Upcoming forum looks at historic floods to help find future solutions

David Weintraub has a deep passion for local history. And with nearly 20 years of research into historic floods in Western North Carolina, he brings extensive knowledge to a topic of utmost relevance. In addition, as a director and filmmaker, he has over two decades of experience in developing, managing and promoting cultural programs, including concerts, festivals, forums, film screenings and colloquiums.

As the executive director of the Center for Cultural Preservation, Weintraub is offering locals the opportunity to attend an upcoming forum, “Historic Floods and Landslides — What Have We Learned?” The event will take place Saturday, Feb. 15, 2-4 p.m., at the Bo Thomas Auditorium on the campus of Blue Ridge Community College. Registration is free but preregistration is required. The gathering will be held in person as well as livestreamed.

According to Weintraub, many locals who experienced Tropical Storm Helene feel completely victimized by the extreme weather. He hopes the upcoming forum will help the WNC community understand that there are practical steps residents can take to build more resilient lives while avoiding areas most vulnerable to disasters.

Xpress recently caught up with Weintraub about the forum as well as his thoughts on Helene, how it compares to similar past storms and the lessons we can learn from the latest flood.

Xpress: What inspired you to host this forum? 

Weintraub: A recurring theme in the oral histories I conducted with generational elders throughout the Southern Appalachians was how profoundly their ancestors were affected by the Great Flood of 1916. Thousands of landslides and the loss of topsoil forced many long-term residents to relocate from landslide- and flood-prone areas.

In 2016, to mark the hurricane’s 100th anniversary, I produced a film titled Come Hell or High Water, Remembering the Great Flood of 1916. The film serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting what could — and likely will — happen again, emphasizing the importance of understanding our region’s unique topography and weather patterns.

As humans, we often suffer from a kind of collective amnesia about events more than a year old. This is especially true in the real estate industry, which has long marketed steep slopes and riverfront properties for their beautiful views — without disclosing that much of this land is essentially unbuildable. My hope is that this time, we’ll finally listen to what the land has been telling us for the past 108-plus years.

Tell me about the panelists and why you chose them.

I selected panelists who could provide a comprehensive understanding of weather patterns, land vulnerabilities and best practices for land use in Western North Carolina. These experts are complemented by elders whose families experienced prior great floods, offering invaluable firsthand perspectives. Rick Wooten is a former senior geologist for North Carolina’s Geohazards and Engineering Geology Division who authored many of the landslide maps for WNC counties. Jim Fox is a resilience expert who was director of UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) for 15 years and a founding partner of FernLeaf, a private company that works with businesses and governments to help them limit their vulnerability and risk to hazards. Jen Bauer is co-owner of Appalachian Landslide Consultants, and Don Freeman is a seventh-generation elder and pastor from Gerton, N.C., whose family was deeply impacted by the Great Flood of 1916. LuVerne Haydock is a descendant of a family from Chimney Rock, also affected by the 1916 flood.

How would you rate Tropical Storm Helene with past natural disasters of this kind in WNC?

I believe most people don’t realize that this storm was neither unprecedented nor unexpected. What I’ve learned from analyzing the data is that the rainfall from Tropical Storm Helene was comparable to that of 1916. In both cases — just as in 2004 with hurricanes Frances and Ivan, and Hurricane Fred in 2021 — there was a preceding weather event that saturated the ground.

The key difference between 1916 and 2024 is the substantial increase in population. Today, many more people live on slopes or near rivers that have repeatedly experienced major floods and landslides.

What are your thoughts about rebuilding vulnerable areas?

When I see those signs that say #WNCStrong, I can’t help but feel a wave of nausea. While I’m proud of how neighbors came together during Helene, going above and beyond to help each other recover, resilience as a community is one thing — standing against nature is another entirely. It’s an act of futility and often leads to unnecessary pain. Nature gives us clear, unmistakable warnings, urging us not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Why should people attend this event?

I hope people will join the event, whether in person or via livestream, to gain a deeper understanding of this place we love. This land will love us back if we treat it with care and choose to live in areas where it makes sense to live. Too often, I hear people say, “There’s nothing you can do — it’s just the weather.” But history tells a different story.

Living more self-reliant lives as a community means we can take control of our destiny. It means moving out of the most vulnerable areas and rebuilding in ways that align with nature’s wisdom. We don’t need to wait for another disaster to be a helping hand to one another — we can act now.

What do you hope attendees will take away from this event, and how can they apply this information to their lives?

You will gain a deeper understanding of the resources available to help our communities rebuild, as well as strategies for minimizing our impact on the ecosystem and waterways. This knowledge will better prepare us for when nature shows its more destructive side.

I also hope this event will empower us with the facts needed to demand that our policymakers strengthen land development regulations, ensuring we don’t allow construction in areas that are essentially unbuildable.

To register, visit avl.mx/ehb.