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I stared at a blank page on my computer screen for a very long time before I finally started writing this column. Sometimes, it’s just hard to find words, even as a full-time writer who puts words to the page every day.

We knew Hurricane Helene was going to hit hard – North Carolinians aren’t strangers to seeing hurricanes come and go year after year – but I don’t think anyone had an idea of just how much devastation this storm would truly bring.

Entire communities in western NC have been practically wiped off the map thanks to flooding and mudslides, and it’s going to be a very long road to recovery that starts with cleaning up the massive amounts of debris and digging out of the mud left behind.

But even before that, people are just working together to survive. Rescue teams are out in full force, trying to get to as many isolated people as they can. Bottled water is being distributed all throughout the region after the hurricane destroyed water systems in several areas.

Since the storm rolled through, I unfortunately haven’t been able to stop looking at the photos and watching videos of the catastrophic damage left behind. Homes floating away. Cars upended in places they’d never normally be. Massive sinkholes swallowing up roads. These descriptions feel like something from a fiction novel, but they don’t even begin to describe the actual real devastation in the area.

I’ve always wondered why people are drawn to witnessing the aftermath of storm damage. I’ve seen it plenty of times here after a hurricane comes through. People will emerge from their homes and assess the changes that Mother Nature has violently made to the landscape. Part of it is practicality – you can’t start cleaning up until you know what needs to be done. But another part of it is just that the damage is so unbelievable that you almost have to see it for yourself.

It can be easy to brush off far-away disasters if they’re not visible to you.

I salute the local news organizations in western North Carolina that have been working through impossible conditions to spread information as much as possible. Blue Ridge Public Radio, which is based in Asheville, has been a good source for updates in the whole area. Their website currently (as of Oct. 2) has plenty of regular updates and also a list of organizations on the ground there if you want to make financial donations to provide assistance.

They’re, of course, not the only local news coverage in the region. Local news in surrounding counties are also working through the devastation to spread the word to everyone else. Plenty of people are working hard outside of Asheville, as well as other news organizations all over the state. (Anyone who says otherwise is either intentionally lying or doesn’t follow any news at all.)

But for the people who still don’t have power or cell service, how are they getting information?

I read an interesting story from writer Jeremy Markovich in his “North Carolina Rabbit Hole” blog. In it, he shared how citizens of Black Mountain have been gathering in-person for daily “town hall” meetings in the middle of the town square.

News of the meeting spread thanks to posters put up around the town. People walked or biked to attend. (Gas is in short supply for cars. Roads and bridges are busted. And some people don’t even have their cars anymore after the storm.)

Standing on a picnic table surrounded by hundreds of people, the town’s mayor and sheriff provided updates on the damage to the town’s water and sewer system, which roads in and out of town were closed, power restoration estimates, and more.

It our technologically-dependent age, the scene sounds like something from centuries ago. But in dire situations, people do whatever is necessary.

I’m glad to see people in the Roanoke-Chowan area have already started working to provide help in different ways to the people in the west. I wrote about a few efforts earlier this week, but there are many others out there, and I’m sure there will be more in the future as well.

Right now it looks like water is going to be the biggest need for people. I don’t know how long it takes to repair and rebuild the damaged water systems, but it’s an essential need for everyone.

Thankfully, so many volunteers and organizations have been working on so many restoration and cleanup efforts so far. Linemen from all over the state (including our area) and the country have mobilized to help restore power. The National Guard has been on the ground working where needed, and as I was writing this column, President Biden approved sending 1,000 active-duty soldiers to provide help as well.

Western NC was hit the hardest (especially looking at the tragic number of deaths) but several other neighboring states were hit hard too. This will be a long and slow process for everyone, with impacts we probably won’t even realize right away.

Let’s not forget about these people, even after the immediate relief efforts wrap up.

Holly Taylor is a Staff Writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or at 252-332-7206.