WEAVERVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The town of Weaverville is about 15 minutes north of downtown Asheville, but is just as powerless as the rest of the region in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. However, small pockets of the town are cause to smile.
One of these is Taurus WiFi, a traveling wireless connection company. They had a station set up in the parking lot of Weaverville United Methodist Church.
“We do wireless infrastructure for temporary events, where for a fair or a festival,” said Taurus owner Alex Jeffrey. “We can do it anywhere, sometimes in the middle of nowhere.”
While Main Street Weaverville would not normally be considered the middle of nowhere, special times call for special measures. Jeffrey had friends in the Weaverville community and sought to provide power to those who could not travel to the larger Internet hubs in Asheville.
“Everyone should be able to call and tell someone where they are,” Jeffrey told a curious bystander.
A small group of Weaverville residents huddled around the Taurus table, which Jeffrey strategically placed in the open church parking lot to capitalize on the slow speed limit in town.
“We probably max at 50 to 60 customers,” Jeffrey said. “We’ll be here in the 3 to 4 p.m. range at least for tomorrow.”
The wireless signal is powered by a battery that Jeffrey said can last at least a few hours a day. While he could not guarantee he would be there every day, he is trying to show up as much as he can for the community while power is out.
Further down Main Street, the Weaverville Public Library had a message scrawled on the sidewalk and a cardboard sign for passerby.
“STORY TIME at the library steps,” the sign advertised. “12pm noon.”
The sign invited parents, kids, teachers and anyone else in the mood for a story to bring their books and come together “hopefully until school opens!”
Taped to the library railing, a more mysterious benevolent message was posted.
“Go to the small alley way and clame [sic] your prize,” the paper read in a messy scrawl. “Behind Well Bread [sic] and on merchants alley an orange bag will be there, only tak [sic] one please!”
Sure enough, in front of the doors for Lion Dog Lounge, three large water containers and a bag of oranges lay ready for anyone to take from.
“Clean Drinking Water. Take only what you need,” the sign instructed. “Return empty jugs and clip them in. We will refill them.”
There was a clip on the table ready for the empty water containers.
The sign also informed its discoverers that they could bring their own containers for water distribution at North Windy Ridge Intermediate School, 20 Doan Rd., Weaverville, NC.
Around the corner, at the Weaverville United Methodist Church Fellowship Center, a food pantry was set up. Its coffers were filled with granola bars, canned goods, water and Gatorade, as well as two containers for gasoline.
In the darkness, literal and emotional, that Hurricane Helene was brought on Western North Carolina, Weaverville is a bright spot.
