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Hurricane Helene is on the move, and hell follows in her wake. Last week, many areas in Giles and McCoy felt her wrath, finding themselves completely submerged in murky water. I was unlucky enough to witness the devastation first hand.
As a proud member of the Giles community, I like many others had the pleasure of drowning in water and darkness. More than 240,000 homes lost power in Virginia alone, and Giles embodied the statistic. We lost power for days, and as we drove to refill our generators, we watched the rivers become rapids and the creeks become canals. The New River itself rose a reported 31 feet, and the Sinking Creek of Eggleston, normally empty, found itself gushing like the Cascades.
In the aftermath, 48 residents found themselves without a home, and many more discovered piles of trash washed from the river to their properties. Thanks to participatory evacuation, no lives were lost, but the damages incurred from the river rampage are detrimental.
From here, the questions come in the form of cleanup. Who is going to help? Virginia Delegate, Jason Ballard, had an idea. More than 500 Virginia Tech Cadets are now on the case, assisted by around 250 volunteers. The majority of students reading this article will nod their heads, having been prompted by our lovely school to help aid our neighbors.
As for Blacksburg, whilst the flooding did not majorly affect homes, it instead went for the drinking water. Monday, September 30th, Mr. Stewart let out a boil water advisory warning for BHS. The custodians were told to hastily bag up all water fountains, allowing for only one source of water: the bathroom sinks. “[The bathroom water] is still safe for washing hands.” From that point on, drinking water was provided by BHS for all facets, from the every-day hydration to the after school practices. Mr. Stewart proudly declared in the previously mentioned advisory, “This will not stop the school from being open.”
The following day plastic bags remained over fountains; large Switch barrels were brought in, filled to the brim with plastic water bottles, and students could drink once more. With this new solution, you’d be hard pressed to find a single student without nourishment. In fact, while writing this article I was asked, “do you need a water bottle? My friends forget to hydrate so I grabbed, like, three.” She proudly displayed an open bag, stockpiled and prepared. I took the bottle and gulped eagerly.
Whether you be a Blacksburgian, Christiansburgite, or Gilesonian, we have all been affected by this natural disaster. In the hopes of bringing back our community, keep an eye out for flood prevention and cleanup opportunities, and thank you to all those who have participated in the volunteer work that has brought back our peaceful waters.
Written by Thomas Repass
Photography by Adeline Elder
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