Western NC disaster update (10-16-2024--Hour1)

[00:00:04] What's going on? Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon to 3 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 thepetekalinershow.com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button, get every episode for free, right to your smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for your support.

[00:00:28] I want to welcome back to the program Greg Lentz. He is the director of Hearts With Hands. It is a disaster relief organization based out of Swannanoa, North Carolina, which is just outside of Asheville. And Dr. Lentz, welcome to the show. How are you, sir?

[00:00:44] Doing good, Pete. Thank you so much for letting us come on this morning, this afternoon.

[00:00:49] Absolutely. Absolutely. So I keep directing people to your organization. So first off, for people who don't know what Hearts With Hands does,

[00:00:58] run down just briefly what you guys do. So what we are, we're the supply chain, the distribution hub in a time of disaster. And so we get in basically, normally we're going to other states to do this, but this one is in our doorstep and on our back doors.

[00:01:16] So we bring in the supplies, water, food boxes, hygiene kits, cleaning kits, baby kits, any of the essentials that they need for survival right after the storm and begin to distribute that, get that in the hands of these families.

[00:01:33] And then we begin to turn from, you know, once we get those things covered and we've got a lot of those things on the ground now, which is great.

[00:01:43] A lot of people have responded and done well bringing loads to the warehouse here in Swannanoa.

[00:01:48] And so we've got crews on hand trying to sort, package, box, get it ready to go out the door.

[00:01:56] So folks can still volunteer.

[00:01:58] But one of the things that we're trying to do is specifically work on needed items.

[00:02:05] So now it's cold.

[00:02:06] Your weatherman has said for Charlotte area, you're going to be in the mid-30s.

[00:02:12] So here it could be in the low 30s or in the high 20s.

[00:02:17] And so these folks are still without a home.

[00:02:20] A lot of them are living in a tent, you know, or in their house that has no power, things of that nature.

[00:02:26] So what we're trying to do is get buddy heaters, those camping stove heaters,

[00:02:32] that have the little one-pound, one-gallon little propane tanks that we can begin to distribute those in these communities,

[00:02:41] at least get them some heat during these cold spells, trying to get hot sleeping bags, brand-new sleeping bags,

[00:02:48] brand-new blankets or quilts or, you know, anything of that nature,

[00:02:54] and then brand-new coats because of, you know, them losing everything.

[00:02:58] So what we try to do is supply the need.

[00:03:02] So when the need arises, then that's when I go to work trying to make sure that we meet that need,

[00:03:08] get those things supplied, and get those into the hands of the people.

[00:03:12] So that's hearts with hands in a nutshell, but it's ground zero work.

[00:03:18] It's right in the field of action where everything's at and trying to help those folks.

[00:03:23] And then the second phase of what we have been doing, we've got a large mobile kitchen,

[00:03:29] and we have been feeding all of our emergency workers, averaging over 3,000 meals a day out of that kitchen since the storm,

[00:03:38] and supplying the need for all of our emergency workers so they can stay fed, they can stay on the ground,

[00:03:45] they can stay working and make that for them.

[00:03:48] So we're asking for restaurant owners, chefs, anybody that would like to volunteer.

[00:03:54] Go to the website.

[00:03:55] You can sign up for a shift.

[00:03:57] And breakfast is the early shift from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., and then 10 a.m. to 2, and then 2 to 7 is our dinner shift.

[00:04:07] So we've had restaurant owners from Charlotte that have drove all the way up, come all day long,

[00:04:13] and prepared meals for these emergency workers.

[00:04:15] And so that's the only way we can do that is have, you know, folks that are willing to donate their time and their effort,

[00:04:22] their talents, and come and help us prepare these meals so that way we can keep those ladies and those guys fed during this storm time.

[00:04:32] So a lot of different facets of what we're doing as an organization, but it's people like you,

[00:04:38] stations like yours that make it easy, make it possible, and give us the ability to be able to do that.

[00:04:47] So, and as I understand it, you guys are pretty good with a lot of the stuff, the items that are usually in high demand in the immediate aftermath.

[00:04:58] You guys are pretty good when it comes to, like, water and food at this point for...

[00:05:04] Right.

[00:05:04] Okay.

[00:05:05] So we're good with that.

[00:05:07] We've, you know, had a great support with that.

[00:05:10] Now I'm focusing my attention on the warm items.

[00:05:13] Right.

[00:05:13] Right.

[00:05:14] Like, buddy heaters, the propane tanks, the new coats, the new blankets, new sleeping bags, tents, you know, those type items.

[00:05:24] So that way we can begin to get those.

[00:05:27] A lot of the roads that I've been traveling, half the road is gone.

[00:05:31] I mean, you know, whole communities have been washed away in churches and, you know, where the fire departments are because we're taking food to all of these fire departments that are helping and having all of these workers staged at them.

[00:05:46] And so some of those areas are still, you know, pretty hectic to get to because of the condition of the roads.

[00:05:53] Another project we have been doing is setting ICB totes, which is those 275-gallon water totes.

[00:06:01] And we've been setting those in communities that don't have water.

[00:06:05] So that way at least they've got, you know, some water they can get for flushing the commode or washing with or things of that nature and trying to get, you know, those dispersed throughout the area as well.

[00:06:17] So, you know, just trying to do our part, to be a blessing, to be a help and to help our people.

[00:06:22] I'm right in the center, ground zero of this.

[00:06:25] And we had a little damage from the water, the flood, but nothing like everybody else did.

[00:06:31] So our warehouse basically was, you know, just a little damage, but we hit the ground running as soon as everything occurred.

[00:06:38] Right, which is amazing, considering the devastation that Swannanoa suffered, that you guys were able to keep so much of your supplies dry and intact so it can go immediately out the door.

[00:06:55] Yeah, if you go to the website heartswithhands.org, you can donate, you can schedule a drop-off as well.

[00:07:01] You can sign up to volunteer right there as well on their website.

[00:07:05] Right. I saw also that you can no longer accept drop-offs without a confirmed appointment.

[00:07:12] I guess this is sort of the curse that, I guess, follows the blessing where everybody has come through.

[00:07:19] And given so much, you're kind of overwhelmed now with all this stuff.

[00:07:24] Right. So you've got to have time to process it.

[00:07:27] I've got one of the largest facilities in Buncombe County.

[00:07:30] And so trying to process everything.

[00:07:33] Like I said, you know, so many people from all over the country have been so gracious, so kind.

[00:07:39] And we're working with different organizations, different ministries in town, trying to make sure they have supplies for the job that they do,

[00:07:49] from the veterans' quarters to the rescue mission to, you know, all of the – we've got a group that does the medical relief for, you know, the homeless

[00:08:02] and medical relief for low-income families.

[00:08:04] So we've been supplying food boxes to them to take into those families and, you know, those kind of things.

[00:08:11] So anything that we are doing, you know, we've got to make an appointment so that way I've got help on the ground.

[00:08:17] I've got people here to unload.

[00:08:20] And if they make that appointment, what helps us greatly is if it's already pre-sorted, that takes a load off of us.

[00:08:28] And if it's already palletized, that is a big blessing.

[00:08:31] And so that way that helps us tremendously with manpower hours to, you know, be able to do that.

[00:08:39] So we're still accepting.

[00:08:42] We're just trying to get it down to where we can manage it better and make it easier and make sure we've got enough help on the ground to do that.

[00:08:51] This is going to be – this is going to be not just now.

[00:08:55] Now, normally in a, you know, hurricane, we're there the first four or five weeks.

[00:09:01] And then that part of the – that phase of what we do phases out.

[00:09:07] Then you have your cleanup and your rebuild crews and all of those folks.

[00:09:11] This is going to be months just because of the magnitude.

[00:09:16] And so it's going to be needed.

[00:09:18] It's just going to have to be staged in a way that we can still process it and get it out the door.

[00:09:24] And then we'll do large distribution pods.

[00:09:28] We were doing free gas for all of their generators a couple days ago in our distribution line just trying to help the folks because they couldn't go to the –

[00:09:38] couldn't, you know, everything was closed so they couldn't get gas.

[00:09:42] So we ordered a tanker to come in and was able to do that to be able to be a blessing to those folks just filling up their gas cans they could take back from the generators.

[00:09:52] So, you know, a lot of different things.

[00:09:55] And your folks and the people that have given and the people that still continue to give, that makes that possible.

[00:10:01] One of the things that we want to do for Thanksgiving is have a Thanksgiving meal for all these folks.

[00:10:09] And so your giving is going to make that possible.

[00:10:12] We want to help thousands of families on Thanksgiving and just try to show them that we love them, we're praying for them, and we want to encourage them.

[00:10:23] Because, I mean, like I said, this is going to be weeks and months and, you know, down the road that they're going to be facing these tough times.

[00:10:33] I don't know.

[00:10:34] I know I booked you just for one segment here, but do you have time to hang on for a second segment?

[00:10:38] Is that – I know you're a busy guy.

[00:10:40] You do?

[00:10:40] Okay.

[00:10:41] Because I was –

[00:10:42] Yeah, I'll do whatever you need me to do.

[00:10:43] All right.

[00:10:44] Sounds good.

[00:10:44] I'm going to put you on hold, sir, and we come back after a quick break here.

[00:10:47] We'll pick it up there.

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[00:11:52] We are talking with Greg Lentz.

[00:11:55] He is the director of Hearts with Hands.

[00:11:57] It is a disaster relief organization based in Swannanoa, North Carolina, just outside of Asheville.

[00:12:02] The website is heartswithhands.org.

[00:12:06] Dr. Lentz, I appreciate you hanging on for another segment.

[00:12:08] You mentioned briefly in the last segment about dropping off donations to the fire departments.

[00:12:17] Can you give us sort of an overview as to what the distribution network that you're using, what does that look like?

[00:12:25] What we have tried to do is all of your local fire departments that are still existing, you know, is the hub for their little communities,

[00:12:34] whether that be here in Swannanoa, whether that's Garing Creek area, whether that be in other parts of Burnsville,

[00:12:43] any of those, you know, any of those other places that are affected.

[00:12:50] And so what we've tried to do is make sure that they have the supplies needed.

[00:12:55] Some of the little churches that's by there, some of them have been washed away.

[00:12:59] Some are gone.

[00:13:00] And so they couldn't be that distribution hub.

[00:13:03] So we tried to make sure there was something in every one of these communities that that way they got supplies for their community

[00:13:11] and make sure they're covered.

[00:13:12] So we've been, you know, that's part of what we do is try to make sure.

[00:13:16] So the first few days we were box trucking loads out of here, you know,

[00:13:21] going to all these different locations to make sure that they were covered,

[00:13:26] they had supplies for their people, for their community, and that will come back again once they, you know,

[00:13:35] complete those supplies, then we'll do the same thing again.

[00:13:38] That's why I'm saying, you know, it's going to be more than just a one-time deal.

[00:13:43] It's going to be something that's going to be, you know, weeks and months down the road because of that.

[00:13:48] So that's one thing.

[00:13:50] And then we're taking the hot meals to all of those same departments,

[00:13:54] making sure that all of their rescue workers and fire workers is working out of that station going into those areas have meals.

[00:14:03] And those have been averaging, like I said, 3,000 meals a day.

[00:14:07] And then plus in breakfast, we have still been doing the shelters that are open and trying to feed those folks as well.

[00:14:16] So, you know, it's been quite a monumental task, to say the least, for these days.

[00:14:23] And hard to keep up with a number of days just because it starts running together.

[00:14:28] But, you know, it's just the help of everybody, the prayers of everybody.

[00:14:34] And all of us just rallying together trying to help these folks.

[00:14:39] Can we give them just an illustration of the magnitude of what these people are dealing with?

[00:14:46] Would that be okay?

[00:14:47] Yeah.

[00:14:47] Yeah.

[00:14:47] I was going to ask you about the size and scope of the disaster.

[00:14:52] Yeah.

[00:14:53] So right across from our warehouse is Owen Park.

[00:14:58] It's where everybody comes and they walk their dogs.

[00:15:01] They walk around the walking track.

[00:15:03] It had two big lakes on it.

[00:15:05] Every bit of those lakes in that park is gone.

[00:15:09] Where the Swannoy River just came down through there and it is no longer a lake.

[00:15:15] I mean, it's dry where it washed all that water out.

[00:15:19] Valleys like that are everywhere.

[00:15:21] Where it used to be ponds or little tributaries.

[00:15:26] I mean, now they're wide like rivers where the water came through.

[00:15:32] Houses came from the tops of the mountain, came down the road, and they have been sitting on bridges like Highway 70,

[00:15:41] the main thoroughfare from, you know, Swannanoa over to Black Mountain.

[00:15:46] And at exit 55 where we're at, the main bridge is still out because houses came washing down through there and landed on the bridge and tore it up.

[00:16:00] So, I mean, they got the houses off, but now they've got to deal with, you know, rebuilding the whole infrastructure underneath those bridges

[00:16:08] to even build them back because it's all gone.

[00:16:10] So, you can see the magnitude of what, you know, what the bridge down below me is gone.

[00:16:16] So, I mean, you know, bridges, roads, houses, areas, anywhere those tributaries were at, anywhere those rivers were at, you know, has been devastated.

[00:16:30] And then that caused more problems because it washed the water lines out that fed ash fields.

[00:16:38] So, that's been the, you know, the problem with getting water back on.

[00:16:42] Slowly, they are getting it back on, which is a blessing, faster than what they anticipated by bypassing some of those lines.

[00:16:50] But then they'll still be, you know, pockets where they won't have it for weeks.

[00:16:54] So, that's where we're trying to set those water tanks at, trying to make sure that they have something for days to come.

[00:17:02] So, this is a lot of work, you know, a lot of things to still do.

[00:17:07] And the best way folks can do is go to heartsoflands.org.

[00:17:11] They can give.

[00:17:12] If they want to volunteer, they want to put hands on, they can register there online.

[00:17:18] They can come.

[00:17:19] We need cooks again that want to, you know, they told us they were going to extend that at least through November the 4th now with feeding the workers that have come from not only the locals but out of town that are here.

[00:17:35] So, anything of that nature.

[00:17:36] So, there will be, you know, a lot of work still to come that will need to be done.

[00:17:42] So, hearts of hands, they can sign up.

[00:17:44] They can register.

[00:17:45] They can volunteer.

[00:17:47] They can come for a day.

[00:17:49] They can come.

[00:17:50] We've got folks that literally are sleeping in tents in our backyard that come to volunteer.

[00:17:57] You know, so that's the strength and the blessing of America, that people still rally together and want to help our people.

[00:18:07] Yeah.

[00:18:08] Greg Lentz, I appreciate all the work that you're doing.

[00:18:11] Stay strong.

[00:18:12] Prayers for you and your family and your colleagues and your workers and all the volunteers that you're working with.

[00:18:19] We appreciate you.

[00:18:20] And if people want to help, it's heartswithhands.org.

[00:18:23] And appreciate your time, sir.

[00:18:25] Thank you very much, Pete.

[00:18:26] Thank you.

[00:18:27] Take care.

[00:18:28] Bye-bye.

[00:18:28] All right.

[00:18:28] All right.

[00:18:28] That's Greg Lentz, the director of Hearts With Hands, heartswithhands.org.

[00:18:34] Well, we were going to talk with Brett Jensen because he's doing a town hall up in Bat Cave, North Carolina.

[00:18:44] And I always do that.

[00:18:47] Sorry.

[00:18:47] It's a habit.

[00:18:50] They were one of the communities that was seriously hit by Hurricane Helene.

[00:18:57] And he is up there.

[00:18:58] And I think he has commandeered, much like a FEMA truck.

[00:19:07] He's going to be doing his town hall starting at 6 o'clock tonight.

[00:19:11] So he got an hour from Brett Winterbull's show.

[00:19:16] He took an hour from Winterbull.

[00:19:18] And I think that's a first.

[00:19:20] I'm not aware of any other host successfully wrestling an hour from Winterbull.

[00:19:26] No, I think that's what happened.

[00:19:28] No, Winterbull let him do it, obviously.

[00:19:29] It's a two-hour town hall.

[00:19:32] And it's going to be right here on News Talk 1110 99.3 WBT from 6 until 8 p.m.

[00:19:40] Brett Jensen, Breaking with Brett Jensen.

[00:19:42] Normally airs 7 o'clock.

[00:19:43] But tonight, special episode, special edition starting at 6 p.m.

[00:19:50] I've got a bunch of press releases from FEMA for some information for you.

[00:19:57] For example, homeowners and renters in Cabarrus, Cherokee.

[00:20:00] Well, FEMA added another 12 counties to the disaster declaration.

[00:20:06] So if you're a homeowner or a renter in Cabarrus, Cherokee, Forsyth, Graham, Iredell, Lee, Nash,

[00:20:16] Rowan, Stanley, Surrey, Union, and Yadkin counties,

[00:20:22] you had uninsured damage or losses caused by Tropical Storm Helene,

[00:20:27] you are now eligible to apply for FEMA disaster assistance.

[00:20:31] So with those 12 and the already declared counties, there are 27 of them.

[00:20:39] That is now 39 counties.

[00:20:41] There are only 100 in North Carolina.

[00:20:44] So 39 of the 100 counties are now listed under the FEMA eligibility for disaster relief.

[00:20:58] Yesterday evening, the governor's office put out an update on the disaster relief and recovery and response efforts.

[00:21:13] This came down at a little bit before 6 p.m.

[00:21:17] And so I've got some of the highlights here that I can run through.

[00:21:21] But I also have a, I think it's a pretty important question for the media to ask the governor the next time they get a chance.

[00:21:29] We'll see if it happens.

[00:21:30] But I'll tell you what that is in a bit.

[00:21:32] We do have Brett now.

[00:21:33] Okay.

[00:21:34] Hang on a second.

[00:21:36] Okay.

[00:21:37] Now we've got it.

[00:21:38] All righty, Brett Jensen.

[00:21:40] I understand communications might be a little spotty in your neck of the woods or mountains.

[00:21:45] So you are in Batcave now.

[00:21:47] You have arrived?

[00:21:49] I am here.

[00:21:50] Yep.

[00:21:51] We are.

[00:21:51] Everything is just trying to test equipment and using Starlink to try and communicate.

[00:21:57] Like this phone call is courtesy of Starlink.

[00:21:59] Thank you, Elon.

[00:22:01] Okay.

[00:22:01] So why are you up in Batcave?

[00:22:05] And how did you come to organize this town hall event that you've got tonight?

[00:22:11] So I was up here last week.

[00:22:13] And I just randomly saw a, almost like a convenience store, makeshift convenience store underneath some like party tent awnings and out of the front yards with more stuff than you could imagine.

[00:22:24] And so I stopped just to interview the people last week when I was up here.

[00:22:28] And there was an outside there in their front yard is a big sun that says Spanx Broad River and Elon Musk for the Starlink satellite.

[00:22:35] A giant sign.

[00:22:37] And then right beside it is an American flag that said, and another sign that says, vote.

[00:22:42] And so I was like, oh, that's interesting.

[00:22:44] Because I was wondering if people were going to still try and vote.

[00:22:46] Because, you know, a week ago, a lot of the roads are still closed.

[00:22:50] So I got to know them.

[00:22:52] I interviewed them, had some great stories.

[00:22:55] And I've been in contact with one of the people up here that I interviewed last week.

[00:22:59] And they have organized this.

[00:23:01] And so tonight from 6 to 8 p.m., I'm going to be doing like a town hall type thing with a lot of the families from this local area to talk about their experience over the last 19 days.

[00:23:12] And I'm happy to report that last night, in day 18, most of them got electricity last night.

[00:23:20] And it couldn't come of a better time because the low here tonight is 31 degrees.

[00:23:24] Yeah.

[00:23:25] That's been my concern since the beginning is that, you know, the mountains are always cooler.

[00:23:31] There's less humidity up there.

[00:23:33] And the breezes are stiffer.

[00:23:34] And so the weather was getting ready to turn.

[00:23:37] And it is now turning a lot colder.

[00:23:39] We just talked with the local disaster relief organization up there.

[00:23:42] You know, they're trying to get buddy heaters and sleeping bags and blankets and coats because the weather is taking a turn.

[00:23:52] And there are a bunch of people still living in tents.

[00:23:54] So I'm curious, like, do you expect a good turnout if people don't have, well, now they've got electricity, but are they going to be able to, like, to get down there and to get back to wherever it is that they live nearby?

[00:24:07] Yeah, you know, that's a great question.

[00:24:09] Yes.

[00:24:10] They, I know of at least eight families, eight different families that are supposed to be here and potentially even more.

[00:24:17] They're saying there could be as many as, like, you know, anywhere from 30 to 50 people here tonight here for the show, again, from six to eight.

[00:24:24] And, you know, they've got, you know, friends taking them.

[00:24:28] Most of them have their cars.

[00:24:30] Almost all of them have their cars.

[00:24:31] There are a few that don't have cars that either got washed away or filled three feet under red clay mud.

[00:24:38] But everyone's going to, they said, this is the community spot where the makeshift convenience store is.

[00:24:42] This is where everyone's going to meet.

[00:24:44] And they're the ones with the Starlink.

[00:24:46] And this is where we're going to do the show tonight.

[00:24:48] So this is sort of like, this is the place where people have been coming to use the Starlink to check their emails or to call the loved ones or send text messages or whatever.

[00:24:58] And this has been sort of the community gathering place that people have been coming to just to either get the free materials, free diapers, free food, free dog food, whatever it is they need from this makeshift convenience store to also trying to contact and be in contact with the outside world.

[00:25:12] Yeah.

[00:25:13] So is this going to be inside?

[00:25:14] Is there an interior that you're going to be in?

[00:25:17] We are going to be outside.

[00:25:19] Yeah.

[00:25:19] We're going to be outside.

[00:25:20] And I brought all my winter jackets and layers.

[00:25:24] And, you know, there's, you know, the hum of generators in the background for some places and the rippling of the Broad River, which is about 100 feet from me.

[00:25:35] Yeah.

[00:25:36] All right.

[00:25:36] Well, I know you got a lot of setup to do.

[00:25:38] People can listen tonight, 6 o'clock, right, live.

[00:25:43] You've successfully commandeered an hour from Winter Bowl, which kudos to you, sir, for that.

[00:25:49] I think that is the first successful reclamation of an hour from Brett.

[00:25:53] He seems to just take – he takes hours from other people.

[00:25:57] So, no, no, I'm just kidding.

[00:25:59] I kid, I kid.

[00:26:00] But, no, so 6 until 8 o'clock and you're just going to be talking with local people, it sounds like.

[00:26:05] Yeah, local people.

[00:26:06] I'm on my way to the fire department down here, the Broad River Fire Department, where apparently FEMA just showed up a couple days ago.

[00:26:13] So I'm going to talk to them.

[00:26:14] And I'm going to get back to Batcave, which you have to park about two miles away, two and a half miles away.

[00:26:20] And, as I like to say, hoof it two and a half miles each way.

[00:26:23] So I'm going to try and get back into Batcave and see what I can do there and see what I can see and see if there was any progress being made down in that particular area.

[00:26:30] All right.

[00:26:31] Brett Jensen, listen live tonight, 6 o'clock, right here on News Talk 1110-993-WBT.

[00:26:35] Stay safe, man.

[00:26:37] Thank you, sir.

[00:26:38] I appreciate it.

[00:26:38] All right.

[00:26:38] Take care.

[00:26:39] That is Brett Jensen and doing the town hall from Batcave.

[00:26:46] So when I was a kid, my grandpa died with Alzheimer's.

[00:26:49] And before he died, my mom and my dad and all of us really helped take care of him as he got progressively worse.

[00:26:55] Forty years ago, there were no treatments and not much support for caregivers and family.

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

[00:27:06] It's a great organization with awesome people.

[00:27:09] They've got huge hearts.

[00:27:10] I've been a supporter for like 25 years.

[00:27:12] This cause means a lot to me.

[00:27:14] I participate in the annual walk to end Alzheimer's and I am leading a Charlotte team this year.

[00:27:20] It's called Pete's Pack.

[00:27:21] You can sign up and join the team and walk with me.

[00:27:24] It's on October 19th at Truist Field in Uptown.

[00:27:28] Sign up at alz.org slash walk and then just look for my team, Pete's Pack.

[00:27:33] And there's also a link in the podcast description here.

[00:27:35] Also, I'm going to be emceeing the Gastonia Walk on October 5th.

[00:27:39] So make a team and join us or make a donation to help me hit my goal.

[00:27:42] I would really appreciate it.

[00:27:44] There are a bunch of other walks around the Carolinas and you can go to alz.org for all of the dates and locations.

[00:27:52] We are closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer's.

[00:27:55] And if you can help us get there, we would really appreciate it.

[00:27:59] Will you come walk with me for a different future, for families, for more time, for treatments?

[00:28:04] This is why I walk.

[00:28:05] So Governor Cooper put out a press release last night, about 6 o'clock, running through the latest in the recovery, relief, and rescue operations and that sort of stuff.

[00:28:26] Sorry, I'm just going through this thing.

[00:28:27] So one of the questions that I had, and it's funny because just before I started talking to Brett Jensen there in the last segment, during that break, I saw a tweet come down.

[00:28:40] There's a hashtag called NCPOL, North Carolina Politics, NCPOL, hashtag NCPOL.

[00:28:46] And I do a lot of my show prep off of that hashtag for state stories.

[00:28:54] It's not the only place I go, but it's always – I always have it on.

[00:28:58] And so I saw somebody complaining about an op-ed that appeared at the Raleigh News and Observers, written by Pat Ryan, former spokes guy for Senator Phil Berger.

[00:29:10] And the headline is, FEMA must change course to stop North Carolina from suffering through a broken recovery plan.

[00:29:17] And this person, and I've seen her before, she's on the left, and she was saying, you don't need to be publishing this.

[00:29:23] How dare you?

[00:29:24] This is not what we need and all of that.

[00:29:27] And it prompted a thought.

[00:29:29] You remember during COVID and then after COVID, I kept saying, are we going to get sort of a review?

[00:29:38] Is anybody ever going to ask Governor Cooper whether every decision he made was correct?

[00:29:43] Because in order to avoid mistakes in the future, you need to know what worked and what didn't.

[00:29:49] And if you are unwilling to ask that question of yourself, then how do you improve?

[00:29:56] And if we are unwilling to ask this question now of what's not working, how do we improve?

[00:30:02] How do these systems improve?

[00:30:03] All right.

[00:30:04] That'll do it for this episode.

[00:30:05] Thank you so much for listening.

[00:30:07] I could not do the show without your support and the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast.

[00:30:12] So if you'd like, please support them too and tell them you heard it here.

[00:30:15] You can also become a patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecalendorshow.com.

[00:30:20] Again, thank you so much for listening.

[00:30:22] And don't break anything while I'm gone.