These are the mountain people.
We are Appalachia.
For a long time, the media and the world has had a negative view of Appalachia and the people that live here. The stereotypes reach back before the 1960's. Churches and school teachers came into the region to "save" and civilize the people. The world discovered Appalachia and the media made Appalachia look like a place set back in time.
Maybe it was. Family, community and God has been at the center of the world in Appalachia. For a long time, there were no phones and there was a lack of education. However, the people of Appalachia were not ignorant. The media began to portray a certain type of mountain people far from the truth and unflattering.
Appalachian people were lazy, moonshine making and drinking, child bearing, ignorant, violent people. They walked around drunk without shoes. All the women did was quilt and have babies. Men couldn't work because they were always too drunk to function. Or, they were criminals.
For years, this stereotype has followed the people of Appalachia around. Until now.
Over the past week, I have watched a place I love dearly burn. Eleven people dead. Over 80 people being treated for injuries. Seven hundred structures burned. Over 17,000 acres of land burned and destroyed. The mountains, the wildlife, the people damaged and hurting. People's hearts broken. Devastation filled the mountains.
Yet, they didn't lay down and cry about it. The people rolled up their sleeves, answered the call and went to work. Firefighters worked 36 hours, with no sleep, to battle the raging fires. Rescue teams, which eventually turned into recovery teams, worked for nearly three days seeking out survivors.
People who had lost everything, gave what they had to help others. The Red Cross came in, opening shelters and doing what they can to help these people. The mayor, the fire chief, the FBI, the ATF all remain hopeful.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge was a place you never forgot. The mountains outline the sky perfectly, as if it was their purpose. If you looked close enough from your cabin deck, you could see deer and other wildlife roaming about. There were shopping malls and dinner theaters and Christmas lights during the holidays. This place became a home before the time you left.
Suddenly, it was burning. Those who had been there felt it to their core. Then, the local media began to tell stories of survival and stories of grief. A son could do nothing as the phone went dead as his mother called him, frantic about the fire outside. Alice Hagler didn't make it. Three young men all being treated for critical burns at Vanderbilt lost their parents to the fire when they were separated fleeing the fire. As I'm typing this, there are eight other victims who have not yet been identified.
While there are stories of loss, there are stories of survival. There was the couple who ran through the flames with their dogs because they couldn't leave their pets behind. The man said he just knew they weren't going to survive when a woman he described as an angel, showed up with wet towels and got them to safety. There was the woman who thought for sure she was dead, and she would have been if it had not been for a mother and daughter who went back into the hotel to recover art supplies they left behind. There was the woman in the wheelchair who did nothing but pray to God for her safety and as the fire roared outside her home, it took a different path and her house was saved. There was the mother who said she didn't own a single piece of silverware, but she was lucky because her family was safe. There was the elderly couple who lost everything and the woman remembered though the fire might have taken their house, it will never take the memories.
For the first time I can remember, God has been mentioned more in the news during this natural disaster than ever before. The fire seemed to take everything from these people except for their faith and hope in God. If we're being honest, a lot of the stories we have been hearing are nothing short of miracles. People continue to pray and continue to believe God will carry them through.
Although, no one could have denied his presence in this place. It was evident in the burnt Bible page found at Dollywood by one of the workers. Included is a picture of the page and the verses it contained. In case you can't read it, the verses are found in Joel 1:18-20. It was a mirror image of what happened here and it reads: "How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness."
Our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers are still with the people of East Tennessee. They are with those still waiting for news on their loved ones, still waiting to find out if they are dead or alive. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost everything and will have to start over. We are thankful for all the efforts to help. From Dolly Parton all the way down to the Rapid Relief Teams, we are grateful. We are thankful. You are doing more than you will ever know.
Something important I have come to realize during this, is the major news networks haven't covered a lot of the story and it's okay. There has been no looting. There has been no protesting. There has been no race issue, and the few tweets that came out aren't even worth dealing with. Instead, the people of Appalachia have prayed and gone to work.
Gatlinburg will rebuild.
Pigeon Forge will rebuild.
The mountain people are working and they will not stop until God's land is beautiful again. So, next time you start to buy into the stereotype of Appalachia, remember this tragedy. Remember the way the people didn't lie down and fuss but stood up and went to work without a second thought.
We are strong.
We are resilient.
We believe in God and because of our faith, nothing is impossible or out of reach.
