Quiet, scenic, green, serene, an oasis of rustic culture, good food, crafts, antiques and a subdued lifestyle. One day, paradise; next day, hell. Roads flooded. Homes and businesses destroyed by wind, floodwaters and mud. And within this maelstrom, eerily silence. No contact with the outside world. No help to rescue trapped, injured and dying citizens. No way to escape. It felt like the end of the world…

Nature’s fury cannot be controlled, and one cannot reason with it. It is indiscriminate in its horror and its victims. Nature’s fury does not respect age, whether a person has led a good and moral life and what its affected targets are. Nature’s fury does not respect beauty and tranquility. It rampages blindly, horrifically and without pity.

I hope that the residents of Asheville NC and the surrounding communities are able to recover from this devastation as soon as possible. However I’m sure the scars and memories of Helene will last a long time. It’s a lesson for all of us, one day, blue skies; the next day, death and destruction.