Living on Community Energy in Asheville After Hurricane Helene
"BEAR!" yelled the guy next to me, prompting me to look up from my laptop at the temporary neighborhood Wi-Fi station by the church on Beverly Road a few nights ago.
There were actually three bears - a mom and two cubs — just 40 feet away. I'm used to bears in Asheville, but seeing them in the aftermath of the floods was jarring.
In the last nine days, I've made unlikely connections with many characters in our havoc-wreaked community. As you have probably heard, in Asheville, N.C. we’ve experienced historic flooding due to Hurricane Helene. Our family is safe. But for nine days, we've had no power, running water or Wi-Fi, and minimal cell reception.
Asheville - after the flooding from Hurricane Helene.
This experience has reminded me of the importance of pausing and finding joy in unexpected places. I’m grateful for the support and kindness shown by those around us. I'm grateful to do my part as well - I have traveled to bring back supplies for us and our neighbors - and to get Wi-Fi - because my work at Creative Strings continues!
We drove six hours round-trip for these jugs of water.
Energy and resources are ever-present considerations governing our daily lives. During a disaster, we prioritize needs even more - and seek to leverage energy to meet them.
The Hopeful Narrative
Without cell reception, those of us in western North Carolina having been getting our information from the local radio station. They constantly mention this idea: "It will take time and resources to restore what we had." They tell stories about "neighbors helping neighbors" - unlikely stories of connection, generosity, and selflessness.
Collaboration turns transactional economics on its head and leverages the power of generosity and connection. For example, my son Dalton and I helped clear our neighbor's lawn. Then she invited us in for grilled pancakes. Instead of competing for limited resources, collaboration generates more. We only need to look outside ourselves, be willing to connect with people, and be willing to trust.
Smile at someone, offer a tiny act of kindness. See how this GIVES you energy. Collaboration, generosity, and connection create leverage that defies common-sense economics.
This is an evocative way to think about our relationship to energy and how we can leverage it. It can also apply to music: to practice, teaching and performing. Consider these questions:
- In your practice, who can you practice with?
- If you teach, how can you serve students by curating content or flipping the classroom?
- If you work for yourself, what collaborations could you initiate?
I choose to believe that collaboration in community is more powerful than competition. That sustainability, heart, and integrity are the most important factors in driving success. That technology can liberate, instead of isolate or dominate.
Anything is better than living in fear of scarcity - not just financial scarcity, but scarcity in relationships, love, energy, confidence.... I've seen the light in the eyes of neighbors I never would have met if it weren't for a disaster. I've felt the positive flood of change when I let go of defensiveness and protectionism.
Sometimes, the best way to create resources is to give, connect, trust, and let go.
Jazz violinist Christian Howes.
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I'm still working and teaching through the recovery - so I invite you to learn more about our Creative Strings programs and resources for violinists and violin teachers. Try our free Play-Alongs here, or click here to sign up for our zoom classes, or click here to sign up for Creative Strings Academy.
You might also like:
- Christian Howes Creates Structure for Improvisation - ASTA15
- Workshop with Violinist Christian Howes at ASTA 2019: Improv, Modes and More
- Let's Find Common Ground: Jazz Meets Classical on Christian Howes' Podcast
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Replies
The experience of Asheville NC (less than four hours' drive from Blacksburg) really teaches us how precarious our own assumptions are about living in "disaster proof" localities. Flooding from western North Carolina during Helene proceeded north via the New River, with utter destruction among some of the smaller communities along the riverway in localities like Giles County. Blacksburg was largely spared (we are at the same elevation as Asheville) but we have been under a boil-water advisory for a little over a week. Thousands lost power -- but not my neighborhood, which is covered by Virginia Tech Electric Service. It's just dumb luck.
Reminds me of my experiences during the Christchurch (New Zealand) earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. No electricity, no sewerage, no water - and where I was living in Sumner, we had a Residents Association. We ended up giving support to other suburbs that didn't have Residents Associations and consequently didn't have a support Hub for getting emergency supplies to people who needed it. I volunteered and made some wonderful friends.
You have my sympathy, all the way across the Pacific Ocean. But in my experience, one way to disaster-proof your local community, is to treat it like a community and get a Residents Association, or something of the sort, set up, and make use of it when disaster strikes. (Admittedly there are occasions when that wouldn't work - a niece was in Lismore, NSW, during the floods of 2022, and the town was drowned almost completely. As were a number of residents. She survived because her flat was a two-story building, and she and a friend were able to get out onto the roof. In that situation, there was nothing anyone could do apart from hang on, and hope and pray.)
Best wishes, Christian, and I hope things recover and come together soon. Your blog entry offers thoughtful advice and made good reading.
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October 7, 2024 at 11:52 PM · That is a really long time for so many people to be without power, running water and Wi-Fi. Your positive attitude is a beacon. Wishing you and your family all the best and I hope your community gets the help it needs to deliver these necessities to people as soon as possible.