Churches, Denominations and Religions: Montreat Status Update

Montreat Status Update - 11/15/2024

Greetings from Montreat! Seven weeks since Hurricane Helene, we continue to have much of interest to report.

On Progress

Signs of slow-but-steady progress continue to define our days in Montreat:

ServePro has finished its mitigation work in 18 buildings on our campus, clearing the way for renovation and repair. That work began with Assembly Inn, where several meeting spaces and a third of the guest rooms suffered water damage, and will continue until all affected buildings have been restored.
Restoration of Lake Susan has begun as well. For the next several weeks, passersby will see heavy equipment and a team hard at work removing some 20,000 cubic yards of silt, mud, and storm debris from the lake’s basin.
Some parts of our wilderness area began welcoming hikers this week, as trails connecting the east side, from Rainbow to Sourwood Gap, reopened to the public.
This week, the staff of the Town of Montreat, which has operated from the environs of Assembly Inn for several weeks, returned to Town Hall. Our staff received a warm thank-you from Town Manager Savannah Parrish, a note that was as appreciated as it was unnecessary given all that the town staff has done for the conference center and for Montreat.
Meanwhile, this week conference center staff were wrapping up preparations for the MRA’s semi-annual board meeting which begins on Sunday. While we have continually hosted relief workers, police officers, town officials, and other groups since Helene, the board meeting will be our first hosted event that existed on the schedule prior to the hurricane.

The upcoming board meeting represents a small but important benchmark in our efforts to return to normal programming. Accompanying that preparation is a shift in the focus of our relief efforts, from simply housing first responders and storing supplies to longer-term service. The initial draft of our focus includes three points: 1) supporting continuing recovery efforts in Montreat, 2) supporting recovery efforts in the Swannanoa Valley, and 3) offering Montreat’s facilities and recreation expertise as a resource of spiritual care and resilience training for survivors and responders. We’ll identify needs in volunteers and other resources as our plans develop.

On The Long Road Ahead

Evidently, we have time to make sure we get it right. That was one important message delivered by Edwin González-Castillo and Jim Kirk, representatives of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) who addressed an assembled group of pastors and lay leaders from the Presbytery of Western North Carolina at a meeting on our campus a couple of weeks ago.

Based on years of experience as associate for national disaster response, Jim suggested that our recovery in Western North Carolina will be measured in years, not days. He outlined three phases of a typical timeline: 1) the first, organic phase when communities and individuals rally to meet immediate needs; 2) a short-term, organizing recovery phase in which new connections are made and relationships formed as communities prepare for the work ahead, and 3) the long-term recovery phase of rebuilding and renewing. Jim said that phase one usually lasts a month or two, while the second and third phases last considerably longer – multiples longer. While sobering news, Jim’s presentation reminded us that we are not alone, that people are out there with the knowledge, skills, abilities, track record, and determination to help us recover.

While critical needs remain an issue in some areas – potable tap-water still has not returned in much of Buncombe County – in many areas phase two is already underway. The Swannanoa Grassroots Alliance, for example, is convening leadership from local businesses, non-profits, church leaders, and county officials to join forces with incoming relief agencies to address the needs of that community in the near and long term. In Old Fort, Camp Grier is taking a leadership role in raising funds for that community’s recovery. On December 7, the camp will host The Old Fort Strong Endurance Festival with a goal of raising $2 million to support the rebuilding of homes and businesses affected by Helene.

Meanwhile, at the Black Mountain exit on Interstate 40, a flashing sign proclaims that Black Mountain is once again open for business! The statement is both true and somewhat aspirational; businesses that can reopen have done so, including restaurants who are successfully working around water issues. While a few roads remain impacted and one should plan carefully before visiting the area, visitors are enjoying the many splendors of an Appalachian fall without the crowds that usually accompany the season.

On Getting the Message Right

Many years ago, a good friend stopped by my office to say hello. He’d recently lost his spouse after some fifty years of marriage and this was our first visit since the funeral. He said to me, “People keep telling me that I will get over this.” He furrowed his brow and continued, “That makes me angry. I don’t want to get over it. The pain I’m experiencing reminds me of how much I love her.”

Emotions on the ground here seem similarly complex. Consider, for example, an accumulation of downed trees on Welch Field as town staff clear roads and other areas of Montreat. The pile has grown to two stories high in places and covers the entire infield and a good portion of the outfield as well. You can monitor the growth of storm debris as a reminder of reopened roads and appreciation for the hard work it took to clear them; at the same time, your neighbor may come upon the same scene and weep.

How do you strike the right tone while surrounded by both the continuing reality of Helene’s devastation and ongoing signs of progress and hope? One realizes that “the right tone” is variable and highly dependent on individual perspective and experience; some ears are more attuned to frequencies of recovery while others are still hearing tones of grief – sometimes, profound grief.

Because Montreat and its institutions were spared the worst of Helene’s effects, for several weeks now the conference center’s priority has been restoring our capacity to resume normal programming, and we are excited at the prospect of hosting conferences and events once again in January. That shouldn’t be taken to mean, however, that come January, Helene will be behind us. Buildings will continue to undergo repairs for the next several months. The landscape will need several years to recover. For the people impacted, the emerging timeline of recovery promises to be an individual matter, less linear, and even less predictable.

My friend never got over the loss of his wife, but his friends and family did eventually give him the space to get through it, at a pace he could manage and to a place that he could appreciate. As we move forward over the next several years, we are going to have to make space in the same way. It’s going to take some work, it’s going to take some help, and it’s going to take some time, but we will get there. While we work diligently and with all sustainable speed, let’s be patient with each other.

As always, we are grateful for your prayers, your gifts, and all the ways you are supporting efforts in Montreat and Western North Carolina. If you haven’t made a gift and would like to, you can do that here. More to come!