We are still without power, internet, cell service. Some of the powerlines on the valley’s main trunk line are live, which means those few houses with a direct drop from the main line now have power. Our branch line serves 7 meters, and it was severed by a fallen walnut tree right where it leaves the main line. We could get power back in a few days, or it could be a week or longer. I imagine that they will prioritize work on branches along paved roads that serve more meters than ours.
We assume the communications lines will take even longer – more in the weeks-to-months time-frame. I still haven’t ventured very far on the roads, but I hear that most essential roads and bridges are passable, and that some combination of DOT and National Guard have arrived to shore up the initial serviceable-but-shaky (and incredibly fast!) fixes executed by local graders and loggers.
Although we live in a designated International Dark Sky Park, during normal times we still suffer light pollution that comes over the hills from Burnsville, Asheville, Black Mountain, and even from security lights and a few giant illuminated crosses in our own valley. But when the skies finally cleared on day 5 after the storm, we had a couple of incredibly starry nights, with the milky way painted across the center of the sky, illuminating our place in the cosmos. But that was fleeting. Last night was the clearest, crispest night (43 deg!) so far, but the stars are already diminished by town lights on the horizon.
Also diminished is the urgent sense of coming-together that was forced upon us by the lack of power and phone/internet. Starlinks have followed generators into the community, and multiple hot spots have now popped up. In the initial days after the storm, people were forced to gather around a village well of water, food, and internet. But now instead of one large community gathering place for internet, there are many smaller ones, and the village well atmosphere is fading. As the electricity and internet continues its steady march into the community, several of us are asking the question: how can we preserve the wonderful parts of this situation even after normal life resumes?
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