Western NC disaster update (09-30-2024--Hour1)

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go in on! Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It is her live every day from noon to three on WBT radio in Charlotte and if you want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily show prep with all the links become a patron, go to thepcalinnershow.com

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[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously you are aware what's going on in Western North Carolina by now. I will tell you that

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_00]: So I worked up there for eight years. I worked at the radio station WNC. I did the afternoons

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And while I was there, Mark Starling got hired on to do the morning shift and so we overlap there by like three years or so.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: We talk to Mark every Wednesday and just to get a lay of the land and find out what's going on in the western part of the state.

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously everybody knows what's going on now in the western part of the state. So I wanted to check and see how Mark is doing and what life has been like since last we spoke on Wednesday before the arrival of tropical storm

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Heline. So Mark Starling, welcome sir. How are you?

[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_03]: I'm a little, I'm a little worse for where Pete but I'm here. I'm alive and that's something to be said about that

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00]: As far as the situation up here because as we're learning a lot more people did not make it right. I think that the latest death toll I saw was now 35 out of

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: mountains. These are very small places usually located in the valleys in between very large mountains because that's where the flat land is and that's where the buildable land is

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's also where the water rushes down to fill in this kind of a catastrophic event. So you live in not ash fill right you're out of ash fill now you're in black mountain, which is one of the neighboring towns.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah black mountain is about 17 miles east of ash fill and it was it was a ground zero spot right.

[00:02:31] [SPEAKER_03]: Swanna Noah was also a ground zero spot. It was decimated the swanna Noah river which generally runs about two and a half feet deep maybe 15 feet wide

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_03]: Was 21 and a half feet deep and they their speculation that it could have stretched for a mile across by the time the flooding had stopped in the cresting has started

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_03]: The French broad river that was the culprit he crested at 30 and a half feet. I think it was which is 10 and a half feet above major flood level. So 21 and a half feet was like I think the previous record

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_03]: That was the flood of 1916. I think it was yeah, 1960

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_03]: It's you know places that were here last Wednesday or not here anymore. chimney rock has been wiped off the map. Marshall has been wiped off the map Dutch code has been wiped off the map crucile wiped off the map.

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_03]: It's just it's surreal. I don't have any other way to describe it. So have you been able to get back to your house?

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_03]: I haven't left the radio stations since 3 a.m. on Thursday morning right by state on the air from basically all day Thursday, all day Friday up until about.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_03]: I guess it was about 2 to 30 we lost internet at the radio stations. Our stations stayed on the air the entire time, which was incredible.

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_03]: We Saturday came around. We had about there's about a quarter mile drive up a small road to get to the radio station.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_03]: Every single tree on the right hand side. I know you know the trees I'm talking about everyone's down across road.

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_03]: It took the better part of 10 hours for them to cut probably 70 feet in to get to the radio station.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_03]: These were trees that were 55 and 65 inches around massive trees.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_03]: Our engineers got here and hike in a starlink unit which is currently well seven of our stations are running on is a starlink unit.

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_03]: It you know we basically came within minutes of running out of generator fuel. They got in the last tree cut. They got a fuel truck in here and got to fill back up with diesel and we were off and run it again.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_03]: Basically when we lost internet connectivity, we lost opportunity to get information. We had no information. So a friend of mine actually hiked in handheld ham radio and left that to me.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_03]: And I sat and basically just transcribed everything that was coming across the ham radio and then we would jump back on the air for two or three hours.

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_03]: Relay all that information. We couldn't take phone calls because the phones are a voice IP system so the internet goes down the phones go down.

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_03]: Once they got the starlink loaded up we were back on the air within just a matter of moments and we began you know kind of going back to that normal life coverage not really a hybrid live coverage.

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_03]: And it's been that way ever since. So and you join.

[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_00]: And my understanding is you'll joined all of the stations in the cluster for people who aren't aware usually and we are the same way here there are you know five other stations here that we are all owned by one company just like WWE and see his own by iHeart radio up in ashville and it's got you know five other stations there.

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_03]: So did you guys sign up cast. Yeah, we had all of the stations I cast it at once.

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_03]: Basically bringing six states worth of territory by the time the signal was around and we're kind of we were kind of again.

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_03]: A.M. radio proof that it is a absolute necessity to have we were the only ones giving out information during the height of the storm.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_03]: We were the only ones still in the air.

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's we're just trying to play the crucial role right now of matching people with their missing of ones if we can matching up people with supplies and we supply as matching people with services.

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_03]: People calling in and telling us hey, you know, here's what's happening here.

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I was able to get my prescription filled over here pass that around they said they're filling you know all of this for me and just all of the things that you don't really think of.

[00:07:14] [SPEAKER_03]: It's been emotional to say the least.

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_03]: I had not heard from my wife or my son until.

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, I'm the air she called into the radio station and I was the first time I heard of a voice in Thursday.

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_03]: She's been evacuated down to Georgia with my to my brother in sister in law's place my son in the four dogs which.

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_03]: If you have a sibling that has four dogs, you should just go ahead tell us how.

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you not coming to my house during a during a storm.

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_03]: So it's just you know, it's just been very chaotic and it's been an emotional roller coaster and.

[00:07:59] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, I just want to try to do right by my community.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_03]: That's what it's all about.

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Who cleared out the trees on the road?

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_03]: So one guy with a change saw.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_03]: Cleared all the way up the road to where the radio station property was and that literally saved us.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_03]: Because it only it meant that that the crew that we had come in the cut trees who they had to drive all night from Miami to get here to do it.

[00:08:32] [SPEAKER_03]: They were able to get the job done in that six to eight hours.

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_03]: Had they had to cut through those there was probably 200 trees down.

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_03]: Had they had to cut through all of those I don't know that we would have still been on the air.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_03]: But it's you know, we're the western North Carolina is a resilient community and the people that I've been talking to on a daily basis over the last four days.

[00:08:57] [SPEAKER_03]: There's there's the salt of the earth, you know, I mean these people have lost everything and they're calling us to say just thanks thanks for being on the air.

[00:09:07] [SPEAKER_03]: Thanks for talking to me.

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_03]: You know it's just it's really it's it's just a testament.

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_03]: I think to the power of radio but it's also a testament to the human spirit when you see an entire group of people impacted by somebody like this.

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_03]: And they band together to really make it happen.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it was one of the things I remember from Hurricane Hugo I was not I had not come down south by then my brother was at the Citadel though and I arrived a couple years later.

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And so we were sort of connected to Hurricane Hugo because of that and this station here in Charlotte WBT basically became essentially a swap meet except for it was just hey I've got this what do you need oh I need that oh well I've got I've got that I'll come get it to you.

[00:10:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And because that is one of the biggest challenges as I'm because I had lost an internet on Friday and I got it back last night finally and that's when I finally started to be able to seek us you know I social media stuff is and showing me photos it's just not loading you know everything's all slow.

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: And and I knew it was bad and from you know people's written accounts that I could read I knew it was bad but there was I was limited and so when I started seeing all of this stuff yesterday but the the communications component here is so vital because.

[00:10:36] [SPEAKER_00]: We are we've become so reliant on the cell phone towers and yeah yeah I mean and I was all we had was a thousand dollars flashlight to our pocket right.

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah that yeah that that that needed to be charged every day yeah off of what who knows but.

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Can you mark can you hang on through a break real quick I mean I don't know if you're still at the station just killing time but.

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah I go back on the air this afternoon and then again the evening so come here.

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[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_00]: We are talking with Mark Starling he is the morning guy up in Asheville on WNC radio where I used to work as well when I was up there in the mountains mark so I've seen reports that the water treatment.

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_00]: The facilities are all offline and that repair crews cannot get to the treatment facilities to even begin working on them at this point is that accurate.

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that's pretty much the story about infrastructure period.

[00:12:44] [SPEAKER_03]: The utility pool you know the alignment they can get to where the substations are located but they can't actually get to the substations because of all the debris and in a lot of cases you know in terms of the electricity it's just going to have to be the whole substation will have to be torn down and rebuild in the case of the water.

[00:13:05] [SPEAKER_03]: We had some water system problems to begin with and this just only exacerbated it.

[00:13:12] [SPEAKER_03]: I don't have any idea when they will have water back on here.

[00:13:17] [SPEAKER_03]: My guess is it could be it could be month.

[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_03]: Right, so one thing that does come back on it will probably remain a boiler water ordinance for customers how long.

[00:13:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Right, you know one of the issues with the pipes in the ash for water system is that they break very frequently and that's largely due to well deferred maintenance and poor prioritization but also.

[00:13:43] [SPEAKER_00]: The fact that they go up and down large topographical changes and so when the water starts going down the pipes it builds up a lot of pressure and the pipes just fail because they're not they can't handle the kind of water pressure coming down these slopes and such.

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_00]: And so I would imagine with the rain event and the amount of water pushing through at the velocity it was going it must have damaged pipes that right now we don't even know or damaged.

[00:14:11] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I can imagine it is going to be an absolute utility nightmare to get all those pipes from place and a lot of those pipes were sold there were ceramic pipes or the clay pipes.

[00:14:23] [SPEAKER_03]: There were pipes in some sections of town a few years ago when they were doing some pipe replacement that we're actually wood that's how old they were wood pipes.

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, which was crazy. I mean, but that's what you had back then and it really the infrastructure situation here in the mountain.

[00:14:42] [SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I've covered hurricanes my entire career in broadcasting. I spent a majority of my career down in Florida in different locations and and I think I've covered probably 25 to 30 storms and I've never seen destruction like this before.

[00:14:58] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, when the hurricane hits Florida or a coastal community, the water has a large swath of area to recess to right when the flooding crest and everything goes away.

[00:15:10] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, if you're on the coast and all goes off that side of the state where is here there's nowhere for it to go and it just stays in the lags.

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER_03]: Don't more village doesn't even exist anymore.

[00:15:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I saw that used to be my view. I saw some video that Davis home furniture store, which is a you know, that it's a warehouse and it was completely underwater the Wendy's completely underwater in that area has the wayside grill that if you've ever been down to build more village you probably eat and at the wayside.

[00:15:43] [SPEAKER_00]: That's that was completely submerged.

[00:15:46] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, everything in that area was just decimated and then then you've got the roads.

[00:15:52] [SPEAKER_03]: Right, and you've got a rock slide that's closing. I 40 east at 04 mountain in the past and then you've got to go up and then you go up towards the Tennessee side and you know most of the eastbound lanes of I 40 fell off the side of the mountain.

[00:16:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Right, just slid right off.

[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_03]: And so you've got a you've got a transit nightmare in that sense.

[00:16:13] [SPEAKER_03]: Power is still out. I mean, widespread. So there's no traffic light, basically. And every once in a while you'll see your work you traffic light.

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_03]: It has certainly been a a pandemonium like atmosphere.

[00:16:28] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, of course, a little or a little or a situation like this, looting, looting happens and you know we've gotten lots of reports of looting and

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER_03]: people trying to put this information out there about damn failures. And those damn failures got reported that sent people running.

[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_03]: Just, you know, as much as you see the best of humanity in these types of situations. You also see kind of the worst of it. Unfortunately.

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, it doesn't take, but just if you select individuals to really make a bad situation worse.

[00:16:58] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that's really right now.

[00:17:00] [SPEAKER_00]: All right, Mark, stay strong. Our prayers are with you. We're glad you're okay.

[00:17:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Glad you're family's okay. And if we can do anything for you here. If I can do anything for you. Let me know.

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_00]: But if we can kind of keep you in our rotation to get up. That'd be great. And if you.

[00:17:17] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm trying to share as much as I can regarding the relief efforts and stuff. Are you guys channeling all sorts of relief efforts to a certain central point yet?

[00:17:27] [SPEAKER_03]: We're not. I did talk with Greg Lents from Arts with Hands today who is an absolute angel.

[00:17:33] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah. That is someone that you can send supplies to or you can send money to.

[00:17:38] [SPEAKER_03]: We work with them on a regular basis there, a wonderful group of red cross is a huge, you know, they are obviously doing great work here on the ground.

[00:17:46] [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, friend Jerry Jamison who had that up. Just they really have just been incredible and they're working 24, 7.

[00:17:54] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah. I would say red cross and hearts for hands are going to be your two big ones right now.

[00:17:58] [SPEAKER_00]: All right. Mark, appreciate you. Stay safe brother.

[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_00]: All right man. That's Mark. Yeah. That's Mark Starling it from WWE and see up in Asheville.

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[00:19:21] [SPEAKER_00]: My apologies, they are going to live it long with Mark.

[00:19:24] [SPEAKER_00]: So I want to jump on over now and get Rick Rice on the program. Rick is the public information officer at the Asheville Police Department. Rick, how are you sir?

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_05]: Well, could be doing better Pete.

[00:19:35] [SPEAKER_00]: So we're holding on. We're doing better than others. Yeah. So are you okay? You're wife and your family? Okay.

[00:19:42] [SPEAKER_05]: You know, we're one of the lucky ones. You know, we have power actually come back onto the house last night which makes us a rare.

[00:19:49] [SPEAKER_05]: Our house didn't suffer any damage. We did have several on the street that were hit by trees and that's the story all over Asheville and Western North Carolina.

[00:19:57] [SPEAKER_05]: And of course nobody has water. That would be the biggest issue right now. Power in water are very elusive.

[00:20:03] [SPEAKER_00]: How are the comms going as well? Those are the three big wins you mentioned. The top two water and power. How about communication?

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_05]: You know, the first 24 hours was really difficult as cellular service was disrupted for pretty much everybody and that was something that nobody could really anticipate.

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_05]: It's mind or standing that the major fiber optic line that comes into Western North Carolina was severed.

[00:20:28] [SPEAKER_05]: We do have some satellite trucks and temporary mobile hotspots that have been established in multiple areas and communities.

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_05]: So some people have seen their self service return and that is how we're distributing a lot of our information. Of course, in this, you know, technological age through our websites and our social media and that's how we're getting the information out.

[00:20:47] [SPEAKER_05]: So you can imagine how frightening it was for a lot of the people that just the lack of information, the lack of what is going on. That was the first 24 hours and it's been improving since.

[00:20:59] [SPEAKER_05]: But as far as the supplies, the plies are low.

[00:21:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Is there particular areas of Asheville? I guess I should ask have you been able to go out? Are you going out and seeing this stuff firsthand or are you like at a base of operations someplace?

[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_05]: Both. I'm located at the police headquarters and I've also been at the Emergency Operations Center and some of our other buildings. So I have been out as part of my work responsibilities and the things that I have seen.

[00:21:27] [SPEAKER_05]: Probably resemble and probably worse than some of the things that people have seen on their local TV shows are on the internet.

[00:21:35] [SPEAKER_05]: It's devastating. The flooding, what it has done to the community and it's kind of a double whammy we've got a. We had a large storm that came through here, which I think Charlotte may have experienced a little bit in the prior days before heline.

[00:21:48] [SPEAKER_05]: And so we received about six to eight inches of rain to kind of prepped the ground for the devastation to come, which was more rain high winds, which not trees over everywhere, power lines everywhere.

[00:22:02] [SPEAKER_05]: Damaged of course the water system. I don't want to see beyond repair because it will be repaired, but in some cases it's going to be weeks.

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we were talking with Mark Starling from W.W. and see we were talking about the water situation and the water pipes and the water pressure and just the velocity of the water as it moves down the mountains.

[00:22:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And it's, I mean as much as as much as there are preparedness plans, there really isn't anything in my opinion and maybe disagree or agree, but I don't know how you, I don't know how anybody could prepare for what we saw.

[00:22:38] [SPEAKER_05]: Well, you could use whatever word you like some people are using generational other people are using biblical both would be accurate and then I would agree with you.

[00:22:47] [SPEAKER_05]: You can prepare as much as possible for the aftermath of anything like this but when it happens, you're still going to have to be in search and rescue and recover remote regardless of how well you prepare.

[00:23:00] [SPEAKER_05]: So you can be incredibly prepared for something and the impact is still going to be with the impact is which in this case is a pochalyptic flooding in many of our communities.

[00:23:13] [SPEAKER_05]: Many of your listeners, I'm sure have enjoyed trips to Asheville. The Asheville that they visited before is going to be forever changed.

[00:23:21] [SPEAKER_05]: The next time they return and of course we don't want anybody to come anytime soon is going to look entirely different people that have been to chimney rock before that town has been basically destroyed.

[00:23:34] [SPEAKER_05]: The area is like Swan and Noah and Oteen that were along the Swan and Oer River.

[00:23:39] [SPEAKER_05]: We're almost washed away. The bill more village area just outside, built more estate was under, I don't know how many feet of water but you could only see the tops of buildings.

[00:23:50] [SPEAKER_05]: And then some other areas affected the same way the river arts district which has made a huge rebound last five to seven years.

[00:23:58] [SPEAKER_05]: Lots of development down there, lots of things to do both infrastructure development and business development.

[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_05]: The flood waters there were almost 30 feet high.

[00:24:09] [SPEAKER_05]: And this is a river that some people know the French broad you could most days walk across.

[00:24:14] [SPEAKER_05]: And so 30 feet from three feet as you can imagine what that would do.

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Right, like I know the area is I don't know but I cannot imagine.

[00:24:24] [SPEAKER_00]: I can't draw a visual you know because it's too much.

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_05]: It's difficult to see your city turned into what it's become.

[00:24:37] [SPEAKER_05]: But we are seeing the best of human nature in some pockets. Of course neighbors helping neighbors.

[00:24:43] [SPEAKER_05]: People getting out and doing the Lord's work and you know taking their saws and their chainsaws and helping clear roads in their own neighborhoods.

[00:24:52] [SPEAKER_05]: We don't want people venturing out in their vehicles.

[00:24:54] [SPEAKER_05]: We do only emergency services to build access the roadways so they can do their job.

[00:24:59] [SPEAKER_05]: But we know people want and need food and you know water and things of that nature.

[00:25:05] [SPEAKER_05]: But if you can stay in your neighborhoods and you know help your neighbors check on them share what you have that will go a long way.

[00:25:12] [SPEAKER_00]: How are the officers doing a lot of times people you know they make the call they're like oh I need an emergency responder.

[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_00]: And you know people show up and they help.

[00:25:25] [SPEAKER_00]: But those people that are working at the department they've got families too and they've had to leave their families to go help others.

[00:25:33] [SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, you know you can see the wear and tear on their faces but these are people that you know swore no if committed to do a job for the public and that's what they're doing.

[00:25:42] [SPEAKER_05]: They're they are doing their jobs.

[00:25:48] [SPEAKER_05]: I'm not here in a situation like this and I hear the calls.

[00:25:54] [SPEAKER_05]: I hear the wellness checks.

[00:25:56] [SPEAKER_05]: I hear the things they've got to respond to and they're not responding.

[00:26:00] [SPEAKER_05]: They're not turning anything down.

[00:26:02] [SPEAKER_05]: They're still doing their jobs the best that they can.

[00:26:05] [SPEAKER_05]: Officers are fully staffed right now plus we're getting assistance from many other agencies state local national.

[00:26:11] [SPEAKER_05]: That are heading into the area in large con voice so we are getting help.

[00:26:18] [SPEAKER_05]: The cavalry is coming in some cases they're here.

[00:26:22] [SPEAKER_05]: So the assistance is on its way and it's desperately needed.

[00:26:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, is there is there a curfew in Asheville and bunkum or surrounding areas at this point?

[00:26:35] [SPEAKER_05]: There is the curfew is an effect from 730 p.m to 730 a.m until further notice.

[00:26:41] [SPEAKER_05]: Obviously not everyone has that information.

[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_05]: So you know officers aren't you know being hard handed about enforcing that at this point they are sharing it with people as they come across that aren't aware.

[00:26:53] [SPEAKER_05]: And most of the citizenry is being very cooperative and understanding.

[00:26:57] [SPEAKER_05]: It's just as you can imagine sometimes the information hasn't reached them.

[00:27:01] [SPEAKER_05]: There is a concerted effort to go into the communities that have been especially devastated and to get them food and get them watering

[00:27:07] [SPEAKER_05]: and get them information.

[00:27:08] [SPEAKER_05]: In some cases good old fashioned volunteer door to door knocking to share what we know and what we have.

[00:27:15] [SPEAKER_00]: And I saw and I don't know if these are true but I saw it well I saw one report of possible looting going on is there has that become a problem?

[00:27:26] [SPEAKER_05]: You know I wouldn't call it a problem but just as it brings out the best in people some of these incidents bring out the worst.

[00:27:32] [SPEAKER_05]: And some people you could maybe say it's justified because they're scared and they need food and diapers or whatever it is they happen to need so there has been some incidents of looting nothing widespread.

[00:27:46] [SPEAKER_05]: I wouldn't call it you know out of control at this point or something that the police and other agencies can't handle.

[00:27:55] [SPEAKER_05]: But of course it occurs and sadly it's almost to be expected.

[00:27:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Right you know if this public information officer gig doesn't work out for you you got great pipes you have you thought about a radio career.

[00:28:09] [SPEAKER_05]: In there done that got the teacher got out of the.

[00:28:13] [SPEAKER_00]: All right Rick it's good to hear your voice sir and best of health and our prayers for you guys and your coworkers and your community.

[00:28:24] [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't mind we'd love to chat with you again in the day or two if we could.

[00:28:28] [SPEAKER_05]: Absolutely thank you for I helping get the word out and God bless.

[00:28:31] [SPEAKER_00]: All right take care that's Rick Rice is the public information officer for the Asheville Police Department.

[00:28:37] [SPEAKER_00]: So when I was a kid my grandpa died with Alzheimer's and before he died my mom and my dad and all of us really helped take care of them as he got progressively worse.

[00:28:46] [SPEAKER_00]: 40 years ago there were no treatments and not much support for caregivers and family things are different today because of the work is so many people including the Alzheimer's Association of Western North Carolina.

[00:28:57] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a great organization with awesome people they've got huge hearts I've been a supporter for like 25 years this cause means a lot to me.

[00:29:05] [SPEAKER_00]: I participate in the annual walk to end Alzheimer's and I am leading a Charlotte team this year.

[00:29:11] [SPEAKER_00]: It's called Pete's Pack you can sign up and join the team and walk with me it's on October 19th at truest field in uptown sign up at alz.org slash walk and then just look for my team.

[00:29:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Pete's Pack and there's also a link in the podcast description here also I'm going to be emceeing the Gastonia walk on October 5th so make a team and join us or make a donation to help me hit my goal.

[00:29:33] [SPEAKER_00]: I would really appreciate it there are a bunch of other walks around the Carolinas and you can go to a lz.org for all of the dates and locations we are closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer's

[00:29:46] [SPEAKER_00]: and if you can help us get there we would really appreciate it will you come walk with me for a different future for families for more time for treatments.

[00:29:55] [SPEAKER_00]: This is why I walk the email is Pete at the Pete canlener show dot com i've got a lot of information it's been like drinking from a fire hose here with.

[00:30:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Trying to get as much information as possible let me get David on because he called earlier and I didn't want to make him hold on for the whole interview while Rick was on so let me get David on hello David welcome to the show.

[00:30:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey how's going hey I'm alright man how are you?

[00:30:22] [SPEAKER_04]: Another day in paradise.

[00:30:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah yeah where do you go?

[00:30:28] [SPEAKER_04]: My mouth here working with Duke and I was in a neighborhood and I was a costed by someone who doesn't have power at the moment and it don't know me that I think people should know right now that.

[00:30:41] [SPEAKER_04]: A lot of us are out you're working Duke energy power care line of powers all of us are out here working 16 plus hours a day trying to get power restored for everybody and a lot of us.

[00:30:53] [SPEAKER_04]: Even if we have power have not had a shower since Thursday evening.

[00:30:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Are you from the area?

[00:31:01] [SPEAKER_04]: Not from the actual area no is that where you're working.

[00:31:05] [SPEAKER_04]: No not yet okay we're heading that way soon.

[00:31:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh I got you so you were in the Charlotte area working first.

[00:31:12] [SPEAKER_04]: Castor York.

[00:31:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Alright so now you're making your way up there.

[00:31:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I saw a woman posted a picture of a line of people at look like you know a little bit after sundown and they were they were standing there outside of like a staging area for the power trucks.

[00:31:37] [SPEAKER_00]: And they were there to do all the guys laundry.

[00:31:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So they would each take a guy's laundry take it home do the laundry and bring it back the next day for.

[00:31:47] [SPEAKER_04]: Right right yeah because a lot of us don't have time to go home and change.

[00:31:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Right now I know people don't even think about that they don't think about the guys that they see in the bucket trucks up there.

[00:31:59] [SPEAKER_04]: We've around 45 hours over time since Friday.

[00:32:05] [SPEAKER_00]: So that's like 15 hours per day roughly of overtime.

[00:32:09] [SPEAKER_04]: Oh or more yes yeah that's nuts.

[00:32:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Are you from are you from the area do you live in the area?

[00:32:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah I'm from your are you okay so you do live in the area.

[00:32:20] [SPEAKER_00]: So and so you've been going so when they stage you guys in certain areas how much time do you have.

[00:32:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Before you know where you're going.

[00:32:31] [SPEAKER_04]: 20 30 minutes.

[00:32:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Is that it.

[00:32:35] [SPEAKER_04]: That's it and then we are we're on the road moving all day long.

[00:32:40] [SPEAKER_00]: So they got you going up so what is the biggest challenge now that are you able to get through I imagine you haven't seen because you're on your way up there now you're going to see some of the devastation up there.

[00:32:50] [SPEAKER_00]: But is it can you get to the to the to the polls.

[00:32:57] [SPEAKER_04]: Well with all the guys we have the different companies that are with us if there's an impossible road will make it possible.

[00:33:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Right.

[00:33:06] [SPEAKER_00]: So you got track we got tractors we got trucks we can lift anything on the road it gets an our way and if we ain't got a road I'm sure we can make a way to make one right now I got you is there I saw somebody put a tip up they said hey put on your outdoor light.

[00:33:23] [SPEAKER_00]: So this way.

[00:33:25] [SPEAKER_00]: If they're doing a power check.

[00:33:28] [SPEAKER_00]: They don't people have power they'll know you've got power if you got your exterior light on correct okay so that's that that is a good tip to just to tell us that a lot of time okay.

[00:33:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Is there is or anything else people can do to help you guys.

[00:33:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Besides not like you know attacking you or costing you why you're doing your job.

[00:33:47] [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, if you're on the road only be on the myth necessary stay off and as much as possible stay home.

[00:33:55] [SPEAKER_00]: All right David I appreciate it keep up the good work God bless you sir.

[00:33:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to come and thank you.

[00:34:01] [SPEAKER_00]: All right take care stay safe man we appreciate it's that's one of those jobs that people you know never really pay much attention to.

[00:34:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Except maybe like all their blocking a lane on my commute into work or something but it's times like this these guys they go all out so we appreciate you David stay safe.

[00:34:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for the call.

[00:34:18] [SPEAKER_00]: All right that'll do it for this episode thank you so much for listening I could not do the show without your support and the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast.

[00:34:27] [SPEAKER_00]: So if you'd like please support them to until I'm your herded here you can also become a patron at my patreon page or go to the peep calendar show dot com again.

[00:34:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for listening and don't break anything while I'm gone.