.
Hello Tipper, I am so happy that you and your family are safe. We are about 80 minutes from Asheville and were without power and water for over 80 hours and just got our internet back yesterday. The only way we knew much of what was happening was our daughter in Florida and our daughter in New York State calling to keep us posted. Thank God we didn’t loose cell service. My husband was trapped on our winding mountain road for over an hour by a huge fallen tree that crushed the guardrail. He called 911 and they came and cut it enough to push it over the side and had several others to cut just up the road. My cousin and her husband (she is 75 and he is 80) lives in Mountain City Tennessee and they were hit pretty hard. She and her husband still have no power and probably wont until next week. They have a lot of trees down on their property and were evacuated for a while but are back in their home. Black-hawk helicopters are dropping in supplies there. The road 421 from Mountain City to Boone N.C. has collapsed. We are about 55 minutes from Boone and were there a few days before the storm. She told me that the Wal-Mart in Boone a total loss. A lot of the people in Mountain City go to Boone to shop. The devastation form this storm is unbelievable! The stories coming out are absolutely heartbreaking. We are originally from Florida and have been through many hurricanes but this was on another level! We continue to pray for all of the people touched by this horrific storm. I have a grandson in California and he told his mom that he hasn’t seen much about the storm out there. Tipper we love watching your YouTube channel and your girls channel.Please don’t let peoples comments hurt you. People can be so mean spirited and hurtful. If they bother you block them and go on, you should not have to put up with people like that.
Loved your video last evening—-now I want to make crab apple applesauce. I love tart applesauce. The girls’ video was awesome too. Happy to see all the donations being sent to help people. I am still just so upset about it all, but I am continuing to say prayers. When our electric goes out, I always find myself flipping on light switches—Just a hard habit to break. Take care everyone and keep on praying!
I heard about the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway being closed indefinitely due to the storm. It’s a bad time to be closed as it surely is the busiest time of the year for travel as folks go sightseeing when the trees start to change colors. My heart breaks for all the families who have lost so much. My ex-sister-in-law lives in Ashville where the devastation is hard to watch on the news channels. We haven’t talked in years but she is included in my prayers.
Well, I was taught once again that my preparation for no electricity is not good enough to rest easy. I need the reminder and I’m very sure I am not alone. And we re-learn about the habits we have based on assumptions most of us have grown used to. (That is not meant as a charge against anybody about anything, just to understand ourselves in our own times.) A friend sent a color-coded map yesterday of power outages by county throughout the SE US. Hardest hit in TN is Johnson County – county seat Mountain City. It is the furthest east of TN counties. The town of Roan Mountain was evacuated I read. Hopefully there will be better things come out of all this for the future. But for now all the attention has to go to coping day by day. We learn who, or what, we depend on and are either reassured or forced to rethink. We’ve been without electricity here several times in 32 years and have gotten by, more by grace than forethought and preparation. Has taught me I am much more captive than I like to think I am. What, I wonder, would our pioneer ancestors think?
After watching your video last night, I just had to tell you about my applesauce making this year. I bought a Johnny Applesauce Maker this year. I purchased the attachable motor separately, and let me tell you, it was well worth it. What a time saver!!!! I processed almost 2 bushels of apples in one day into applesauce. I washed and quartered the apples (no peeling or coring), slightly steamed them, dropped them into the hopper, and watched the applesauce come out one end and the waste out another. No manual cranking all day; the motor did all the work. I don’t mean to push a particular product, but guess I am! I just thought you might be interested in this item for the amazing ease and time savings. It will do tomatoes in the same way. I don’t comment much, but read your blog everyday and am uplifted by the community of love.
I have just read on the http://www.foxcarolina.com website about the destruction in Yanchey County, NC. In Burnsville, NC the NuWray Inn has became the gathering place for many. The news channel wrote LuWray but I think this is incorrect unless the name has been changed. My wife and I would stay in this Inn when would go each year on a trip to the Burnsville area in the month of October.
Praying everyday for all those impacted by the storm. Including the first responders and anyone else working to render aid.
As I got out of bed this morning, I thought what a different day than this time last week. Last week we were already without and the rain was pouring and the wind was howling. We have been the fortunate ones and were out of power for only three days and we have a small generator which kept our food frozen and let us charge our phones.
We are 17 miles south of Lake Lure. By now , I think most of the world knows where that is. Before this happened and I would try and explain where Rutherford County was, I would usually reference the movie Dirty Dancing…….that area would probably be unrecognizable. My son’s best friend worked at Chimney Rock State Park and lives close by. Thankfully he and his Mom only had downed trees, but they are expected to be without power for a long time.
Please, please everyone pray. There are people back in the hollers and coves who haven’t been reached and I believe there are many who won’t be found……people are tired and getting desperate. Tempers are fraying…..but I believe people are doing their best in a very bad situation. Rutherfordton seems to be a staging ground. It is unbelievable the number of federal and state people who have arrived here to help.
Your prayers are appreciated more that you can ever know and prayers go to the source of all power…Our Heavenly Father.
I am so glad that you and your family are safe.
Prayers from northern Alabama
I am praying for all the folks in your area and all the areas of damage. We had a lot of surge flooding here in Clearwater and our power was out for about 16 hours. We have gone as long as four days without power so nothing like you folks up north. We bought a generator years ago and it keeps our fridge going. The heat here is what is oppressive! We live away from the beach so we had no real damage but some of our friends had some flood damage to their homes. Again, praying for all.
I’m only hearing from my friend in Bakersville, Mitchell county NC when she goes to Johnson City TN for supplies. Their house is fine but she said all the businesses there will have to be rebuilt including theirs. They owned a service station, propane and tire shop. I don’t know about electricity because she only text that they are doing alright since they have a generator. They still don’t have anyway of communication locally. It’s so difficult not being able to hear from her regularly or to be there to help her since we live in central Oklahoma. It’s even harder knowing that they lost their complete home about 15 years ago due to fire and now this. They have a strong faith, therefore, I know that she will be a survivor again. Many thanks to all of you who join me in prayer.
My husband has been keeping me informed of what all has happened or should I say NOT been happening with the disaster in North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. He has been watching news on YouTube that is not covered by the main stations. People are still suffering, doing without, for some reason outsiders have been trying to come in and buy up peoples homes/properties. Our government has to do better, we have the military that has the ability to bring in helicopters to do air drops and air lifts. Where are they? FEMA is broke due to the monies being spent where it shouldn’t. Sorry, I’m not trying to make this a political post, it’s upsetting to know our people are hurting, doing without. Continued prayers.
Continued prayers for all affected. We serve a mighty god who can do incredible things, praying each day that God gives someone one more day of food, one more day of diapers, one more day of medicine that they didn’t know they had or one more day for someone to get to them to help. So heartbroken over this devastation.
Although I live in NE Ohio, it seems when we lose power the repair seems longer and longer. I have purchased battery operated candles and rechargeable lights so I am able to adapt to the situation. I am now considering a battery charging station.
Good morning from east central Indiana. I watched your video last night on my tv and it is
difficult to be able to comment from there but I wanted to let you know that I have done
tomatoes that way for years. I wash and core them, put them in the blender and then in my Victoria food
mill. There is so little pulp it removes but oh my goodness the rich, hearty flavor of the resulting juice! I am spoiled so that any time I run out, I can tell the big difference in tomato flavor. I have rarely run out as I try to always can far more than I can use each year, in case of a bad harvest.
I did not know that you could use crab appl, but until I joined your channel. I don’t have any nearby, but would sure try them if I did.
Tipper, you keep being you and please tell the twins the same. All of your hearts are in the right place! Do not, please, do not let the naysayers persuade you from filming. You and your family are such a bright spot for so many of us, My heart breaks for all of the hurricane victims and the unimaginable damage that has been done. My prayers go up for all.
God Bless you and yours.
We were spared from the major effects of Hurricane Helene. The next town over sustained alot of downed trees and power outages that lasted a couple of days, but other than rain and a little wind, we faired fine. My heart is just broken looking at the devastation in TN and NC. People still frantically searching for loved ones… so many thoughts and prayers for all that’s been affected. Storms are so unpredictable. Never would I have thought that a Category 4 Hurricane that hit near Perry, FL would have cause so much damage so far inland. I’m thankful for the first responders, the volunteers, the linemen, the donations, everyone that is pitching in to help. I pray for their safety. Have a blessed day, Tipper!
I thought I heard the crews working on the lines yesterday, it was a crew just cutting the trees back more from the road. In the past 7 days since the storm, we have seen none of these extra workers the power companies are telling about. The neighborhood men were the ones that went around with chainsaws cutting the trees out of the roads so we could get in and out to the main highway. Last night I read an update from my power company LEC (Laurens Electric) that they can not or will not estimate how much longer it will be. All along they have been telling everyone they would have it restored by Oct 7. My grandson ( lives at Belton) still does not have power and is on Duke and Duke has been saying by tonight for their customers but now they seem doubtful. Our local fire department did come around yesterday asking people if they needed water or food . We have a one mile stretch of road in my neighborhood that has their back power on. It just happens to be where a LEC lineman and his relatives live, it was back on within 2 days.
Like Tipper said, I cut my lights on or off and pay a power bill. I have reached for the light switch countless times during the last week.
Last night one of my local news stations had pictures of Chimney Rock, Bat Cave, Lake Lure on their website. The damage is unbelievable. As I have said before, this area is dear to my heart, we had no money for an expensive honeymoon, this is where we went and spent most of one day along the river and looking (not buying) in the shops, most of which seem to be washed away. We have went back to this area on a day trip many times. My wife loved looking in these shops, I would tell her “if you have been in one of them, you have been in all of them” meaning they all were pretty much alike.
Randy, you have such a good attitude! I enjoy reading your comments.
I once vacationed in Asheville and it’s hard to believe the shops in Chimney Rock are gone, and the area with the little roadside stand where we bought jars of jam, will be no more. We visited some of the little shops you mention and I smiled at your admonition that if you’ve been in one, you’ve been in all of them. Thanks for the memory!
We know that God is going to rebuild and it will be even better. The flowers will bloom with surprise. Those that were lost to us are with our Father. Every day and in every way our lives are blessed with fulfillment cram jam full to overflowing.That’s what we can concentrate on and visualize for everyone.