The lessons trace back to the storm's aftermath, when volunteers grabbed chainsaws to clear fallen trees and reopen roads that Helene had blocked. That steady hum and roar became a reassuring sound in a region where much of the area had no way in or out. According to reporting from Blue Ridge Public Radio's Laura Hackett, folks in the area are now picking up those same skills themselves, aiming to be ready if another disaster hits.
Knowing how to run a chainsaw isn't just a hobby anymore. It's a way to make sure the next storm doesn't leave people waiting on outside help to cut a path back to their own street. Volunteers filled that gap two years ago, and now residents want the know-how to do it themselves.
The shift says something about how disaster changes what people think they need to know. A tool that once belonged mostly to loggers and landscapers has become, for parts of western North Carolina, something closer to a basic survival skill.
Two years after Helene, the chainsaw has become a kind of insurance policy nobody wants to need again.