BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.—Robert Chessick knows about nature’s power, having survived his fair share of tropical downpours and winter ice storms.
He says that prayer, buckets to collect rainwater, and a borrowed gasoline-powered generator helped him get through Hurricane Helene in late September.
“I was kind of prepared,” Chessick said.
Two weeks after the hurricane, Chessick, 74, known as Rabbit to his neighbors, wore a new pair of Carharrt overalls from Amazon. He spoke calmly and thoughtfully about what it was like to survive a monster storm like Helene.
“You go through it and try to check all the boxes. Then, you go through the could have, should have, would have [scenarios]. I should have had more gas. It’s all relative.”…