Some of the most remarkable things about living in today’s world are the constant demonstrations of the power — and limitations — of technology. I remember when Hurricane Irene hit the Wyoming Valley. The downtown area was evacuated, and the Times Leader newsroom packed its bags and relocated to a hotel on higher ground. We were struggling with connectivity and bandwidth issues — sending a newspaper to press requires a lot of very large files, but we realized we could use a (at the time) new technology, 4G tethering, to both cover the flood and get the paper out. Verizon supplied us with air cards, and we were off to the races.
Years later, I was stuck in Central America when Hurricane Nate made landfall. I was able to use that same technology to write a story for the Times Leader and get pictures out while horizontal rain and wind were pummeling the area I was staying. Later, I worked from abroad until things improved enough that I was able to leave. Local communities also helped coordinate relief efforts via WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages.
When Helene went on its rampage inland, I was forcibly reminded of both events – and areas where we still have to rely on old-fashioned methods to improve things. In 2024, when mobile high speed is almost ubiquitous, even in fairly bad conditions, we can still generally get ahold of someone immediately — until power fails for long enough that the batteries and generators driving cell towers fail and infrastructure gets washed away. In Western North Carolina and Tennessee, and other parts of the country badly impacted by Helene, a lot of people are still just getting back in touch with family members and loved ones by gathering at community landmarks. Pack mules are ferrying supplies into remote mountain towns as they did in centuries past. Neighbors are helping each other clear debris, clean up and rebuild.
All of the modern technology in the world can’t instantly replace destroyed roads, move supplies in the kinds of volumes needed for large-scale relief, stop flood waters from once-in-a-century floods that now seem to happen every few years, or calm hurricane-force winds.
At the same time, people are also using Facebook groups, Reddit community pages, and other forms of social media to share news and information, locate friends, and find out where they can find power, shelter and services. We know, in a general sense, when these events will happen and what might happen if a river reaches a certain level (although a river gauge is only as good as its maximum level — I recall in Irene seeing the reported Susquehanna River level stay unnaturally flat as it reached it’s supposed crest, only to later learn that the gauge wasn’t designed to read levels that high). We can warn people to get out of the way.
People seem to have a sense of invincibility when they’re sitting at home with the lights on and their phone charged; at the end of the day, though, once the power goes out and there’s no signal, people in 2024 are just as vulnerable as they are in 1824. If the authorities advise you to take precautions or leave, and you can, you should.
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