I'll just add, many people will be without running water until after Christmas. That includes my business. We've been flushing the toilet in my office building with creek water. Powerelines are still laying across the road in some areas. That's what gets to me the most. Usually they are fixed immediately. Granted they aren't live wires and a lot of times the crews fix a line, but leave the wires to race to the next one. We have been blessed with good weather. There is still a cerfew in my county at night.
I had been unable to work until this week and I'm seeing an eighth of my normal patient visits and I slashed my prices across the board by half. Hopefully my wife will be able to work next week. Everyone is broke in this area. Grocery stores have trouble keeping things stocked even when people do have money. I'm not saying this for pity or hand outs. I will get by, but its going to be rough for a while, especially those who didn't prepare for disasters. I still have savings, food and supplies as well as a bunch of egg laying hens.
And yeah, most people are realizing that the goods being shipped here are from charities and goodhearted people, not the government. I got a bit savaged on Facebook when I mentioned this, mostly by democrats from out of state calling me a liar. I simply told them that I was on their side after Katrina for the way government spends tax money overseas rather than the people and infrastructure here, and that these same democrats would be on my side if Trump was spending billions on Ukraine and only millions here. Surprisingly they all shut up.
Trucks come in with supplies to random churches and businesses, and people just walking by jump in to help unload and then walk off with just a firm handshake and a smile. There is a comradery almong us mountain people. Strangers smile at each other as if to say, "I'm glad you made it." Everywhere you see stacks of bottled water. Sorry, Marxists, but American's are fricking awesome! I love my neighbors!
My wife is volunteering at a place that gives away supplies. Aside from packing in food and supplies for my daughters in the first week, I had been sitting on my ass. It's kind of weird. I was a volunteer firefighter for 6 years and I thought I would jump at the chance to get involved, but my instinct was to hole up and care for only family and friends. I did run into a group that backpacks supplies into areas that are still cut off. I'm going to start working with them tomorrow.
I haven't applied for that $750. I just can't go to the website. It's like getting a vampire to enter a church or trying too drag my saintly mother into an adult bookstore, but for the time I don't need nor want their money.
So again thanks to everyone!
