In September 2024, we experienced hurricane Helene. We live in southwestern Virginia in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. To make a long story short, we were not prepared for a hurricane – and being out of electricity, internet, and cell service (the towers were down too), we learned quickly that we were not prepared for an emergency situation.
While we did have resources (access to fresh mountain spring water, firewood, a way to cook outside, food that lasted through most of the week), we still felt heavily under-prepared. This blog is about the shifts we’ve decided to make afterwords, and how we hope to continue to lean into self-sustainability and slow living.
Stillness & Madness: a Fine Line
The first thing you notice when you’re suddenly without power is how maddeningly quiet the world gets. We’re so accustomed to the hum and buzz of electricity – the refrigerator, the water heater, the washer and dryer, the television, the screens, the constant and instant gratification.
When the world suddenly goes quiet – completely quiet – it’s hard to adjust. We have so much filler noise in our lives – from the little blue screens we look at constantly, to the headphones attached to our ears. When it all shuts off, it drives you crazy at first. Then, after about 3 days you begin to enjoy it. Your nervous system settles down into a new rhythm.
It was almost disappointing to go back to the speed of life after a week of truly slow living. Yet it was necessary and welcome once we all had hot showers, fresh food, and clean clothes.
The joy of warm food
In our everyday life, we often disregard or fail to acknowledge the blessings of warm food and drink. You probably wake up in the morning and have a nice cup of hot coffee. At lunch, you might pop something simple in the microwave. At dinner, you use the stove or the oven to make something for you and your family.
But what about when you don’t have something warm to drink or eat for days at a time? Do you know what happens? You begin to sink into sadness. A cold place where hope eludes you and the days drag on.
So, after a couple of days, we started cooking and warming water over a fire outside. It was no easy feat since we were experiencing a hurricane and the aftermath. Our walkway was under about 3 inches of water for the first couple of days after the rain subsided.
Nevertheless, we found and used what wood we could, a camping kettle, and made a makeshift grill out of an old oven rack and some cinder blocks. It may not have been fancy, but it kept us in better spirits. Warm food is good for the soul.
The change that we made after we had this experience was to get a wood burning stove and cast-iron cookware as soon as possible. Both because we could heat the house if it was cold and we were without power and because we could cook on it. Best investment ever!
Regaining our minds
In the week following the hurricane, we enjoyed slow activities. My husband and I would play cards, my kids would read books and do puzzles, and I read some novels on my shelf. We found our minds again – and the ability to be still and content with an activity that took effort or work to partake in.
As I continue to get older, the more I value activities that allow me to find that still mindfulness – like embroidery and puzzles, writing and reading. The effort to do these things is greater than the effort required to scroll on a 6 inch screen and get rewarded with empty brain chemistry.
Some of the non-digital, non-electrical changes we made after Helene included investing in battery operated lanterns, candles, board games, and coloring books for everyone. We also have increased our book collection to satisfy all kinds of adventures.
Food sources
Another way Helene revealed our unpreparedness was the lack of stable food sources. Our refrigerator was quite literally empty at the end of the week – both because we were stuck at home (town was without power for the first few days, too) and because we were trying to use it before it spoiled.
This led us to the uncomfortable truth: we would struggle if something bigger happened or if we had to make it longer than a week at a time. Thus, we have stocked up on more shelf stable foods, and in the spring of 2025, we got chickens. At least we know we’ll have eggs if we feed and care for our little flock of birds.
In the future, I hope to expand our efforts into container vegetable gardening, fruit bushes / mini fruit trees, more chickens or possibly quail, and the ability to can or dehydrate the foods we harvest.
This Year
We have hopes that this year we will be able to find land or a home for sale that makes sense for us and the future we see for our family. However, we will continue to homestead as much as possible at our current home. This year I hope to do more container gardening, get more chickens or get our first 4-10 quail.
What kind of homesteading dreams do you have? Comment below and let us know! If you enjoyed this content, don’t forget to smash that subscribe button and hang out with us again real soon.
Until next time!
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