As your Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, Grounded Boots Relief was recently invited to a landmark conference on weather and landslides. The focus was on how storms shape the land beneath our feet and what that means for the safety of communities like ours.

This was the first conference of its kind since 2011, held on the beautiful campus of UNC Asheville. Scientists, geologists, emergency managers, and field leaders came together with one goal: to better understand how rainfall translates into landslides, and how those slides change the way we respond. Words like “debris flow” and “deposits” became common language in the sessions, as experts shared the latest research and emerging technologies. Most of these advances are still measured on a small scale, but they are being added to a growing database that will eventually be made public, likely saving lives.

Many of the images were of the scars left by Hurricane Helene. Scientists documented over 2,000 landslides from that single storm before stopping the count. Not because they have all been tallied, but because the devastation was so widespread that tallying them all became unfeasible. Geologists concur that the real number is certainly in the thousands more. Just the thought of thousands of separate landslides caused by one storm is staggering.

Among those slides, the deadliest took 13 lives in Craigtown, North Carolina, including 11 members of the same family. Numbers alone don’t capture the weight of that tragedy. Every landslide is not just a geological event, but a human one. Image courtesy of USGS.gov

A point frequently emphasized: when landslides cover roadways, the instinct is to clear them quickly. Yet in many cases, the debris on the road is actually the foundation of the landslide itself. Remove it too soon, and the slope may fail again, potentially even more dangerously than before.

The rule of thumb: five inches of rain creates heightened risk. Ten inches or more, and widespread landslides become likely. During Helene, parts of Western North Carolina saw in excess of 30 inches in just 24 hours. That level of rainfall was catastrophic, fueling slides across entire counties.

The mountains, a place that many consider refuge, can turn into a frightening, unstable landscape when storms linger too long.

If you live in a landslide-prone area, the time to make a plan is now- before the skies open. Decide now where you’ll go if the forecast calls for heavy rain. By the time you see or hear a landslide, it’s often already too late to move.

The science is advancing, the warnings are improving, and Grounded Boots Relief is committed to bringing this knowledge to the public. Because when the ground itself starts to move, preparation is the only safety net.

This past week, we had the privilege of joining the Blue Ridge Amateur Radio Club for their monthly meeting. We were invited to introduce Grounded Boots Relief and share how our mission connects with theirs. Just as important, we listened and learned the history of the Bearwallow Mountain site where their HAM repeaters operate. Image courtesy of BRARC

During Hurricane Helene, when so many other systems failed, HAM radio stayed online. Cell towers collapsed under the strain. VIPER, the police communications system, was disrupted. HAM radio continued to carry traffic, keeping vital information moving when outside communication was otherwise cut off.

This reliability is the reason we are investing in HAM as part of our communication backbone. Disaster response does not wait for perfect conditions. When every other system goes dark, HAM keeps talking. It is not always a wall of blinking lights or a dedicated room of equipment. In many cases it is a handheld unit that looks like an everyday walkie-talkie, yet with the ability to connect communities and responders across entire regions.

That mobility and resilience will serve us well in the field. It means we can coordinate during deployments, relay intel back to staging areas, and connect with other organizations even when infrastructure is gone.

This is only the beginning of how we will integrate HAM into our work. We will have more to share in a future edition of the Gazette. For now, we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from BRARC and to strengthen our foundation in a technology that has already proven itself when it mattered most.

The First Amateur Radio License Act
In 1912, the Radio Act required amateur operators to get licensed, making ham radio one of the first hobbies regulated by federal law. Applicants had to pass a written electronics exam and a Morse code test before joining the ranks.
Source: mit.edu

I am always grateful when Grounded Boots Relief is invited to events, especially when I am asked to speak on behalf of the organization. Every invitation is a chance to build awareness of what we do, why we do it, and how others can play a role in keeping communities safer. That visibility matters. It shows that the work we are building together has real weight and opens the door to future opportunities to serve.

If you belong to a group that might be able to support Grounded Boots Relief, whether by volunteering, donating, or simply sharing our story, I would encourage you to reach out. Every new connection is another way to strengthen the foundation we are building.

Now, as “spooky season” arrives, some of my evenings are once again spent leading Haunts of Hendo, my ghost tour business here in Hendersonville. Consider this a shameless plug. Whether you come as a believer, a skeptic, or just someone looking for a unique night out, I’ve designed the tour to be equal parts history, macabre storytelling, and good old-fashioned goosebumps. While Grounded Boots Relief has been my focus for the last 11 months, the ghost tours are still what keep the lights on at home. So if you are looking for a way to support me personally, as well as get a taste of Hendersonville’s haunted side, I’d love to see you on a tour.

Thank you for continuing to stand with Grounded Boots Relief. Whether in daylight or by lantern light, the work goes on.