After floods, Western NC's water situation is dire (10-02-2024--Hour3)

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_01]: What's going on?

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for listening to this podcast.

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[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Joe Bruno from WSOC-TV

[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Here in Charlotte reporting new information from FEMA.

[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Cellular restoration continues to improve with less than 50% of cell sites down as of today.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Ten counties, which is down from 17, ten counties now have 50% or more cell sites down.

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Two FCC surveillance teams are conducting inspection operations on equipment in targeted counties.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: FEMA has helped provide 67 star links to the state, including three star links for the

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation for critical lifeline locations as determined by the

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: state.

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Search and rescue teams have conducted nearly 1500 structural evaluations and over 1600 human

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_00]: and animal interactions, including rescues, evacuations and other assistance.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Additional federal search and rescue teams are en route to support the mission.

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_00]: The North Carolina National Guard has delivered 12 aircraft palates, totaling more than

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: 100,000 pounds of food and over 38,000 pounds of water to Asheville.

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me go over and let's talk to Jimmy.

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello Jimmy, welcome to the show.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_08]: Thank you Pete.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes sir.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_08]: Here's a dumb question.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_08]: The United States military, the Army and the Marines specifically have mobile hospital

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_08]: units.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_08]: I mean we've all watched MASH growing up or whatnot and they're far more advanced than

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_08]: that now.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_08]: Where are they?

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_08]: We're just talking about the dire situation at the hospital in Asheville.

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_08]: Why aren't, why don't we have the military's mobile hospital units there already?

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_08]: So I don't...

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_08]: How many military bases do we have in North Carolina?

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: A bunch, yeah.

[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_00]: So, well I mentioned at the beginning of the program that the Department of Defense has

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: now mobilized a thousand active duty soldiers to deploy in support of the North Carolina

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: National Guard.

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_00]: So that came down today.

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know why it took until today for them to do that but it did happen today.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: And...

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_08]: Well a thousand grunts are nice but a hundred surgeons would probably be better.

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Right.

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know, I know Atrium has sent its mobile medical facility up there.

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Good talk.

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know what...

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know all of the equipment that went along with the National Guard.

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I just, I don't know.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: If they've got a list someplace of the assets that were deployed, I have not seen

[00:03:34] [SPEAKER_00]: it.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Admittedly I've not gone looking for it.

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, I mean it's obviously the more days that pass, the more they can...

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00]: As I've seen pictures of Mission Hospital, they've got tents set up outside HCA which

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_00]: is their parent company.

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: They have sent their mobile units.

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: They've actually bused in a hundred nurses from Nashville, South Carolina and Texas.

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_00]: But they have had to delay procedures because they can't sterilize stuff.

[00:04:15] [SPEAKER_00]: This is...

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Like part of this though is to be expected in a disaster.

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: The worse the disaster, the worse things are going to be and the longer it's going to take

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: to respond.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And it is made more challenging by the topography of the area affected.

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_00]: There are a lot of challenges in the mountains.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's tough living.

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_00]: And the mountains create a velocity chamber basically for the water.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And when you get a thousand year rainstorms that dump all this rain and then flood this

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_00]: area, they've never seen anything like...

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean think about that.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_00]: This is a thousand year flood in the Swannanoa Valley.

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00]: There hadn't been anybody there.

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of these towns didn't exist a thousand years ago.

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_00]: People didn't live there a thousand years ago.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00]: So it's just...

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh here we go, here might be an answer to the question.

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello Kirk, welcome to the show.

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_03]: Yes sir.

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey Kirk, what's up?

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_03]: I was just to let you know that Samaritan's Purses got a lot of people up there helping

[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_03]: out and I know that they have at least two units for hospitals.

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if they deployed them or not but I would definitely think if somebody was

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_03]: asking them for it they would have done it.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_03]: Also the Baptist Men's Association are up there as well bringing water in and stuff.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_03]: There's actually a lot of help to the point where people are starting to get in their

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_03]: way but I'm glad that it's that way.

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_03]: I wanted to keep it that way.

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_03]: I don't want to say anything negative.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_03]: Right, no and that's...

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah I was going to say that's always a challenge in the aftermath when so many people rush in

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_00]: to help and that's honestly what FEMA is supposed to be about, is supposed to be managing that

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: stuff so people aren't like you said getting in each other's way.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_03]: Exactly, exactly.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_03]: It's still really bad.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_03]: I've been getting updates and it's still really bad up there but it is definitely...

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_03]: It is good to hear all the people helping one another.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah.

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_00]: That's a good point.

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes Samaritan's Purse in the mobile hospital.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate it Kirk.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks buddy.

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_00]: There are facilities like this that can be deployed.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Now whether they have been or are being deployed, I don't know every single agency but my question...

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Somebody asked about this the other day and I had seen questions about the military

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_00]: being deployed because we have all these bases here and I think there's actually...

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_00]: There are some equipment that was deployed down to Puerto Rico and it's still down there.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_00]: I forget...

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: It may be like road building or maybe bridge builders or something but Florida sent its mobile

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: bridges because they have these bridges that they can deploy.

[00:07:19] [SPEAKER_00]: It's like 7500 feet of bridges and so they can just kind of roll up, put them down

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER_00]: and then stuff can get across and that's a vital resource as well.

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Billy, welcome to the show.

[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey Billy.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_04]: Hey, days before the hurricane came through there's videos of that valley flooding.

[00:07:41] [SPEAKER_04]: I mean it was literally flooding when air base was flooded.

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_04]: Why the government didn't anticipate this situation?

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_04]: And as far as the hospital all they have to do is disconnect the water from the hospital

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_04]: from the water supply, pressurize the plant, the water from those tankers.

[00:07:59] [SPEAKER_04]: The only problem is now you have sewage.

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER_04]: You're using water like you did before.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_04]: The military has portable sewage treatment plants.

[00:08:06] [SPEAKER_04]: They should have already been up there.

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_04]: Somebody should be out in Charlotte purchasing every food truck they can,

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_04]: paying those people to go up there with federal dollars and cook.

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_04]: I mean a lot of the answers to this, I guess in my mind aren't complex.

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_04]: It's a matter of having somebody with a checkbook.

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_04]: I mean if we're going to piss money away everywhere else, we should at least help our own people.

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_04]: And where is the fornate coming to us to help those people?

[00:08:34] [SPEAKER_04]: Doesn't exist.

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_04]: And this strike that's going on, if Biden does not stop that and tell these people everybody wants a 77% raise.

[00:08:44] [SPEAKER_04]: Everybody should make $300 an hour.

[00:08:47] [SPEAKER_04]: Well, it's not going to happen.

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_04]: Tell them to get back to work in 100 days then do it.

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_04]: This is insane.

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I don't.

[00:08:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I have very few things to say to the longshoremen that might not be interpreted in the best way.

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_00]: So I've been purposefully holding my tongue on some of that stuff.

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Billy, I appreciate the call.

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_00]: There are look, I will say there are foreign, there is foreign help coming.

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I just mentioned you got electrical line crews that are coming from Canada.

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_00]: So they are deploying to help.

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Help is coming.

[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_00]: It's there.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_00]: There's, I mean there are helicopters all over the area.

[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_00]: It's just that bad.

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I guess that's something like oh well we just, you know, we need to deploy this stuff and go in and get it fixed.

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And it is just this bad.

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_00]: I have messages from people and a lot of this stuff I'm not sure, like I feel like I should warn people before I start going into these details because the reports that I'm seeing, like I'm getting more and more similar reports that now it's becoming evident the extent of the deaths.

[00:10:12] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not sure people have kind of prepared themselves for this kind of reporting for the truth of what occurred there.

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not sure people outside of Western North Carolina unless they're there and even then like people who, unless they saw it until they walked out of their damaged home and neighborhood and walked down to get gas or something.

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And then they started seeing the bodies.

[00:10:43] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not sure people are ready for exactly how bad it is and I'm not sure Joe Biden is going to get a good view from up there while he flies over and keeps all of the air traffic grounded for a few hours.

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[00:12:04] [SPEAKER_00]: You can pick one.

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_00]: One of them that's not on there is Hearts with Hands.

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_00]: HeartswithHands.org.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_00]: That's the one that I support personally and we had them on the show.

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_00]: They are based in Swan Inoa and Miracle of Miracles, their warehouse was spared.

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_00]: So all of the stuff because they are a disaster response organization.

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_00]: That's what they do.

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_00]: They deploy all over the country in disaster areas and so this is what they do.

[00:12:36] [SPEAKER_00]: And luckily their equipment and stuff was spared but they are obviously going to need to resupply.

[00:12:43] [SPEAKER_00]: HeartswithHands.org is that website and when I spoke with one of their leaders the other day, I guess it was Monday

[00:12:50] [SPEAKER_00]: and she said that monetary donations are most helpful at this point because they have direct access to purchase supplies

[00:13:01] [SPEAKER_00]: at lower rates so they can get more supplies for the money than you can if you buy them

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER_00]: and then try to donate them up, drive them up the mountain or something.

[00:13:12] [SPEAKER_00]: So let me go over and get the next one.

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Up here is Bart. Hello Bart. Welcome to the show.

[00:13:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Hey Pete, good afternoon. How you doing brother?

[00:13:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, I'm good man. What's up?

[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Well man, I'm just on the way back to Charlotte from Hickory Regional Airport when I went on a visit with a friend of mine, Matt McSwain

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER_01]: and his partner Eric Robinson from Atney Arrow and they have an operation going on called Operation Helo

[00:13:38] [SPEAKER_01]: and they are deploying helicopters over 50 today that are coming in and out of Hickory Regional Airport.

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER_01]: They are doing search and rescue. They are delivering supplies. They have over 200 volunteers working a war room.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_01]: It's literally a military operation coming from the private sector. It is absolutely incredible.

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_00]: That's awesome. What's it called again? Operation Helo?

[00:14:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Operation Helo and it's through Atney Arrow which is a suspension airplane suspension company.

[00:14:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Matt McSwain, MCWSW AI in and I have their phone number here. I can give you the second two.

[00:14:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Yesterday alone they rescued 144 people. 120 of them were over the age of 68 with all kinds of health issues.

[00:14:28] [SPEAKER_01]: These guys are pulling off the most incredible feat. All these folks are coming from all over from South Carolina,

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_01]: from Tennessee, from different parts of North Carolina have converged and informed this organization that is pulling off monumental

[00:14:45] [SPEAKER_01]: and powerful. It's literally the hand of God at work, Pete.

[00:14:51] [SPEAKER_00]: They're just people doing what people do.

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER_01]: That's right. They need donations because it costs over $30,000 a day to keep fuel in these birds to keep them going to and from.

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_01]: We at West Boulevard Ministry went up there today to put our feet in it and provide some financial resources for some fuel

[00:15:11] [SPEAKER_01]: because these guys are doing the work. We need to gather around them and support them in this mission.

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Last night at six o'clock a whole duly helicopter came in with a whole nursing home.

[00:15:26] [SPEAKER_01]: They were bringing people off this helicopter in beds because they couldn't load them otherwise.

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_01]: The folks couldn't walk. It's very powerful what's going on there.

[00:15:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Pete, is it okay if I put their phone number out over there?

[00:15:38] [SPEAKER_00]: If they're okay with you doing it, do they have any kind of a website too or a Facebook page or something?

[00:15:44] [SPEAKER_01]: They don't have a website up and running. You can go through Aero, Acme Aero in the GoFundMe page there that's raised over $200,000.

[00:15:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Their telephone number is 828-979-6089 in Stafford Renee.

[00:16:03] [SPEAKER_01]: She can also get you on the GoFundMe site.

[00:16:06] [SPEAKER_01]: There's some folks doing some incredible stuff.

[00:16:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Literally, I was there for two hours in helicopters. We're coming and going, Pete.

[00:16:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Coming and going from the distance and it's incredible.

[00:16:17] [SPEAKER_00]: If you can put a word in, spruce pine.

[00:16:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Try to help out the folks in spruce pine.

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_01]: I'll let Matt and his army know.

[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Pete, thank you for opening up the lines and giving us an opportunity to share these kinds of stories

[00:16:30] [SPEAKER_01]: because through this darkness there's some light that's breaking through and we need to talk about that.

[00:16:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Always. Bart, I appreciate it. Thanks for your work too, man. I appreciate it.

[00:16:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Is this Court? Hello, Court. Welcome to the show.

[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_05]: Hey, thanks, sir.

[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_05]: I'll call him to let you know that Engels Supermarket, they're over headquarters.

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_05]: They're distribution hub.

[00:16:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, in Black Mountain.

[00:16:55] [SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, in Black Mountain.

[00:16:57] [SPEAKER_05]: And MDI, Low Soaps, they've been shipping all kinds of stuff up there for the model water, trailer loads, multiple trailer loads.

[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_05]: But where there are distributions at is right off the interstate.

[00:17:16] [SPEAKER_05]: So I don't see them having a problem getting to the hospital from Black Mountain.

[00:17:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I mean that Engels Distribution Center isn't distributing pressured water and sewage.

[00:17:30] [SPEAKER_05]: No, they'll more or less take care of the community and whatever needs they have.

[00:17:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, yeah, I mean look, I worked with Engels when I was up there for eight years and I'm not aware of any of the company that does more for the local charities and population than Engels does.

[00:17:53] [SPEAKER_00]: They give away, I mean millions of dollars worth of stuff every single year.

[00:17:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I have no doubt that they're part of relief efforts.

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what damage may have been sustained at that distribution center because Black Mountain was hit very hard.

[00:18:08] [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I just, I don't have a status update on the Engels there.

[00:18:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Court, I appreciate the call.

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[00:19:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me go over and talk to Joe.

[00:19:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello, Joe. Welcome to the show.

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_07]: Hey Pete, how are you?

[00:19:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey, I'm good. What's going on?

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER_07]: Great. I have a small food distribution company here in Charlotte and I want to bring some things up to the arts with hands people.

[00:19:53] [SPEAKER_07]: Is there any way you can help me get in contact with them?

[00:19:57] [SPEAKER_07]: Because I kind of got to know today if they can accept what I can bring.

[00:20:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I sent them an email and after the show is over, I've got a number.

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't have it right here on my fingertips.

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_00]: So I've got a phone number and I think I've got your number and so I will send it over to Alice.

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, awesome. It's just kind of time sensitive and I need to be in pain but I just...

[00:20:29] [SPEAKER_07]: No, I donated some stuff today and I was like, you know, this is not enough.

[00:20:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I appreciate the effort. If it turns out that it doesn't happen this time, that's okay.

[00:20:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And if it can happen in the future, that's okay too but like I said, I got your message from Steve, the producer here and I sent a message over.

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously things are kind of crazy up there.

[00:20:59] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'll send you a follow-up message as well.

[00:21:03] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, and I contacted the Stolings Police Department too.

[00:21:08] [SPEAKER_07]: I'm trying to see if I can follow them up to their sentencing officers up there to do some things.

[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Is this like perishables?

[00:21:22] [SPEAKER_00]: No.

[00:21:23] [SPEAKER_07]: Oh, okay.

[00:21:24] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, yeah, I'm just doing bread and that type of thing.

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah.

[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm trying to... Yeah, because there's... Well, there's a...

[00:21:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Charlotte Motor Speedway is doing a big collection drive today, I believe.

[00:21:38] [SPEAKER_00]: So that might be an opportunity. I don't know if I haven't seen the list of stuff that they are...

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me see here.

[00:21:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Hang on.

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, there's also items needed, water.

[00:21:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, well maybe... I don't know.

[00:21:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to give you a number here.

[00:21:59] [SPEAKER_00]: You got a pen or something to write with?

[00:22:02] [SPEAKER_07]: Yes, sir.

[00:22:02] [SPEAKER_00]: All right.

[00:22:03] [SPEAKER_00]: So if this might be somebody else that you could partner with, this is called Just One Thing 704-737-7770.

[00:22:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.

[00:22:22] [SPEAKER_00]: So you can drop off any of their items, the supplies at the Great Commission Center at the Plaza in Charlotte.

[00:22:31] [SPEAKER_00]: And they're open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

[00:22:35] [SPEAKER_00]: The list of items that they...

[00:22:39] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm looking for food.

[00:22:43] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm looking to see if there's any kind of prohibition on...

[00:22:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So it says non-perishable foods, pop tops preferred.

[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And then they list Gatorade, water, pop tarts, granola bars, individually packaged foods, peanut butter, baby formula,

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER_00]: and then all the rest is different items, non-food items.

[00:23:04] [SPEAKER_00]: So that might be... You might want to give them a call.

[00:23:08] [SPEAKER_00]: And maybe they can help also.

[00:23:11] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah.

[00:23:12] [SPEAKER_00]: All right.

[00:23:12] [SPEAKER_07]: But yeah, like I said...

[00:23:13] [SPEAKER_07]: I like to pick up a bunch of that kind of stuff, like baby...

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER_07]: Thanks, she's got CVF stuff that she's picking up for free.

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I appreciate the effort.

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And like I said, I sent a message already and hopefully I can get ahold of her and get her in touch with you.

[00:23:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks a lot.

[00:23:35] [SPEAKER_00]: All right.

[00:23:35] [SPEAKER_00]: No, thank you, Joe.

[00:23:36] [SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate it.

[00:23:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for the call.

[00:23:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for helping.

[00:23:42] [SPEAKER_00]: This story was published on September 30th at the Asheville Watchdog, AVL Watchdog.

[00:23:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Anticipating widespread damage and water outages from Tropical Storm Helene,

[00:23:55] [SPEAKER_00]: the city of Asheville and Buncombe County ordered potable water, drinkable water,

[00:24:00] [SPEAKER_00]: from the state before the storm hit on September 27th.

[00:24:05] [SPEAKER_00]: The state did not provide an explanation for the delay in delivering water to western North Carolina's population center,

[00:24:13] [SPEAKER_00]: according to the Buncombe County manager, Avril Pender, or Avril.

[00:24:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Avril.

[00:24:21] [SPEAKER_00]: During a news briefing on Monday, she called it extremely frustrating.

[00:24:27] [SPEAKER_00]: The county does not keep a stockpile of potable water on hand,

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_00]: but rather relies on the established protocol of ordering emergency water through the state, she said.

[00:24:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Tractor trailers of water have come in.

[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_00]: The county also had a contract with a private provider of water, which is supposed to arrive,

[00:24:45] [SPEAKER_00]: which did arrive earlier this week.

[00:24:48] [SPEAKER_00]: She said that in North Carolina, counties request the state to bring in supplies like water,

[00:24:52] [SPEAKER_00]: which are supplied by FEMA.

[00:24:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Asked at a press conference about the delay in delivering water specifically to Asheville and Buncombe County,

[00:25:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Governor Cooper deferred to Will Ray, the director of emergency management.

[00:25:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He said because of the size and scale of the event, quote,

[00:25:13] [SPEAKER_00]: that's why we have taken the approach that we have, especially for distribution of water and food,

[00:25:18] [SPEAKER_00]: which that actually doesn't, I don't feel like that actually answered the question.

[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_00]: He acknowledged that they quote, know that we're not going to be able to meet the universal need right now

[00:25:29] [SPEAKER_00]: that everybody has right out of the gate.

[00:25:32] [SPEAKER_00]: The state and state National Guard and the federal government are surging distribution of materials,

[00:25:37] [SPEAKER_00]: which includes adding more drivers and aircraft, as well as working with FEMA to increase the amount of commodities.

[00:25:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Quote currently, we are on a cycle now of 40 trailers a day of food and water

[00:25:49] [SPEAKER_00]: in addition to what we are procuring on the open market or having our warehouses

[00:25:54] [SPEAKER_00]: that we are working to distribute into the entire impacted area across North Carolina.

[00:26:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Earlier in the week, the state had 121 water systems with boil water advisories and 36 had no power.

[00:26:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Neither Governor Cooper nor Director Ray answered the question about from the AVL watchdog

[00:26:19] [SPEAKER_00]: about what caused the water delivery delays.

[00:26:21] [SPEAKER_00]: The county manager said that the county's distribution centers will provide one day of water and food

[00:26:26] [SPEAKER_00]: to each household for as long as supplies last.

[00:26:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Quote, we are aware that some people can't make it to the sites

[00:26:32] [SPEAKER_00]: and we are working to develop a mobile distribution plan.

[00:26:37] [SPEAKER_00]: I will say that's one of the things that after any kind of an event like this,

[00:26:40] [SPEAKER_00]: there was always a review of what worked, what didn't, and then you learn from it

[00:26:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and then you put in place a plan to do the thing that was missed this time.

[00:26:54] [SPEAKER_00]: So when I was a kid my grandpa died with Alzheimer's

[00:26:57] [SPEAKER_00]: and before he died my mom and my dad and all of us really helped take care of him as he got progressively worse.

[00:27:02] [SPEAKER_00]: 40 years ago there were no treatments and not much support for caregivers and family.

[00:27:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Things are different today because of the work of so many people including the Alzheimer's Association of Western North Carolina.

[00:27:14] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a great organization with awesome people, they've got huge hearts.

[00:27:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I've been a supporter for like 25 years.

[00:27:20] [SPEAKER_00]: This cause means a lot to me.

[00:27:22] [SPEAKER_00]: I participate in the annual walk to end Alzheimer's and I am leading a Charlotte team this year.

[00:27:28] [SPEAKER_00]: It's called Pete's Pack.

[00:27:29] [SPEAKER_00]: You can sign up and join the team and walk with me.

[00:27:32] [SPEAKER_00]: It's on October 19th at Truist Field in Uptown.

[00:27:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Sign up at ALZ.org slash walk and then just look for my team, Pete's Pack

[00:27:41] [SPEAKER_00]: and there's also a link in the podcast description here.

[00:27:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Also I'm going to be emceeing the Gastonia Walk on October 5th so make a team and join us

[00:27:48] [SPEAKER_00]: or make a donation to help me hit my goal.

[00:27:51] [SPEAKER_00]: I would really appreciate it.

[00:27:52] [SPEAKER_00]: There are a bunch of other walks around the Carolinas

[00:27:55] [SPEAKER_00]: and you can go to ALZ.org for all of the dates and locations.

[00:27:59] [SPEAKER_00]: We are closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer's and if you can help us get there,

[00:28:05] [SPEAKER_00]: we would really appreciate it.

[00:28:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Will you come walk with me for a different future?

[00:28:09] [SPEAKER_00]: For families?

[00:28:10] [SPEAKER_00]: For more time?

[00:28:11] [SPEAKER_00]: For treatments?

[00:28:12] [SPEAKER_00]: This is why I walk.

[00:28:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I do have messages.

[00:28:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me see.

[00:28:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Dennis is asking if Helene is the biggest hurricane that has gone the furthest inland in U.S. history.

[00:28:26] [SPEAKER_00]: I've not heard that.

[00:28:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Is that true?

[00:28:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I've not heard that.

[00:28:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Living in Charlotte during Hurricane Hugo back in 1989, I thought 200 miles inland from Charleston was a record

[00:28:34] [SPEAKER_00]: but this came to the NC mountains from Tampa.

[00:28:38] [SPEAKER_00]: It's unbelievable.

[00:28:39] [SPEAKER_00]: My prayers to all who are recovering.

[00:28:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Matt says,

[00:28:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Lincolnton, North Carolina, Little Airport is flying supplies to the mountains.

[00:28:50] [SPEAKER_00]: So proud of our town.

[00:28:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Best part of prepping is sharing your extra preps.

[00:28:56] [SPEAKER_00]: That's a good point too.

[00:28:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Gene, welcome to the show.

[00:28:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Hi Gene, how are you?

[00:29:00] [SPEAKER_06]: Good.

[00:29:01] [SPEAKER_06]: Thanks for taking my call, Pete.

[00:29:02] [SPEAKER_06]: Sure.

[00:29:03] [SPEAKER_06]: Hey, I just wanted to share with you and your listeners a kind of a cell phone hack for emergency services.

[00:29:11] [SPEAKER_06]: If you know you're low and going to run out of juice, change your voicemail to some pertinent information.

[00:29:21] [SPEAKER_06]: Where you're at, you're okay.

[00:29:23] [SPEAKER_06]: That type of thing.

[00:29:24] [SPEAKER_06]: If you get intermittent service, go down and change it.

[00:29:29] [SPEAKER_06]: But people at least be able to get info without you answering your phone.

[00:29:35] [SPEAKER_00]: So the welcome message basically on your voicemail to say, hey, I'm okay.

[00:29:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I am located at this shelter, whatever.

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER_06]: Yes, sir.

[00:29:45] [SPEAKER_06]: Yeah.

[00:29:45] [SPEAKER_00]: That's a good idea.

[00:29:46] [SPEAKER_00]: That's a good idea.

[00:29:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Gene, I appreciate it.

[00:29:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks, sir.

[00:29:48] [SPEAKER_00]: One of the other tips is for people to turn their lights on, their front porch lights on, leave them on.

[00:29:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So this way the power crews when they're driving by, they will know if your house has power as they drive past and then they'll know, okay, we don't have to worry about them.

[00:30:05] [SPEAKER_00]: We can go to the next one rather than have to stop, go up to the house, check it, read the meter, whatever.

[00:30:14] [SPEAKER_00]: John says, I have a friend in Asheville who is now able to text out her information.

[00:30:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Her neighborhood is still isolated but a new tribe has formed.

[00:30:22] [SPEAKER_00]: People sharing water, food, a way to shower has been rigged up.

[00:30:27] [SPEAKER_00]: People figuring out how to gather water for flushing, how to maximize what little is left.

[00:30:32] [SPEAKER_00]: They will grow together, survive this and be stronger.

[00:30:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Mr. Rogers was right.

[00:30:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Joseph says, even though tragedies happen, something about tragedies either bring out the worst or some of the most beautiful humanity, like Mark Starling said last hour.

[00:30:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And like Jesus Christ showed the world, suffering is the way humans actually become human.

[00:30:59] [SPEAKER_00]: So there is a bright side to these tragedies.

[00:31:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Right, it is through suffering that we're called.

[00:31:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me see here, I had another message from Kirk.

[00:31:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh no, oh I got changed the battery on my mouse.

[00:31:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Kirk says, I passed the shipyard in Wilmington a couple of hours ago and the port was dead except for the selfish morons protesting out front.

[00:31:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I made sure to tell them what I thought of them as I passed by.

[00:31:33] [SPEAKER_00]: My heart goes out to the people in western North Carolina.

[00:31:36] [SPEAKER_00]: I run in that area a lot and they are good people.

[00:31:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me go over here and talk to Jerry.

[00:31:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello Jerry, welcome to the show.

[00:31:44] [SPEAKER_02]: Hey Pete, you have a great show as usual.

[00:31:47] [SPEAKER_02]: I appreciate what you do.

[00:31:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks Jerry, I appreciate you.

[00:31:50] [SPEAKER_02]: In regards to the Longshoremen, I agree with the last person you read.

[00:31:55] [SPEAKER_02]: These guys at the Longshoremen, they don't care about anybody but themselves.

[00:31:59] [SPEAKER_02]: When we run out of supplies, they're really going to suffer up in the mountains more than anywhere else.

[00:32:06] [SPEAKER_02]: I think the government needs to step in and do what Reagan did with the aircraft to control people.

[00:32:11] [SPEAKER_02]: Fire them and replace them.

[00:32:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I admit I am not up to speed on all of the laws regarding these unions and the collective bargaining and all of this stuff.

[00:32:26] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how all of that stuff works.

[00:32:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I've never had to deal with it.

[00:32:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I never had to cover this stuff as a reporter so I don't know.

[00:32:33] [SPEAKER_00]: All I know is that they're looking to apply maximum pressure and they're going to get people killed

[00:32:39] [SPEAKER_00]: because people need supplies right now and disrupting the supply chain

[00:32:46] [SPEAKER_00]: when there's not this kind of a natural disaster, a couple hundred miles away from the port.

[00:32:53] [SPEAKER_00]: That's one thing but this is an entirely different thing altogether.

[00:32:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Joe Biden said though, he's not going to intervene.

[00:33:03] [SPEAKER_00]: He says he doesn't believe in the Taft-Hartley thing.

[00:33:06] [SPEAKER_00]: He's not going to call for the cooling off period to make them go back to work

[00:33:10] [SPEAKER_00]: and even if they do, the head of the union said that his guys are going to just basically do a work slowdown.

[00:33:16] [SPEAKER_00]: They're just not going to work at their normal pace.

[00:33:20] [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he's holding the whole country hostage and I don't know what he's thinking about.

[00:33:24] [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know anybody who gets a 70% raise on anything and then tell their employer,

[00:33:31] [SPEAKER_02]: no you can't put technology in here.

[00:33:34] [SPEAKER_02]: A lot of this technology is all over the world and it hasn't taken anybody's jobs away.

[00:33:39] [SPEAKER_02]: It just makes things more efficient and lowers cost in the long run.

[00:33:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that's the thing that really is the most offensive part of their demands is

[00:33:48] [SPEAKER_00]: first that it's coming from a guy who's pulling down almost a million dollars a year as the leader of the union

[00:33:53] [SPEAKER_00]: but the fact that they are resisting and opposing any kind of automation.

[00:34:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Our ports are already not among the top like 40 ports in the world when it comes to efficiency.

[00:34:12] [SPEAKER_00]: One of the things I read the other day was, and maybe you can verify,

[00:34:16] [SPEAKER_00]: they will load the stuff directly onto a truck and transport it hundreds of miles away from the port in America

[00:34:25] [SPEAKER_00]: because it's cheaper to do that than it is for the union fees for every time they touch with a crane.

[00:34:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Every time they touch a container, if they were to try to move it in it like put it on a rail yard

[00:34:39] [SPEAKER_00]: or a rail car and then pull it off the rail car, put it on a truck.

[00:34:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So every time they touch it, they get more money and so those costs are so high.

[00:34:48] [SPEAKER_02]: That is correct.

[00:34:49] [SPEAKER_00]: That's nice.

[00:34:50] [SPEAKER_02]: And it's, you know, in certain industries like in Chicago,

[00:34:53] [SPEAKER_02]: when you're working at the big trade center at McCormick Place,

[00:34:58] [SPEAKER_02]: if you need to change a light bulb, you have to pay an electrician to come in and change that light bulb for you.

[00:35:04] [SPEAKER_02]: And that's $125 right now just to change a light bulb.

[00:35:09] [SPEAKER_00]: That's crazy.

[00:35:11] [SPEAKER_00]: There are similar stories in the radio industry because there were their unions and stuff that is back in the old days,

[00:35:17] [SPEAKER_00]: it was way more prevalent.

[00:35:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And Jerry, I appreciate the call. Thanks for your insight.

[00:35:21] [SPEAKER_00]: But I remember hearing that they would have to wait on some union guy to come in

[00:35:24] [SPEAKER_00]: and literally push a button on the board because they were not allowed to press that button

[00:35:29] [SPEAKER_00]: because it's union.