"The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew"

We were expecting a storm. I always love storms. I used to sit on my porch in thunderstorms and when I could feel the thunder in my chest, that's when it was a good storm. There's something about the power and vastness behind a thunderstorm or hurricane that just makes you realize how finite, how small you are. And on top of that it goes to show the power of the Being that created the atmosphere which developed that storm. The sheer might. 

Well like I said, we were expecting a storm. A hurricane even. High winds, lots of rain, thunder, lightning, maybe even tornado warnings. We all knew the drill. Go stock up on a little food (chips and soda to be precise - forget the bread and milk!), make sure your gas tank is mostly full, grab some propane tanks for grilling if the power goes out for an evening. Simple. Fun. 

Oh no, we were in for something a bit more. A lot more.

I woke up Friday morning to the sound of the wind. Whistling and howling as it tore past our house and hissed through any crack or passage. As the man of the house with a pregnant wife and toddler, I got up and began ensuring our safety. I checked the weather, made sure the windows were good, checked the direction of the wind versus the trees around our home. Thankfully the wind was blowing the 40' pines away from the house. And I mean thankfully. A significant number of them were uprooted by the end of the storm. After checking everything, I continued to monitor while my beauty and boy slept peacefully to the sound of the rain.

But the storm wasn't content with knocking some trees over. No, it was determined to get our attention. I heard a noise from the far end of the house and went to investigate. The window in our spare room had been sucked right out! You read that right. Sucked out. Not broken in or cracked. But pulled right out of the frame into the storm. "Hmm" I thought. "That is some pretty strong wind.. not your usual type." And I hustled to cover the gaping hole in our wall with plastic and duct tape. Next, the internet and cell service went dark - completely. I had been monitoring the weather for updates and alerts and suddenly there was nothing. No ability to use power, wifi, cellular, call, text, or anything. Again I thought, "wow, this is a serious storm."

At this point I woke up my wife and we assessed whether we needed to evacuate. But our landscape and position made sheltering in place the wisest decision by far. So we waited.

After what felt like days, the storm finally passed over. We made our way cautiously from the home to investigate. In our initial assessment we found that the storm had felled what seemed like half the trees in the state. We were blocked in on both ends of the road by numerous massive trees. So I got to work. When I cut our way out of the one road, we got in my Ram 3500 with a 12k lb winch and made our way to town ripping trees out of the road as we went. I cleared around a dozen just on the couple mile strip into town.

At this point we determined that we needed to check on our family since no cell service was available. So we ventured out, making our way along 64. The drive typically takes 31 minutes to complete, but under the circumstances, we didn't arrive for another hour and a half. Of course, when we did arrive, the family was gone. We presumed they were out helping or gathering supplies since their home wasn't damaged. So we left a sticky note letting them know when we visited and where we would be next. Then we promptly went on to the other set of parents whose neighborhood did in fact have multiple trees blocking and nearly crushing homes.

After an initial survey we formulated a plan. By this time, family in the mountains were reaching out asking for my help to get their stranded friends rescued via helicopter. In addition, my brother and sister-in-law were blocked in. The aviation community was beginning to link arms so we decided that the best plan of action was for me to head to Concord, NC and on the way we would cut a way out for my brother and sister-in-law. 

After ensuring their safety, I headed off to Concord to meet with both local and national figures in the aviation community to lay out a plan for answering the distress calls like I had been receiving from my family. 

And we did just that. Formalities didn't even exist in this meeting. Immediately, we planned our mission - a stand-in for the military while we waited for their aid. We would send word out to any private pilots and helicopter owners to meet us at HKY (Hickory Regional Airport) the following morning. From there, we would be working alongside the volunteer troop from the 82nd Airborne from Fort Bragg, NC. Our initial goal was to establish safe LZs (Landing Zones) and ask anyone in sight what resources were needed most and the estimated number of souls in need of evacuation and/or supplies. Once we established safe LZs, we could better understand how to service and help each area.

The following morning, the turn out was exceptional. Men and women from all over the country arrived. Some with their own helicopters, some with donations, some with military equipment and resources, and some with just their generous hearts. 

After a quick meeting and plan communication we got right to work! WE ARE COMING WNC! You are not alone!

Our hearts were full, our spirits high and our minds focused. But many of us weren't prepared for the type of rescues we were about to embark on. God help us.