I didnt realize they had issued an evacuation order for our area, Mills tellsRolling Stone.
By 9 a.m. it was no longer safe for us to drive out.
We had to shelter in place.
An aerial view of part of Asheville’s River Arts District following Hurricane Helene.Stephan Pruitt/Fiasco Media
With he and his family precariously perched atop their home, they drifted downriver.
The edge of the roof was crackling and buckling, he says.
Luckily, the house got caught up on some pine trees and couldnt go much further.
We sat there and waited for the rescue boats.
Mills made his way to Greenville, South Carolina, to regroup and gather supplies.
While speaking toRolling Stone, he was already heading back to Swannanoa to help out.
We lost everything, but we didnt lose each other, Mills says.
Theres so many people who lost more than we did.
They lost loved ones, their pets didnt make, or they didnt have insurance.
But this community will persist through whatever happens.
Its devastating, he says.
On Wednesday, 250,000 customers were still without power.
(Hereshow to contributeto disaster relief from Hurricane Helene.)
This is a place to get together, hug each other, and share a story, Keith says.
We support each other.
Thats what music does.
But at least for now, the music is falling silent.
All official shows scheduled for Asheville in the foreseeable future have been canceled.
To say this is a tragedy of epic scale is an understatement.
Body-recovery efforts throughout the region are ongoing, and nightly curfews remain in effect to prevent looting.
But conditions in surrounding communities are just as dire.
Every business in town washed away, says Old Marshall Jail owner Josh Copus.
Im a very optimistic person, but I dont know if we can come back from this.
Like the OMJ, both businesses are gone, their futures unclear.
Well be rebuilding for months, if not years.
Only time will tell what this means for this region, Copus says.
This community is what radio is all about, coming together, Foxx says.
It warms my soul.
A North Carolina native, Caudle left his current nationwide tour in the Midwest and bolted for Southern Appalachia.
The music community here is always taking care of each other after things have gone sideways.
Its this song I wrote about the [Western North Carolina] floods in 2004, Mills says.
Its called, Man, It Rained.
