In the Appalachian Mountains, hurricanes are a distant threat. Appalachia is primarily landlocked, and its member states of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Georgia often have other pressing issues to deal with.
In the minds of everyday Appalachians and politicians alike, issues like rampant poverty, school systems that are not supplied and inadequate healthcare solutions are at the top of a long list of problems to be addressed. Record floodwaters, stranded constituents, and how the hell to get into Asheville are issues that seem straight out of a dystopian sci-fi movie — not a record of the past weekend’s events.
I’m a proud Appalachian born and raised in Cocke County, Tennessee. Last Friday, I watched from my apartment in South Knoxville as my hometown of Newport was evacuated and effectively drowned by the waters of the Pigeon River.
Cocke County’s mayor had one message for the residents of downtown Newport — get out. Within an hour, the place I called home my whole life was water-logged. Everything from homes to businesses was ruined.
Facebook became one large cry for help. Families were stuck on their roofs, loved ones were missing and houses were simply gone. Newport was destroyed in less time than it takes for a UT Tuesday/Thursday class to end.
And my town’s tragedy is just one of a dozen similar stories unfolding throughout Appalachia.
Yes, we will rebuild. As I write, the people of Newport and Appalachia are coming together in a way I haven’t seen during my 21 years of living. But all of this has highlighted a much larger issue in my eyes.
In many places on social media, the dehumanization of Appalachians is happening on an unprecedented scale. These people — my people — are not an enemy. They’re old couples who can’t drive and have no family. They’re low-income families who struggle to make ends meet as is.
They are our neighbors. We have far more in common with any of them than with the billionaires who were quick to condemn the region on social media.
Many people have — and will continue to — chalk Appalachia and its people up as a lost cause. But it’s so much more than meets the eye. It’s sitting on the porch breaking beans with your parents, learning how to make your grandmother’s secret biscuit recipes and bringing your neighbors a homemade pie when they’re going through hard times.
It’s small things like climbing the trees in the mountains, picking up frogs from the creek and chasing chickens around the yard.
It’s big things like being amiable to the world around you, caring for your neighbor and loving one another deeply.
Appalachia is not a lost cause — it is a kind place where taking care of one another trumps all. We cannot do this alone. If you can, check in on friends in the area, donate to the hurricane relief or simply share Appalachians’ stories.
We will no longer be overlooked. And we will never truly sink.
Maddie Williams is a senior at UT this year studying psychology and public relations. She can be reached at [email protected].
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
