[fintstone]

Originally Posted by jyl

You're describing economic issues broadly faced in similar tertiary cities/large towns and their lower-skill, lower-income residents - all over, not just in NC or even in the US. Hardly unique to Asheville.

As for the person waiting for the road to their home to be rebuilt - that's why they're called "disasters" rather than "inconveniences", I guess?

I get a strong feeling that you have never lived in rural NC or Asheville (as I have).

One would have hoped that things would have improved in the city (and surrounding area) in the last 50 years, but it has not. I have watched with my own two eyes. Things are actually worse. The area is neglected by the Federal and State government. City leaders continue to do stupid things that drive up taxes and then waste them on nonsense. They are only concerned with tourism that lines the pockets of those that buy them. The lack of a middle class or enough industry to have one seems an easy yardstick to measure with. There will never be one without schools or industry.

If the road to Martha's Vineyard was gone...or the one to Beverly Hills...how many years would it take before at least some sort of road was constructed so folks could get to their homes? Surely not the "years" you expect these citizens to wait. A lot of people still lived on dirt roads before this storm...but now there are no roads in some places.