Letter-writer ripped for taking jabs at Hendersonville workers, residents during storm
EDITOR’S NOTE: The letter below was addressed to the Daily Planet as follows:
This letter is directed at the person(s) who decides which “Letters to the Editor†get printed.Re: Richard D. Pope (of Hendersonville) letter in the Oct. 9-22 edition of the newspaper.
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What in the world would possess you to print such a venimous letter (headlined “Reader decries ‘swarming’ behavior in Hendersonvilleâ€)?
This ingrate (Pope) needs to take a deep breath and start focusing on the positive.Why isn’t he grateful for all the people who stepped up (when our government didn’t) to help each other?
To vilify the power company people who tirelessly to restore power as fast as possible is pathetic.
To demonize people for simply getting groceries to make hot meals for the displaced and for workers is despicable.
To demean people who needed gas for generators and chain saws was, at the very least, contemptible.
This person doesn’t have one shred of compassion... or common sense, I might add.
He should crawl back under his rock!
KAREN ANDERSON
Hendersonville
Asheville’s water system (unreliable for more than 100 years) needs major focus
The inability of Asheville to actually follow through and fix water line issues spanning over a century needs to be a focus.
Even after flood disasters, the old pipes burst.
When disasters involving floods occur, there is scrambling to simply connect back pipes — never to fix the already damaged footage of the deteriorated pipes, so, of course, sooner rather than later, they too will burst.
We also have a disaster involving power grids and communication issues that time after time are repeated.
The water leaks to water contaminants are real, yet our city normally tests every nine years, so I ask: “From where are those tests performed? Are they performed at the last point of context destination or at the original source?â€
We have had a century to grapple with this crisis and what — besides food, shelter and work — is more important than healthy water that we now have to have, in order to live?
We have schools, many of which do not summer school yet because no work is being done to alleviate the problems, therefore they have water line issues.
We have additional federally funded holidays for federal workers — and on those days no water lines are being replaced.
We have burst pipes, non-flood impacting shopping centers and damaged cars in the blow-out zone — yet was it a Band-Aid or a full-line replacement?
If the city only fixes parts (of the system), then it’s a giant machine with cogs and wheels or springs per day that continue to rust and break.
The leaks allow the waste of water as well as contamination, as it never fully reaches its destination intact.
We saw how often solutions are offered up for resources — yet it’s never done in completion.
We aren’t going down in numbers for those requiring safe drinking water, but higher volumes of people in the areas put more pressure on the water system.
Then, there are the flood zones and all the pipes in flood zones to address... as well as the outdated flood zone maps, even in Washington.
You can talk about building more resilient homes, bridges and roads, but the truth is... the waters are cresting higher in a different path than before.
Is it prudent to keep rebuilding in designated flood-zone areas?
Is populating in a flood area a wise choice... or should those with the highest levels of authority discuss transplanting residents to other, safer areas — and doing funding to relocate these infrastructures that repeatedly — or just recently — repeatedly get annihilated in a disaster, yet are rebuilt on the same spot?
The death tolls don’t diminish, the waters aren’t staying at bay (but rising in areas) and businesses in areas continue to completely crumbled.
Some managed to survive the disasters.
Many homes were damaged by Tropical Storm Fred (2021), today, aren’t rebuilt as promised in the news.
How has the practice worked out so far?
Infrastructures are obliterated, leaving ever-larger numbers of victims who have suffered through previous disasters.
Yet homes, businesses, roads and bridges are slowly stated to be in the works to be repaired — right back in the same disaster zones.
You have to ask yourself is this application saving lives, saving businesses, saving resources — or is it more of circle back infinity aftermath on rebuild ... to then rebuild... to then rebuild... and witness the increase in loss of lives?
KRISTEN M. BURNS-WARREN
Cecil community of Haywood County
In storm response, ‘heroes’ praised; HCA saluted for never missing a beat
No one in this region could’ve ever anticipated what was going to happen here the last weekend of September.
Nobody could’ve foreseen the destruction and devastation that happened across our region.
Our heroes came through time and time again throughout this whole experience — all across the area in many countless ways.
Our gratitude can never be voiced loudly enough to all of them.
One organization that really needs to be given credit for stepping up and coming through for us is HCA. Before HCA, Mission Hospital would never have come through for us like they just did.
The old Mission would’ve relied on FEMA and government assistance — and it would’ve been a disaster.
HCA immediately reacted to our circumstances. The company stretched out to all its resources across the country. They put together an action plan and executed it flawlessly.
They saw our urgent need and they came through like no other company could have.
They made certain our hospital was staffed and well-supplied in advance of the hurricane.
Our medical services at the hospital never skipped a beat.
Every person who needed medical attention here received it.
The staff, visitors, patients and anyone else who came to the hospital was fed for free, I will add.
The hospital never ran out of food, water, medical supplies or any resources that were needed.
When our community required help, HCA came through for us with all of its power, connections, supplies and strength like no other company could have.
We were incredibly fortunate to have them when the worst natural catastrophe struck our region.
The thing that made HCA’s action plan so successful were all the doctors, nurses and staff here who gave it their all.
They were the true heroes who made this all come together. Many of them stayed here at 509 Biltmore Avenue for several days, sleeping and napping when and where they could.
In addition to our local staff, HCA had hundreds of medical staff members come here from HCA hospitals across the country.
The leadership and teamwork here worked like a well-oiled machine and a beat was never missed.
When Western North Carolina needed a hospital to take care of all of all our urgent needs throughout this crisis, HCA’s Mission Hospital and the staff here came through with flying colors.
Our appreciation can never be expressed strongly enough.
Personally, I could not be prouder of this great company I work for. The way everyone worked together to help the region, as we did, we set a precedence that no other hospital in the country could surpass.
WILLIAM BOEHEIM
Guest Services
Mission HospitalAsheville
