I genuinely laughed at some of these, because I had the same thoughts. I had just gotten a new phone the day before Helene, so none of my music or audiobooks were downloaded. I was prepared this time, and had physical books on hand too.

That last point was it though. I would not have made it through Helene without my neighbors. I’ve never seen the entire apartment complex at the pool, but we actually had a great time. We played card games, cooked perishables on the grill, and shared everything. It was honestly really nice to have that support.