0:00 Last year at this time, something terrible happened and then something beautiful happened.
0:07 I want to tell you about it.
0:08 On September 27th, 2024, the city where I live, Asheville, North Carolina,
0:15 experienced Hurricane Helen.
0:17 This became one of the worst natural disasters
0:20 that has ever happened in the history of the United States.
0:24 I was lucky that my family and my home were okay.
0:28 But so many thousands of people suffered a lot.
0:32 They lost people they love.
0:34 They lost their homes and they lost their businesses.
0:37 My city is forever changed.
0:39 The mountains around where I live are forever changed by what happened during
0:44 that hurricane.
0:45 But do you want to know something beautiful?
0:48 I believe humans inside,
0:50 we all have a connection that we want to make with each other.
0:54 And this happened in the middle of this tragedy.
0:58 People in the community came together to help each other.
1:01 And guess what?
1:03 So did you.
1:04 I reached out to my students a few days after the hurricane happened,
1:09 and I asked you to help donate to one of the wonderful charities
1:13 that was helping save people's lives in my city.
1:17 This was a fundraiser to help fund helicopters, private helicopters.
1:23 These were just normal citizens who happened to have a helicopter who were going
1:27 into the mountains to save people who were trapped in their homes
1:31 and had no resources,
1:33 no help, and they needed to get out.
1:36 This is a pretty costly thing to do,
1:38 but I asked you to help
1:41 and you did. our community here at Speak English with Vanessa,
1:45 my wonderful students, you donated out of the goodness of your heart $20,000 to
1:53 help pay for fuel to get these helicopters into the mountains to save the
1:58 people in my city.
2:00 You are amazing.
2:01 I was so touched by this
2:03 and I know that the people whose lives were actually saved were beyond touched
2:08 by your donations.
2:10 So, one year later,
2:12 I want to say thank you
2:14 so much for everything
2:16 that you did if you participated in this last year.
2:20 And if you did not participate in that fundraiser last year,
2:24 I have some good news for you.
2:25 But first, let's back up a little.
2:27 If you are new here, hi, I'm Vanessa from speakenglishwithvanessa.com.
2:34 Here on my YouTube channel,
2:35 I teach English learners like you how to speak real daily life English
2:41 so that you can have the confidence
2:42 that you need to go out into the world
2:45 and speak in English
2:46 and connect with other people.
2:48 One of the things
2:49 that my students tell me is
2:50 that they really want to hear more real life conversations
2:55 that are at a level
2:56 that they can understand.
2:58 Maybe for you, you can watch an English movie
3:00 or TV show and understand the general idea,
3:04 but you can't catch every single word without subtitles.
3:07 This is really normal when you're learning another language.
3:11 But how can you get to
3:12 that level where you don't need subtitles to be able to understand a movie?
3:17 Well, you need to hear real life conversations that are more understandable.
3:22 And that's what I like to do here on my YouTube channel
3:26 and also in the course
3:27 that I create every single month,
3:30 the Fearless Fluency Club.
3:32 We feature a new English speaker and you are able to understand,
3:37 immerse yourself in English during that conversation.
3:41 And during our course, I help you to break down the conversation, learning vocabulary,
3:47 grammar, pronunciation, and give you the community
3:51 and the tools to be able to speak yourself
3:54 as well.
3:55 So, today you are going to see a little sneak peek inside the Fearless
4:00 Fluency Club.
4:02 You're going to meet someone who you don't know, but guess what?
4:06 She knows you.
4:08 What is that possible?
4:10 It's true.
4:11 You're going to meet Elsa.
4:13 Elsa has been working for my business, Speak English with Vanessa,
4:18 for the past seven or eight years.
4:22 She has been really, really amazing, working on so many administrative tasks.
4:28 She is incredibly detail-oriented, kind, empathetic,
4:34 and a wonderful part of Speak English with Vanessa.
4:37 So, even though you have not met her before, she knows you.
4:42 And Elsa lives in my city in Asheville, North Carolina.
4:47 She lives in a small town right outside of the city called Swanoa.
4:52 And unfortunately, last year during Hurricane Helen,
4:56 Swaninoa was hit so hard because the river goes directly through the town.
5:02 Parts of Swanoa were completely washed away.
5:06 Thankfully, Elsa and her home were okay,
5:09 but so many of her neighbors were not okay.
5:12 She experienced a lot during that time, helping other people,
5:17 trying to figure out how to create a life amidst everything
5:21 that had been torn up in her small town.
5:25 And that's what we're going to talk about today.
5:27 You're going to meet Elsa.
5:28 We are going to talk about her hurricane experience,
5:33 how in the midst of all of those difficult times,
5:37 she can still create the energy to give back to others.
5:42 And that is something
5:43 that is so beautiful in times of tragedy
5:46 that we can gather our own forces
5:50 and help others when we ourselves are still struggling.
5:54 And maybe that's the best way to heal after all is to connect with
5:58 each other.
5:58 Before you meet Elsa,
6:00 let me tell you the good news that I hinted at before.
6:03 If you join the Fearless Fluency Club between September 25th, 2025 and October 25th,
6:13 2025, Speak English with Vanessa is going to donate 20% of all course revenue
6:21 to the wonderful local charity Beloved.
6:24 Beloved has done wonderful work in Asheville ever since day one
6:29 when the hurricane hit.
6:30 They were out there on the streets giving away supplies, making meals,
6:35 and they are still continuing to help rebuild people's houses absolutely for free.
6:41 And the only way they can do this is through donations.
6:45 So, we want to participate and help them help the local community.
6:50 And if you join the course,
6:51 you are going to be helping my community continue to rebuild day after day.
6:57 Also, when you join the Fearless Fluency Club,
7:00 you are going to get access to our wonderful library of over 47 modules.
7:06 This is over 5 years worth of English lessons.
7:10 You'll meet 47 native English speakers, have weekly live stream lessons with me,
7:17 and access to weekly Zoom calls where other students get together, support each other,
7:23 and speak in English.
7:25 So, if you would like to join the Fearless Fluency Club,
7:28 this is a wonderful month to do it. 20% of your fee will go
7:34 directly to Beloved and help the people in my community.
7:38 Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
7:40 All right, let's go in and meet Elsa and hear about her hurricane experience.
7:46 If you want to dive deep and see many,
7:50 many tragic stories about Hurricane Helen,
7:53 all you need to do is type
7:54 that into the YouTube search bar
7:56 and you can find
7:57 that.
7:58 But I hope what you're about to hear will not only tell about the
8:02 story of the hurricane,
8:03 but also show the hope that when humans care about each other,
8:08 we can really do wonderful things.
8:11 All right, let's go and meet Elsa.
8:13 Hi everyone.
8:15 I am here today with Elsa who works for Speak English with Vanessa helping
8:22 you learn English but also she lives in this town of Asheville,
8:27 North Carolina and we experienced something very big last year around this time
8:34 and I thought we could talk about it.
8:36 Thank you so much.
8:37 >> Thank you so much for having me.
8:38 I'm excited to be with you guys.
8:40 >> Yeah.
8:40 So, first let's do a little introduction.
8:44 What do you do with Speak English with Vanessa?
8:48 >> Yes, that's a great question.
8:49 Um, well, I've been working with Speak English with Vanessa since 2018.
8:54 So, we've been together for going on seven years.
8:56 Um, I do all of the email responses, customer service.
9:00 So, when you guys write emails
9:02 and you have questions about logging in
9:04 or payments,
9:06 um how to use the course,
9:07 I'm the one who's chatting with you usually
9:10 and um kind of helping support people
9:14 if they have questions,
9:15 getting it to the right person,
9:16 helping everything in our day-to-day business lives run smoothly.
9:20 Yeah, I sometimes tell uh tell Dan
9:23 that you often find like mistakes
9:26 that I make and help figure out all the little details
9:29 that I have overlooked
9:31 and how valuable that is.
9:33 So, thank you.
9:33 >> Yeah, of course.
9:34 Well, it takes a village, a community.
9:36 >> Yeah, I think your ability to pay attention to detail is amazing.
9:42 >> Thank you.
9:42 Yes, I'm very much on it.
9:44 Very detail oriented.
9:46 >> Yes.
9:46 Yeah.
9:47 Yeah.
9:47 So, let's rewind the clock a bit >> and go back to September 20th, 22nd,
9:56 23rd, >> okay, >> 2024.
10:00 >> What were you expecting or what were you thinking might happen?
10:05 And maybe a lot of people watching this like don't even know what happened
10:08 yet.
10:08 So, >> we're kind of in the same boat.
10:10 >> Set the scene.
10:11 What What was going on might happen?
10:14 >> Yeah.
10:14 So, we live in the mountains of western North Carolina
10:17 and so we often um we get,
10:21 you know, I would say it's pretty common for us to get rain here.
10:24 We live in like a temperate rainforest, so it's very green.
10:27 We have a lot of plants.
10:28 It rains pretty commonly.
10:30 Um and we >> here's Pippen.
10:38 Um, so about a week before everything happened,
10:44 we had been told that there was a big storm coming,
10:47 that it could potentially be raining a lot here,
10:49 that we maybe would need to just kind of be prepared,
10:53 that we would be getting more um more rain than usual,
10:56 that there might be some flash flooding.
10:58 Yeah, >> we have a lot of rivers in this area
11:00 and it's not uncommon for areas around the river to have some overflow for
11:06 um kind of the Builtmore Village area anywhere along the river to just be
11:09 a little higher than usual.
11:11 >> Yeah, there's like specific places that >> sometimes flood.
11:16 >> Yeah, >> a little bit.
11:17 >> A little.
11:17 Yeah.
11:18 >> Right.
11:18 Like that's not uncommon.
11:19 And so I think um I was expecting okay, you know,
11:23 it's going to be rainy.
11:25 Maybe it won't be fun driving on the highway. might be a good idea
11:38 before um kind of to just cancel my plans for the next day
11:42 and you know do everything from home
11:45 and make sure that I didn't have any groceries to get
11:48 or people to see
11:48 and just kind of transition my plans to be more at home.
11:52 >> Yeah.
11:52 Yeah.
11:52 I feel like we kind of did the same thing. school the day before
11:56 it rained a lot.
11:58 >> Yes, >> there was like another storm
11:59 that came through and Pippen really wants to be part of this conversation.
12:04 >> He's our our um comfort animal right now.
12:06 >> Our emotional support animal.
12:08 Yeah, we need him.
12:09 >> So, I feel like for us it was similar.
12:12 We decided to stay home.
12:16 Also, schools decided the day before there had been
12:19 so much rain on the 26th on Thursday. schools decided to cancel the next
12:24 day,
12:24 which was pretty surprising.
12:25 Like I was pretty surprised about that because usually they might cancel for ice.
12:30 >> Sure.
12:30 But not rain.
12:31 >> For rain.
12:32 Like that's a lot.
12:33 It's like the night before the last second like I think we should probably
12:37 just hold off tomorrow cuz it looks like we might get more rain,
12:40 >> right?
12:40 Like better to be safe than sorry.
12:42 Just kind of being a, you know, a conservative approach,
12:45 wanting to >> um be safe.
12:48 >> Yeah.
12:48 Sorry, Bippen.
12:50 Um, and so I I remember is it should we kind of transition into
12:54 talking about what the the next part brought?
12:57 >> Sure.
12:57 >> I remember people saying, you know,
13:00 fill up pots and pans with water just in case.
13:04 And I remember thinking that seems really extreme.
13:08 I did that and I remember my partner was like,
13:11 I really don't think that's necessary.
13:13 That's honestly a little embarrassing that you're doing that.
13:16 And I was like, man, well, I just, you know,
13:18 just want to be safe.
13:19 So, I filled up some pots
13:21 and pans with water
13:22 and put them on the countertop just to be extra careful.
13:25 >> And then I remember maybe around 5 or 6:00 in the morning,
13:28 it started raining a lot and it was like pouring, torrential downpour.
13:34 >> Did you get woken up by it?
13:35 >> Yes.
13:36 And I remember that morning, my partner works in a hospital,
13:39 and so he had to get up really early and be there,
13:41 I think around 6:00 a.m.
13:43 And he told me by the time he was driving from our home in
13:46 Swanoa,
13:47 east of Asheville down south,
13:50 that the there was already standing water on I40
13:53 and 26 that he was the only car out
13:56 and he was driving through standing water.
13:59 >> That's dangerous.
14:00 >> Yeah.
14:00 >> Wow.
14:01 So he I mean he's working in the hospital.
14:03 He has to go in. hospital doesn't close, you know,
14:06 >> and they probably needed him more than ever.
14:09 >> Absolutely.
14:09 >> That day.
14:10 >> So, when he called you to tell you that, >> what was that like?
14:15 >> Cuz that's already more than what you expected
14:18 that there's standing water on the highway.
14:20 It's not just like here's the river, there's standing water.
14:22 It's there's the highway.
14:23 >> On the highway, right?
14:24 I thought that's weird.
14:26 It usually there's not standing water on the highway.
14:29 That's concerning.
14:30 But I figured, well, it's probably fine.
14:33 Yeah.
14:33 >> Out of sight, out of mind.
14:35 My house was, you know, I was looking outside.
14:38 There was a lot of water rushing in the front yard down this little
14:41 drain that we have.
14:42 So, after an hour or two, it started to clog up.
14:46 And I went out there with a little shovel
14:47 and cleared the leaves out
14:49 and was like,
14:49 "Wow, it's raining a lot."
14:51 And then all of a sudden, I lost power.
14:54 >> And I remember thinking, "Okay, I was still texting a friend.
14:58 Like, there goes the power.
15:00 Haha, I guess I'm not going to be watching Netflix
15:02 or I wish I had a show downloaded
15:04 or something.
15:05 I'm going to go read a book.
15:06 And so >> because usually power is just a couple hours that it's out.
15:10 It's not not too big of a deal.
15:12 >> Not too big of a deal.
15:12 Like what are we going to do without internet in 2024?
15:16 We can't survive.
15:18 >> I mean, it is integral to daily life now.
15:21 >> Right.
15:21 Right.
15:22 >> I remember that day, >> or maybe it was the night before.
15:25 I think it was the night before I saw a message
15:29 that someone who lives over down like Reams Creek Road saying,
15:34 "Oh, my neighbors haven't had power for 24 hours."
15:37 Like they had lost it Thursday morning.
15:40 >> And I remember thinking, "That is so long."
15:44 And I had this little panic of like, "Oh,
15:47 maybe like maybe there's something more."
15:50 >> Yeah.
15:50 >> But it it's probably just an anomaly, right?
15:52 So I I filled up pots and pans, too.
15:54 I think I even filled up our bathtub.
15:56 >> Yeah.
15:56 Right.
15:57 >> And was like, "This is silly, right?"
15:58 Like, "I don't need to do this."
16:00 But that message about not having power for a whole day,
16:04 >> it really surprised me.
16:06 And >> now after the fact, thinking 24 hours, I was so naive.
16:11 >> That was nothing.
16:13 >> Little did we know.
16:14 >> Little did we know.
16:14 Yeah.
16:15 So, at the day of, you're still at home.
16:18 Your partner's off at the hospital.
16:21 >> You can still call, but you had no power.
16:23 Yeah, >> there you are reading a book like old fashion.
16:26 >> Oldfashioned just kind of waiting out the storm.
16:28 I remember the last thing I looked at on the news,
16:30 I was kind of tracking where the hurricane was
16:33 and it said that it was um going due north of some town in
16:38 Georgia and I looked at a map
16:40 and I was like well that's kind of here.
16:42 I was like I don't know how far due north
16:45 but I was like
16:45 that looks like where where I am.
16:47 Don't love to hear that.
16:49 And then I lost cell service.
16:51 So then I no longer had access to the internet
16:55 or any sort of calls,
16:58 couldn't text.
16:59 Um that just dropped, >> cut off from the world.
17:02 Really?
17:03 >> Yeah.
17:03 Right.
17:04 Did that happen up here as well?
17:05 >> Yeah, I remember we Yeah.
17:06 We couldn't call everyone
17:07 and almost instantly you could see like everyone come out of their houses.
17:11 It was like it felt like old-fashioned
17:16 that the only way to get any information was to come out of the
17:19 house,
17:20 but it was raining >> for a while still,
17:22 so it was >> tentative to come outside.
17:25 But >> yeah, that when all that cut off, it felt like >> almost surreal.
17:31 >> Oh, I I can't use my phone, >> right?
17:33 >> Oh, I'm so dependent on this.
17:35 >> Yeah, it felt so restrictive and confusing and odd.
17:38 >> Yeah.
17:38 I don't think I felt panicked yet, though.
17:40 No, me neither.
17:41 >> Like, eh, okay.
17:42 This has never happened for more than like a couple hours.
17:45 >> Sure.
17:45 This is a fluke, maybe.
17:47 >> Yeah.
17:48 >> Yeah.
17:48 And so then after that,
17:50 the the it continued raining I think the entire day pretty much.
17:54 Maybe like part of the day until evening.
17:56 >> Almost the afternoon.
17:57 >> The afternoon here.
17:59 >> Okay.
18:00 Um and I remember going outside
18:02 as well and kind of seeing my neighbors out there.
18:04 There are a lot of kids in my neighborhood
18:05 and so kids were out riding their bikes
18:07 and playing and my neighborhood is up a little bit of a hill.
18:12 So we were really lucky
18:13 that there was no flooding
18:15 or damage in our neighborhood.
18:16 But um we were all sort of just waiting for a day
18:20 or two and then >> I think it was actually probably more like
18:23 that night or that same um within 24 hours some of my neighbors who
18:28 have dump trucks and big pickup trucks drove out
18:31 and realized because we looked down at the end of our street
18:34 and saw people in like wheelchairs rolling down the road like escaping from somewhere.
18:40 people on like crutches
18:42 and people who were obviously in a place
18:44 that they had to escape from walking down the street like at the end
18:48 of the um 70.
18:50 >> And so that sort of I was like that's really odd.
18:52 I saw that there was standing water down there on a road where there's
18:56 never water.
18:56 And so that made me start to think something was wrong.
19:00 >> Yeah.
19:00 >> Um at this point my partner was still at the hospital.
19:03 Hadn't heard from him.
19:04 Maybe like 12 hours had gone by.
19:07 My neighbors were saying, "Oh, it's really, really bad.
19:10 Like, there's a house in the middle of the road on the next street
19:13 over it.
19:14 There was a landslide
19:15 and it just slid out into the street is blocking the road."
19:19 >> But you're still really just in your neighborhood
19:21 because there's no way to know what's happening,
19:23 >> right?
19:24 There's no way to know what what the damage had been except hearing from
19:28 other people.
19:29 And some people who had tried to go out
19:31 and look said that there were power lines down,
19:34 huge trees down in our neighborhood.
19:36 A couple trees fell and blocked the road so no one could get out.
19:39 >> So we had neighborhood um chainsaw crews
19:42 that came and cut the trees down
19:44 and hauled them off.
19:45 And thank God we have people with big dump trucks who do
19:49 that type of work.
19:49 Like we really needed that.
19:51 >> Yeah.
19:51 I feel like America is kind of in a unique position where a lot
19:55 of people do have chainsaws,
19:58 >> right?
19:58 or like you have a neighbor who has some kind of heavy machinery >>
20:03 that can move something
20:04 or help >> in some way during a disaster like
20:09 that.
20:09 >> That's such a good point.
20:10 I hadn't thought about like maybe in a city or a different region,
20:14 a different country, it might be more of a rural thing
20:16 that you're having tools
20:18 that you are used to using on your land.
20:20 >> Yeah.
20:20 And you're just dependent on whatever kind of help outside organizations
20:24 or like the government can give.
20:26 >> Sure.
20:27 Um, yeah.
20:28 So, you were at home, your partner was still gone,
20:31 and it's still Friday the 27th.
20:34 >> Um, what happened at that point?
20:38 Did he come back?
20:40 Did you just hang out there?
20:43 >> Yeah.
20:43 >> Or go see why there's people in wheelchairs going down the street >> where, like,
20:46 what are they escaping from and what's going on?
20:49 And I really was
20:50 so isolated and had no idea really how bad it was for a couple
20:56 days because I just was like,
20:57 I'm going to stay put.
20:58 I don't need to go anywhere.
21:00 It's better to just hunker down and stay safe.
21:03 I've got enough water and food to get through a couple days.
21:06 >> Um but you know, I was thinking, well, we don't have power,
21:08 so all the food is going to go bad.
21:10 Just leave the freezer closed.
21:12 >> Yeah.
21:13 Don't open it.
21:13 >> Don't open it.
21:14 Um but yeah, just kind of chatting with my neighbors
21:17 and hearing some people say,
21:19 "Oh, it's really bad.
21:20 The people on the street over a lot of the homes flooded
21:24 and the river is 20 25 ft above the houses like up past the
21:30 roofs and I just really couldn't conceptualize what
21:33 that meant or what
21:34 that looked like."
21:35 And they said that there were people doing emergency rescues,
21:38 that there were people on top of their houses who had been stranded
21:41 and people who had died.
21:42 And it was really horrific hearing about all of this um kind of hearsay.
21:48 It wasn't that it was a lie.
21:49 It was just I had no idea,
21:50 but a lot of my neighbors were filling me in.
21:53 >> And so at that point, I think I started to realize like, oh,
21:56 this is very serious.
21:58 >> Yeah.
21:58 Like you're in the same part of town.
22:02 Like Swanoa was the word was the name of everything
22:05 that was the most horrific
22:07 and difficult to hear about was like in Swanoa.
22:10 In Swanoa, all that stuff, >> right?
22:12 >> And that was like a couple streets from you, but yet you were spared.
22:17 >> Yes.
22:17 >> And totally isolated like no internet, no cell service, you're cut off.
22:21 How can you know?
22:22 Of course, you can't know.
22:23 But hearing that feels so surreal, >> right?
22:26 >> That that's >> neighbors. to be in the epicenter and to have no idea.
22:32 >> Yeah.
22:32 >> It's it's like you don't know
22:33 if you if that's good
22:35 because it sort of protects you
22:36 or if you wish
22:37 that you had known
22:38 that you were kind of in the eye of the storm.
22:40 >> I think there's a lot of really We can talk about the aftermath later,
22:43 but like a lot of difficult psychological >> Yeah. >> survivors guilt type going on, >> right?
22:49 >> Um Yeah.
22:50 So, did you end up staying at your house?
22:53 Um did your partner have to stay at the hospital cuz roads were flooding?
22:56 Could you even get around?
22:58 I ended up, you know, calling my family.
23:01 I was able to walk to a place down the road
23:03 and get cell service,
23:04 call my family who live about 30 minutes south and they were all okay.
23:09 Um, and then I went to the hospital with my partner one day to
23:13 try to like he has a co-orker who has a a little girl
23:16 and I was going to hang out with her
23:18 and there was not really much to do.
23:19 So, I figured I could babysit and be of help.
23:22 And we left that day.
23:24 Um, and we were at the hospital all night
23:26 and then we drove home
23:27 and all of our neighbors were like packing up their cars
23:30 and fleeing and I saw
23:32 so many people this commotion
23:33 and our neighbor came up to us
23:35 and let us know
23:35 that they had been told
23:36 that the dam,
23:38 the water treatment facility,
23:40 the dam where um
23:41 that our part of town gets drinking water had failed
23:44 and was going to like dump all of the water onto our neighborhood.
23:48 And all of our all of our neighbors were panicking trying to evacuate.
23:53 And at this point, there was no gas either.
23:56 So there was no no places had power.
24:00 No places had gas.
24:01 There was no information.
24:03 We had no idea what was going on.
24:04 There was no water.
24:05 There was no It was just silent.
24:09 I don't know if you remember that eerie feeling of there weren't helicopters.
24:13 There weren't there was no noise.
24:15 >> Yes.
24:15 And you had no idea when anything would change, right?
24:20 >> That >> this could be it.
24:20 I remember I had that feeling on like Saturday like, >> oh my gosh,
24:24 this is like how we die.
24:25 Like there's no water and >> but there's no way to contact.
24:29 There was no thought of like, oh, people are coming in.
24:31 They're going to bring us anyone.
24:32 No one had there was no gas in your car to be able to
24:35 go anywhere.
24:36 Like >> that's a real >> panic feeling.
24:40 Totally.
24:40 >> I'm sure so many people especially like near you were feeling that.
24:44 >> Yeah.
24:45 And so my partner
24:46 and I made a plan like he got in his car,
24:49 I got in mine,
24:49 I threw our dog in the back and I drove so fast,
24:52 please don't turn me in,
24:53 but I was driving way over the speed limit to the hospital.
24:57 That was going to be our meeting point
24:58 and we were going to um
25:00 then we had heard some things about
25:01 that it wasn't a true claim,
25:03 but we couldn't really get we couldn't verify if it was real.
25:07 Um we didn't want to drive home
25:09 and waste the gas
25:10 because we were we had we didn't have a lot.
25:12 Thankfully, I had gone a couple days before just
25:15 because I was like wanting to be safe
25:16 and got gotten gas,
25:18 but he was almost on empty.
25:21 Um and we went to a fire station and they were like,
25:24 "We really can't tell you.
25:25 We don't know.
25:26 Better safe than sorry.
25:27 It's good that you evacuated."
25:29 And um yeah, the damn breaking would have been.
25:32 I mean, we heard after the fact
25:34 if that had broken how >> incredibly disastrous
25:38 that would have been.
25:40 >> Catastrophic.
25:40 >> Yeah.
25:40 I mean, thank goodness that did not happen,
25:42 but I it was maybe good
25:45 that there was some kind of evacuation
25:48 because there was no evacuation warnings ahead of time,
25:50 right?
25:50 None of that the week leading up to it.
25:53 So, saying, "Hey, you should leave."
25:56 >> I mean, some panic moments, but being somewhere else that's safer or calmer.
26:02 >> Yeah, totally.
26:03 >> Be okay.
26:04 >> Of course.
26:05 Yeah.
26:06 So, we ended up going and staying the night down in Hendersonville.
26:09 M >> um and just kind of trying to regroup from there.
26:13 >> Yeah.
26:13 Yeah.
26:13 Try to figure out what is life.
26:15 I remember we went to the hospital on Saturday.
26:20 >> Okay.
26:20 >> Because we heard through word of mouth
26:21 that there was internet at the hospital cuz it was the only place
26:24 that had power.
26:26 >> Yeah.
26:26 >> And nobody was really using a couple neighbors had a generator.
26:31 >> Okay.
26:31 >> But I I don't know.
26:33 The hospital was really like the only place
26:35 that you could get any kind of internet.
26:37 And because of this work, I thought I need to con contact somebody.
26:44 And I know it's only been three days,
26:45 and if I'm not connected with people for 3 days,
26:48 it's not a big deal.
26:49 But >> who knows?
26:50 It felt so endless, right?
26:52 >> So, we went to the hospital, found some very spotty Wi-Fi,
26:56 and I messaged you
26:57 and a couple other people on the team to just say,
27:00 "Here's the situation.
27:02 >> Here's like the three things that need to happen."
27:04 >> Yeah. in the next couple days.
27:07 We're going to try to see if this figures itself out,
27:10 but I have no clue.
27:12 >> Right.
27:12 >> And I was so glad to hear from you.
27:13 I think you had already messaged me at that point.
27:16 >> I think so.
27:16 >> Maybe because you'd been to the hospital with your partner.
27:18 >> Yes, that's right.
27:19 Yeah.
27:19 >> Like, how did Elsa do this?
27:21 >> Yeah.
27:21 >> Even before we got there on Saturday,
27:24 >> but it felt really relieving to know both you and I, we live here.
27:29 We are stuck in this spot.
27:31 Not only in so many ways,
27:33 but with work thinking I can't just drop off the face of the earth,
27:41 >> right, >> at this moment.
27:42 I need things to continue to happen.
27:45 >> And other people on our team were able to just pick it up.
27:50 >> Yeah.
27:50 >> And send the emails when they needed to be sent,
27:52 to help with videos that needed to be published, all that kind of stuff,
27:58 which >> was like one less thing to think about.
28:00 >> Absolutely. that felt like, >> okay, I can just focus on family survival,
28:06 whatever we're doing, >> local kind of getting your bearings in your neighborhood,
28:11 in your state, in your community.
28:13 >> Yeah.
28:13 Yeah.
28:14 So, when you were in Hendersonville,
28:16 um was there any point
28:17 when you felt like I should go home
28:21 or I need to like how long were you living in Hendersonville?
28:24 >> Yeah, that's a good question.
28:25 And so my partner was still going home
28:27 because we had stayed there for a night
28:29 and then we decided,
28:31 >> you know, he wanted to get back
28:32 and just check on things
28:33 and um it was our poor dog is pretty anxious
28:36 and she really doesn't do really well not being at home.
28:40 So we wanted to get her home
28:41 and so he decided he was going to go back home
28:43 and I was going to stay at my mom's cuz he ended up working
28:46 the like two weeks straight.
28:48 And so he took her home
28:50 and spent some time there
28:52 and like helped her get a little more settled
28:54 and and I ended up staying at my mom's um to be closer to
28:58 family cuz I have some older family members.
29:00 I wanted to like make sure that I could do whatever I could,
29:03 >> get them water, get food set up.
29:06 And I ended up staying there for I think a solid week.
29:09 >> Okay.
29:09 >> About a week.
29:10 And it was so helpful to have our team.
29:13 I I want to go back to that too.
29:14 Like I think you're right.
29:15 It's like you think you've got everything down
29:19 and that like everyone does their thing
29:21 and you're doing yours
29:22 and then something like this happens
29:24 and it's very affirming to have each other's backs,
29:27 but also just to remember like the importance of being able to rely on
29:31 each other and to fill in for each other
29:33 when we need that support is >>
29:35 so important.
29:36 >> Yeah.
29:37 Yeah.
29:37 Like when we are going through a crisis to have other people be able
29:41 to step in and help.
29:42 >> Yeah.
29:42 And then if that should happen to somebody else to be able to just
29:48 >> not just continue work
29:49 but hopefully like support each other >> emotionally >>
29:54 and yeah in all the ways needed.
29:56 It was really amazing to see how neighbors banded together.
29:59 I felt like I got to know certain people who had been living in
30:02 my neighborhood since the 60s
30:03 or who had grown up there.
30:05 >> Oh yeah. um sharing food together, saying like,
30:07 "What what thing in your freezer is um thawing at a rate
30:14 that needs to be eaten?
30:15 Like, let's get the grills out."
30:16 And one good thing is
30:17 that I feel like a lot of us have camping gear in this area.
30:19 >> That's true.
30:20 Yeah.
30:20 >> So, we were really camping.
30:21 We had a little propane tank.
30:23 We were cooking.
30:24 We had headlamps, like sleeping bags if we needed it.
30:27 And um my neighbors have a little above ground pool.
30:30 They were giving a lot of the older neighbors water to flush their toilets.
30:34 >> Oh, yeah.
30:34 Because you didn't have any electricity after a week.
30:37 It's not like you went home because you had electricity and water.
30:40 There was no electricity.
30:40 There was no You turn on the faucet and there was nothing.
30:44 >> Nothing.
30:44 >> Flush the toilet, there's nothing.
30:45 >> Nothing.
30:46 Yeah.
30:46 We were going to the bathroom outdoors using our camping skills.
30:50 >> Um but yeah, it was a lot of at
30:54 that point I feel like about after a week there started to be an
30:57 influx of distribution and aid.
30:59 There was like, oh, we had the Chinuk helicopters flying over.
31:02 And that really for me felt like a relief, like someone's coming to help.
31:06 There's water, there's food there.
31:08 There was a lot of um like wellness checking
31:11 that happened once I think people got sell service like,
31:13 "Hey, my parents live up Long Branch Road."
31:16 Or, "Hey, my sister lives over in Black Mountain across this bridge.
31:19 Can someone go?"
31:20 And people took their cars, people took four-wheelers,
31:24 people were taking like off-roading, people were taking helicopters.
31:27 I know that you had a fundraiser for um helicopter searches
31:31 and deliveries to remote areas
31:33 and it was just amazing the way
31:35 that people came together in community to care for each other.
31:38 >> Yeah, I think that was really heartening.
31:41 >> Yeah.
31:41 That there was no organization that was doing that in particular.
31:46 There were organizations doing things
31:47 but just neighbors >> messaging
31:49 and trying to connect
31:51 and help each other.
31:52 And if I know like when we like in our neighborhood, people would say,
31:56 "Oh, I'm going here.
31:57 I hear there's a water distribution site that someone opened up.
32:01 The army came in and they have a bunch of water.
32:03 I'm going to go there cuz I have gas in my car
32:04 and you don't yet.
32:06 So, I'll get you some water.
32:07 What do you need?"
32:08 And just that >> coming out to >> connect and help each other.
32:13 Very >> selfless.
32:14 I feel like there was even more.
32:17 It was very beautiful to see that, but even more beautiful >> when just what,
32:22 one or two months later, it was like election year in the US,
32:26 which is such a dividing time no matter what.
32:28 >> And we live in a pretty divided city.
32:31 I feel like there's a lot on either side.
32:33 A lot in the middle, too.
32:35 But just everybody helping everyone no matter what.
32:37 There's no thought of any of this like media this
32:40 and them and all
32:41 that kind of stuff.
32:42 >> You versus us.
32:43 It was just like us, the community together, >> everybody helping each other.
32:48 I know here we had >> um French Canadian.
32:53 >> Yes.
32:53 >> Ottawa linemen.
32:55 >> Yes.
32:55 >> Fixing our power lines.
32:57 >> Amazing.
32:58 I remember hearing that everywhere.
33:00 >> People coming in like utility trucks from all over the country,
33:03 from outside of the country, from you know, Canadians coming.
33:06 That was amazing feeling.
33:07 I felt so supported and cared for.
33:09 I remember seeing signs that were just like, "Thank you for helping us."
33:13 And I think I started to cry.
33:14 Well, I was crying a lot during that time,
33:16 but just feeling the support of other people knowing I did a volunteer water
33:21 distribution one day at um Asheville High
33:23 and it was a lot of guys from Buffalo who came down
33:26 and they go to natural disaster sites
33:29 and they this was their job.
33:30 They kind of post up in schools
33:32 and create like food
33:34 and water like are they RME ready the ready to eat meals?
33:42 No, >> maybe something like that.
33:43 The the food that kind of like >> army meals.
33:46 >> Army meals.
33:47 You can eat it in any condition.
33:48 You don't need refrigeration.
33:49 I think it even has its own little >> cooking thing
33:52 which could be dangerous depending.
33:55 >> Um but yeah, then I think it was about two weeks,
34:00 two full weeks that we didn't have power, maybe even longer.
34:03 And then it was almost a month, three weeks that we didn't have water.
34:06 So that was um a long time to not have water.
34:10 >> Yeah.
34:10 What was that like >> in Swanoa for food?
34:13 I feel like there was a lot of things like that happening.
34:17 >> Yeah, you're right.
34:18 I think there there was um you know we I think we both volunteered
34:21 at Blunt Pretzels doing like chopping veggies
34:24 and like I did a lot of cleanup at the end of the night
34:27 and they had so many people were suddenly homeless. they were sleeping in tents
34:31 or they didn't even have a tent
34:33 and so they were cooking three meals a day for people for I think
34:36 they just stopped doing
34:38 that like >> the goal was a year to do it for a whole
34:40 year.
34:40 >> Yes.
34:41 Right.
34:41 And so um volunteering with them
34:44 and seeing that people were really using it was I think affirming for them
34:48 like there's such a need.
34:49 This isn't just oh we we did it and nobody wants it.
34:52 Yeah.
34:52 Um, and then Bounty
34:53 and Soul is another amazing organization
34:55 that I've volunteered with pre
34:57 and post hurricane,
34:58 but they moved a lot of their um,
35:01 a lot of their markets to the Swanoa Black Mountain area
35:04 and have really focused on the areas
35:06 that were hit the hardest.
35:07 And I've been volunteering at the Latino market.
35:09 So, it's like a lot of Spanish speaking community members there um, get,
35:14 you know, produce and all sorts of pantry staples and um,
35:18 it's an amazing place to feed the community.
35:21 And so I feel like people have really seen
35:23 that there's such a need
35:24 and people are excited to volunteer.
35:26 Like that that seems to be that beauty you were talking about.
35:29 People are like excited to to do
35:31 that and get involved just
35:32 because it feels nice.
35:34 >> Yeah.
35:34 I I think for me when I went to Blunt Pretzels,
35:38 >> I have never felt
35:39 that kind of atmosphere before of like >> we were just chopping potatoes.
35:44 We were chopping whatever, putting together stuff and everyone was like,
35:47 "We cut the whole box of potatoes.
35:49 All right, let's go.
35:50 We got another round.
35:51 All right, there's people coming in 30 minutes.
35:53 Let's make this.
35:53 How great.
35:54 Like everyone was so positive.
35:56 And like if you're working in a restaurant, people aren't doing that.
35:59 They're just like >> so everyone was so grateful to be there.
36:03 >> And I think a lot of people were kind of like me
36:06 or you who felt extremely lucky.
36:09 >> We were spared in so many ways.
36:12 And there I felt a lot of guilt about that.
36:14 Like something I had Yeah.
36:15 I never experienced that before.
36:17 But physically and I was like wasn't going crazy about it,
36:21 but I was feeling just like
36:23 so overwhelmed by that feeling of guilt
36:26 that I thought like I need to just I need to do something hands-on.
36:30 Like my couple hours is not going to change the world,
36:33 but it might help me in kind of
36:35 that selfish like giving back to me kind of way.
36:39 >> And holy cow, it totally >> fit the bill. like being there for
36:44 a couple hours,
36:44 I came home so rejuvenated
36:46 and like >> I'm like I see what other people are doing
36:49 and that it's this community effort
36:50 and I'm like it's just me a couple hours chopping vegetables.
36:53 I want to save the world.
36:54 I want to save everybody.
36:55 But seeing like >> just this little effort when everybody does it, >> right,
37:01 >> is so powerful.
37:04 >> Yeah.
37:04 I felt like after that I was like, well,
37:05 if whenever I'm done teaching English someday, like I would love >> to do that.
37:12 I know like World Central Kitchen was like a big >> yes >> player
37:16 in helping feed a lot of places around here.
37:19 Um during that time, I was like, whoa,
37:21 what if that was like all the time
37:23 and you go to like disaster zones
37:24 and you're helping people
37:25 and everyone's so positive helping each other in this like tragedy.
37:29 >> I don't know.
37:29 I felt so invigorating.
37:31 It's also our community, right?
37:33 It's maybe a different feeling,
37:34 but >> but it is such an interesting experience to have to feel
37:38 that energy is so different than talking about it.
37:40 It's like nothing I've experienced to like tell someone what it's like to live
37:45 through a natural disaster.
37:46 You just can't understand until it happens.
37:48 And like you said,
37:49 we are so lucky and have so much to be grateful for.
37:52 And it's it's an electric feeling of banding together, of doing something,
37:58 transmuting this crisis, and really leveraging our grief and turning it into action.
38:03 And it >> Yeah.
38:04 >> Like you said, it may not be something transformative for a couple hours,
38:09 but it's like not only does it feel good for you,
38:11 if everybody does it, it compounds.
38:13 And I took that experience away as like small is all.
38:17 And it's like if we apply that to life,
38:20 >> it doesn't have to be some huge thing that we fix a system.
38:23 Like we can't do that in a lot of ways,
38:25 but if we start with our neighbors
38:27 and if we start with our communities
38:28 and if we start with each other,
38:30 like I really do I'm like holding hope that that makes a difference.
38:34 >> Yeah.
38:35 Starting with who you can affect and what you can do.
38:38 >> And when other people do that too,
38:41 >> it just comes together as something so powerful.
38:44 >> Yeah.
38:44 Yeah, >> I remember one time we went for a hike.
38:47 We wanted to visit the hike that we almost always go to.
38:50 That hike was blocked off.
38:51 We couldn't go there anymore,
38:53 >> but there was a nearby hike and there was just two dudes with chainsaws,
38:58 >> cutting trees, making way for this trail
39:01 that like is not the world's most important trail,
39:04 but they felt >> like they wanted to help make some bit of normality,
39:09 >> put together this trail that they cared about it.
39:12 And yeah, it felt in the scheme of things, this is so simple.
39:15 It's just a small thing, but it means so much, right?
39:19 And everyone doing things together, these little small actions can have a big effect.
39:24 And like something about that, about doing something that you don't have to do,
39:28 that you're not getting paid to do
39:29 that maybe you just want to do
39:31 because it feels good
39:33 or you know that it will have a positive.
39:35 Like I love to let someone out in traffic when I'm driving of like,
39:39 "Oh, you go ahead
39:40 because I see you're trying to turn
39:41 and that looks really complicated
39:43 and I love when I see not just
39:44 that it has a positive chain,
39:46 like another person would be like, "Okay." to the next person.
39:49 It seems so simple,
39:50 but the fact that you were able to hike on a trail
39:52 that it was passable
39:54 that like there's so >>
39:56 that that feels so important.
39:57 >> Yeah. especially after you've gone through this upheaval.
40:01 Having any little bit of normality >> is yeah really important
40:06 and it's amazing it's been a year.
40:09 It feels like so much normality has come back especially to this area like
40:13 we're not living in >> like Boone
40:15 or Spruce Pine or places
40:17 that are really changed forever.
40:20 >> Forever.
40:20 Um, but it is I don't know if you felt this,
40:24 like just driving around occasionally there's places like we go to the nature center.
40:28 Yeah.
40:30 >> Often >> and the main bridge to go over to the nature center
40:33 is cut in half
40:34 and I they'll never they're never going to fix
40:35 that.
40:35 Like there's not and >> they've built another road that Yeah.
40:40 But just that as a stark reminder, >> wow, >> that is a thing that happened.
40:46 >> And it's very jarring >> to kind of see
40:50 that in your just live my daily life,
40:52 taking my kids to the nature.
40:53 Oh my.
40:54 It just brings back >> totally >> all of those feelings.
40:58 >> Yeah.
40:59 That's something you don't >> hear about stuff in the news. you don't think about.
41:03 >> Mhm.
41:03 >> Oh, those people are going to be reminded of this >> a year
41:07 later >> that it's like grief is going to have a an imprint on
41:11 your life and that it's not going to maybe ever go away.
41:14 Like it will be altered.
41:16 Your perception of the loss will be >> different for your for your the
41:21 trajectory of your life.
41:23 >> Yeah.
41:23 Yeah.
41:24 Well, thank you for this conversation.
41:26 >> This has been great.
41:27 >> The reflecting is so emotional still.
41:30 >> Yeah. been a year, but goodness,
41:34 >> there's still a lot to process
41:35 and I'm so glad
41:36 that we're able to
41:37 that we're that we're all okay.
41:38 We're so lucky and I'm really grateful to be part of this team
41:43 and get to support this awesome community,
41:45 but also to get to chat about this
41:48 and talk with you what it was like.
41:50 >> Yeah, I'm so glad you are okay physically
41:54 and now getting there emotionally
41:56 and yeah,
41:57 just willing to share your story.
41:58 It helps students also who have experienced whether it's a natural disaster
42:03 or just grief and crisis in general >> hear how other people >> go
42:08 through things.
42:09 >> Absolutely.
42:09 >> That we're all connected in some way.
42:11 >> Bonded through that.
42:12 >> Yeah.
42:13 Yeah.
42:13 So, thanks so much.
42:15 >> Absolutely.
42:15 >> Thanks everyone for watching.
42:16 >> Thanks for watching.
42:17 Take care, guys.
42:19 Bye.
42:19 Well, thank you so much for joining us
42:21 as we talked about this really difficult topic of the hurricane Helen
42:27 that hit my city in Asheville,
42:29 North Carolina last year, September 2024.
42:34 If you want to continue improving your English
42:37 and also give back to help the people in my community continue to rebuild
42:42 after this tragedy,
42:44 you can join the Fearless Fluency Club.
42:48 In the Fearless Fluency Club, you will immerse yourself in real English.
42:54 You'll meet 47 native English speakers.
42:57 You'll also have weekly live stream lessons with me
43:01 and you'll have weekly Zoom calls with other English students
43:05 so that you can support yourself
43:07 and continue to improve your English conversation skills.
43:10 If you join between September 25th, 2025 and October 25th, 2025,
43:18 we are going to be donating 20% of all course revenue,
43:23 including if you are a past member and you are continuing your subscription.
43:27 You are also participating in this fundraiser.
43:30 We are going to donate 20% of all revenue for the Fearless Fluency Club
43:35 to the wonderful charity Beloved.
43:38 They're doing incredible work in my city,
43:41 helping to rebuild people's lives out of the goodness of their hearts.
43:46 This is an incredible charity that's doing great work,
43:48 and you can be a part of it
43:49 as well by simply joining the Fearless Fluency Club,
43:53 two for one, English, and helping people who really need it.
43:57 You can join the Fearless Fluency Club
43:59 and also participate in this fundraiser by clicking on the link in the description
44:04 for the Fearless Fluency Club.
44:06 Join today.
44:07 I can't wait to help you improve your English
44:09 and continue to improve my city
44:11 as well.
44:12 Well, thank you so much for learning English with me
44:14 and I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my
44:18 YouTube channel.
44:19 Bye.
44:24 >> Hey, how you doing?
44:25 My name is Poncho Vermejo.
44:27 I'm one of the co-directors of Bill Asheville.
44:30 Usually people ask us what Bill Asheville it is
44:33 and I always say
44:34 then this is a nonprofit.
44:36 It's a collective of people in care.
44:38 So we are many many people in care
44:40 and act uh for the common good of our community.
44:44 Yesterday we went to Sanaoa and we was able to connect with different people.
44:48 We are renovating houses there.
44:49 Rebuilding houses.
44:51 We haven't see a lot of pain.
44:52 We have a lot we haven't see a lot of trauma.
44:54 A lot of people they not even want to live here no more.
44:57 People are scared of trees
44:58 because many trees probably thousands of trees fells in houses in cars.
45:03 So many people are with this trauma too.
45:05 that seen me many people dead flowing in the river too.
45:09 So we haven't seen a lot of pain
45:11 and we haven't seen a lot of destruction only I can tell you
45:13 then we are seeing to
45:15 that we are walking right now in the reconstruction with many people
45:18 and it's coming together like I say we are collective of people in care
45:21 and we have been see many people in care around the country people in
45:25 from New York having came people from from Ohio people from Chicago people from
45:29 Texas are coming together to came here with all the force to rebuild this
45:34 community people usually talk about who is not here like they say oh you
45:38 know this this institution is not here.
45:40 This organization is not here.
45:41 I'm not worried about who who is not here.
45:43 I'm worried about who is here.
45:44 Then is the people in the community
45:45 and the power of all these people
45:47 and is coming from all these different places to do it to not wait
45:50 for nobody because we believe
45:51 that we are the people
45:52 that we was waiting for
45:53 and because the reason we are not waiting for nobody.
45:56 >> But wait, do you want more?
45:58 I recommend watching this video next where I walk around my old neighborhood near
46:04 downtown Asheville and talk to you about what I see along the way.
46:08 This is a great way to immerse yourself in real life English
46:11 and also see a new place
46:14 that maybe you'd be interested in visiting someday.
