I’m still reflecting on everything that has happened in the past few weeks, and the word that keeps seeming to sum it all up is perseverance. When the hurricane was still a few days out, everyone had to choose to stay or go. I believe somewhere between 10-20% of people stayed. One of the cool things I saw happening was that people who decided to leave shared their food and water with those who weren’t evacuating and made special efforts to take care of and check in on their community.
MusicMedic Headquarters ended up becoming a gathering space and we camped out and weathered the storm there. The hurricane raged over Wilmington for more than 24 hours before moving on. The winds howled and rained seemed to find its way into every dwelling in town.
After the hurricane, everyone who stayed was part of a new family because we had survived together. This community immediately went to work, too. Brave people were going out and moving trees and logs from the road, picking up, helping reunite lost pets with their owners, helping patch broken windows and holes in roofs.
Then the convoys started coming through. The power, phone, and cable workers passed through while the rains still fell, immediately getting to work on a very daunting task. I personally got to thank many of these fine folks who got the power back on in just a matter of days for most folks.
Once the power was back on at MusicMedic, our little crew who had stayed brought in all our extra supplies and we started filling orders as fast as we could. Jeff was the first one back, and in those first few days, he even ran the entire business off his phone. Everyone pulled together, and the comradery made it better and made it fun.
Finally, as the floodwaters receded, everyone who had evacuated was able to return home. It was a difficult trip for some due to road closures, making the trip back home took multiple days in some cases.
Now everyone is safely home, the internet is back on, we’ve received deliveries, the post offices are open and functioning, and many roads are passable, I’m happy to say everyone is working hard to get backorders our and instruments fixed! I love my MusicMedic family and my Wilmington community, and while there are challenges to living in a coastal area, it’s a beautiful place with spirited people, and I’m proud to call it home.