Well, we’re getting reports out of western North Carolina of the destruction across that region because of hurricane Helene. I am talking with Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler now, and Commissioner I know you have flown over the area this morning. What have you seen?

“Around anything that flows water, there is mass destruction. And, you know, we’ve been familiar with hurricanes in eastern North Carolina, but this is different, to kind of put it in perspective. It’s the damage. It looks more like tornadoes. I mean, it’s utter water flow, utter devastation. Buildings are gone. We’ve lost a lot of lives so far. So it is totally devastating for ag up here, the only really good farmland there is in the mountains is of course the river bottom. So that’s what forged away. Is pitiful, and apple trees that have been there for a long time blown out of the ground. So we got a lot of pieces to pick up to get these people back on their feet, and it’s not going to be an overnight thing. This is a marathon.”

Let’s start off with talking about just the roadways up there. I mean, there are many major thoroughfares that simply don’t exist anymore. Is that right?

“That’s true, too. And mudslides and landslides and then was washed out, and communication is very, very spotty. They are working to restore power. But, you know, just to kind of put it in perspective, I talked to a friend of mine, I guess it was Saturday, and said he went to the grocery store to get a few groceries, and the line was horrific, about an hour and a half long. And if you did not have cash, you couldn’t buy anything because there was no internet. So then you went to the gas station to get gas, same thing, and then you go to get cash, and the machines don’t work, so it’s that difficult, and the need is going to be great.”