Good Morning Reader,

The second I opened this blank screen, I started to cry. I don't know where or how to start. Although trivial, please excuse any typos. We are exhausted and not the best version of ourselves.

First, I want to say how sorry I am for the people, businesses, and homes lost to Helene as well as to those currently displaced. Entire small towns washed away. Our death toll rises every day. Communication is still tough for many without access to cell and Wi-Fi. It's all much worse than you see on the news. It truly is. We have no timeline for when water will be restored, which is what most need to safely return and operate what remains standing.

I am going to keep this short, for now, but I wanted to accomplish two things.

Tom and I Are Safe

1. To tell you that Tom and I are OK (and the cats). I have not been able to respond to what has become 1,000's of messages. I'm so sorry. Thank you for caring about us. We were reported missing, and the Register of Deeds/County has volunteers tracking down loved ones; they even called us. We had no access to cellular or Wi-Fi no matter how hard we tried in those first few days. We were on our own, completely off the grid - but not as long as others. Our house is still standing. We lost power, running water, cell/WiFi/etc.

I'll tell you more of our story another time, though. We were lucky and are currently grieving all the loss. We went to bed and woke up to a new, devastated Asheville. We are shook. What has happened is unfathomable in the NC mountains.

I also hope our South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia neighbors and friends are OK.

While day-to-day life is incredibly difficult right now, Tom and I have what we need. Our FEMA application was approved within 24 hours, but we need to navigate that still. Thank you to the countless uncorked "strangers" and readers who offered us everything they have, even if we stubbornly decline. Others truly need it more, at this time. With that said...

How To Help Asheville: Where To Donate & Resources

2. These are few places, local and national, where you can donate along with other helpful resources:

BeLoved Asheville

Homeward Bound WNC

MANNA FoodBank

Food Connection

World Central Kitchen

Western North Carolina | North Carolina | Red Cross

Crowd Sourced Asheville Flood Relief Resources For Helene

Hearts With Hands - Disaster Relief | Asheville, NC

Home | disasterassistance.gov

For Asheville Updates: Follow Uncorked Asheville On Facebook

For now, I’m posting updates, resources, news, etc. to our Uncorked Asheville Facebook page as things change daily and even hourly. Information is quite time-sensitive, and I don’t have enough consistent or guaranteed access to cell service/WiFi. I also cannot fact check every piece in person (I try my best), and at the end of the day, I am not the local news. We are a personal travel blog/online travel publication. We will try our best to provide accurate information and help you where we can with what we know.

Travel To Parts Of Western North Carolina (WNC) Is Not Currently Advised Per The Governor

Travel to much of WNC is not currently advised. Asheville has a curfew, etc. - but I won't get more into that. The county, firefighters, and police are posting this information. If you have a specific question, look to a county's Facebook page first, if you have access. You may email me, but I may not have an answer or be able to respond.

Be safe. Be smart. We all have to survive too.

Asheville is not a vacation spot right now, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is also fully closed as of October 3, as posted on the NPS website.

Uncorked Asheville Moving Forward

You will find this statement across our website:

"Due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, travel is currently not advised across Western North Carolina. Many of the places on this website are temporarily closed or no longer exist. As Western North Carolina works to recover and rebuild, we will do our best to update information on this website as it becomes available. We love and are here for you Asheville. Christine & Tom"

Uncorked Asheville will still be here. When I can, I will update the website. I will add resources too.

My website expenses are high (think hosting, insurance, tech support, accounting, taxes, newsletter, etc), and my full-time income disappeared overnight. My family has its own personal struggles right now. We will fight through this and be OK. We will help when and where we can. As always, you can leave us a tip here (I promise, this is secure, and you will get a receipt). My business Venmo is @uncorkedasheville. All money goes back into the website expenses. However, we encourage you to donate above to local organizations, first and foremost.

My Ulcerative Colitis/Health Update...

I have my regular, upcoming GI infusion in Greenville, SC to keep my ulcerative colitis in check - many have been asking. I can safely get there, when the time comes. My Greenville office will not let me go down.

Health-wise, I am not in remission yet but am doing OK - which was also still terrifying when we didn't have any cell or SOS services - and my intestines and stomach are hanging on by a thread. Food and water were scarce for a bit. Stress and exhaustion don't help inflammation. We've all seen better days.

Thankfully, my Greenville gastro doctor and Teladoc Health doctors are filling any and all of my prescriptions outside of Asheville since I cannot reach my Asheville doctors/my pharmacy is closed. I now have all the medications I need.

Stay safe. To our neighbors, friends, and businesses, you are not forgotten, and we will not let the world forget us. This will be a long recovery process. Please be kind.

I'll be back with newsletters and info. Thank you, all.