Letter: Hope comes with cleanup

Graphic by Lori Deaton

My commute into town from the Woodfin area has always been along Riverside Drive, providing me a peaceful and relaxing ride. Following Helene, it became a scene of incredible devastation, bringing tears to my eyes with almost each trip. It took days for cars to be removed, and the banks, what are left of them, have been denuded of trees and filled with debris.

I have been heartened to see the efforts of IPEX/Silver-Line Plastics to remove and recover the thousands of pipes that were swept from their storage yard and strewn like pickup sticks all along the banks. I’ve seen men on both sides of the river wading in the water to pull them out. Whether they can salvage them for reuse and sale or must dispose of them, I commend the company for tirelessly pursuing this endeavor while simultaneously tackling the destruction of their facilities.

It goes without saying that we are all in for an incredibly long road of recovery. Seeing the progress made every day by the efforts of so many people and organizations gives me hope that our beautiful, funky little city shall rise again. There are so, so many hands helping everywhere. I encourage everyone to participate in whatever way you can — giving money, volunteering time, supporting local businesses and having patience and compassion for those around us. We’re all in this together!

— Rob Campbell
Woodfin

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