The devastation and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina is nothing short of heartbreaking.
Tourist hot spots like Asheville, Boone, and other surrounding towns in the quaint area of the state are completely cut off from the outside world, struggling to get basic resources like food and water, and in some instances living with completely crumbled homes, businesses, and major roads.
At least 35 have been confirmed dead with 600 said to be unaccounted for in Buncombe County — one of the area’s largest, most visited counties.
And while the overall coverage has been dire — including national news of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris being MIA — there is some good news beginning to surface from the destroyed region.
And it’s in large part thanks to one North Carolina meteorologist.
Charlotte-based WCNC TV’s Brad Panovich is a longtime meteorologist who well-respected and well-liked by many in the state.
This weekend, Panovich provided some much-needed perspective to folks across the country about what’s happening in Western NC, telling stories of what he’d heard from trusted sources about what was happening on the ground in the area, including how it was near impossible to get coverage for some areas due to widespread power/wifi outages and lack of ability to get to those areas by any way other than air.
But Panovich’s did something powerful. He noted was that relief supplies are in fact pouring in and are being dropped in by air, with the locals stepping up all over NC and the NC National Guard doing their thing as well and with Guardsmen from states like Florida coming to the rescue, too.
He also noted that utility crews and first responders are filtering in from all over the country to help with the relief and recovery efforts.
He also said he was confident we’d see more coverage from the national press in the coming days as electricity, wifi, and road accessibility were restored in the places they could be.
Check out Panovich’s must-needed, positive perspective here: