This edition of the Grounded Gazette is shorter and less polished than usual, by necessity. Our focus right now is preparation.
As of Saturday afternoon (the time of this writing), we are actively preparing for Winter Storm Fern, which may already be impacting parts of our region by the time this edition reaches your inbox on Sunday. This is a fast moving and evolving situation, and conditions may change significantly between writing and publication.
We have been in communication with Henderson County Emergency Management and are also on standby with the State Emergency Operations Center should assistance be requested. Our teams are monitoring conditions closely and are ready to pivot as needed.
Grounded Boots Relief currently has off road capable and inclement weather vehicles staged and ready, if not already deployed. We are prepared to assist with delivery of resources, meals, equipment, medications, and other critical needs as conditions allow. At the same time, we are preparing sawyers and chainsaw crews to respond safely once conditions permit access.
From the desk of Meteorologist Jackie:
"Anything over 0.25 inches has the ability to bring down power lines and trees. It’s confusing math, but it can add hundreds to thousands of pounds to a tree. For example 0.5 inches of ice on power lines is about 500 pounds. It’s about 56 lbs per cubic foot, whereas snow weighs about 12 lbs. I know one of the numbers going around right now is 0.5 inches of ice in a 30 foot wide tree is about 7,000 lbs. A lot of the trees in the NC area are weekend from the Helene which means they wouldn’t be able to hold as much weight as they once could. If these numbers pan out, meaning over 0.5 inches especially since the south does not have the same infrastructure to handle large accumulations of ice, it can be pretty extensive for falling trees and power lines, paired with the frigid temperatures and continued refreezing, it can delay the return of power and cleared roads. The temperatures are remaining below/hovering near freezing until mid-week, so expecting some places to remain without power until then."
This is exactly the type of scenario our Crisis Response program exists to support. Preparation, coordination, and timing matter as much as boots on the ground.
If you would like to support our Crisis Response efforts as we prepare to respond to events like this, you can visit
groundedbootsrelief.org/donate to contribute. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit
groundedbootsrelief.org/volunteer and sign up for the Crisis Response program. Skills, equipment, experience, and strong backs all make a difference.
We will continue to share updates as conditions develop.
