I Told You So
A rescue team paddles down the Swannanoa River on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused widespread flooding, downed trees, and power outages in western North Carolina. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com
Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article293214349.html#storylink=cpy
For nearly a quarter of a century, I have been working to address climate change through many avenues: clean tech investments, advising businesses and government agencies, policy and politics, education, faith community activation, and leading a non-profit consortium for sustainability. Four years ago, my family and I endured (along with millions of others in the Pacific Northwest) unbreathable air from wildfire smoke, power outages, and fear. This month, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in Mexico and across 800 miles of the US Southeast.
One of my daughters was in Asheville, North Carolina, one of the hardest hit areas. Torrential rain (more than 20 inches in two days) caused extreme flooding and landslides. Raging winds toppled trees, making most of the roads in western North Carolina impassable. Damage to the water system will take weeks to repair. Homes and other buildings were ravaged. There have been least 30 deaths in one county with hundreds still missing. No phone or internet service meant that loved ones could not be contacted and rescues were delayed. For days I worried that my daughter could have been one of the casualties. I heard from her yesterday that she was safe. Relief for my family but not for so many others left to clean up from an apocalyptic storm. The estimated damage from the storm is approximately $100 billion. Hurricane season is expected to continue through the end of November with more storms already forming.
The political campaigns talk about high prices but don’t make the link to the huge capital and human costs of catastrophic events caused by a rapidly heating climate. Prices for food, housing, insurance and everything else are rising, in part due to our destruction of the web of life on which we all depend. “I told you so” is not consoling in the face of devastation. This website is filled with solutions and calls to action. Let’s move forward together, with determination, to turn rage and anxiety into action.