On Friday September 27, 2024, I awoke to news of significant flooding and damage to the western mountain region of North Carolina (NC). This was highly concerning not only because this is an area of the state where I love to visit and hike, but also because my oldest son is a college sophomore in the area.
My son is also and brand new EMT. He was released to practice just two days before and had spent the night on duty with the local rescue squad, they had not run a call all night, but the calls were beginning to pour in as the rain continued to fall. Our ability to talk was provided by Starlink Wi-Fi access as cell phone towers were already down in the area.
The area where I live was not out of the woods yet from the storm either. Anticipating heavy rain bands and possible tornadoes coming our way, I double checked our home before heading off to work as a county EMS Administrator…