As this issue was preparing for production, Hurricane Helene was ravaging its way up the Southeast section of the United States. After the storm lost its hurricane status, high winds and torrential rains turned areas of Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas into flood zones reminiscent of the Midwest in 1993. Creeks and rivers broke through dams to disastrous effect and as I type this, the horrifying news of a rising death toll breaks our hearts in this nation.
By the time this issue reaches readers’ mailboxes, search and rescue efforts will have revealed final numbers of lives lost. Dollar figures will be assigned to the natural disaster and contractors will be working to restore roadways, bridges, interstates, water systems and other infrastructure.
You might be wondering what that has to do with the November “Big Paving Issue” of the magazine. First, we have an article detailing the completion of the I-40 widening near Raleigh, North Carolina, which can now facilitate movement of emergency needs to the western part of the state. We also have positivity to be thankful for amid the tragedy.
Here in the state of Florida, while certainly not unaffected by the storm, we had enough warning to prepare facilities to come back online quickly while distributing aid with Operation Blue Ridge. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) provided 7,500 feet of temporary bridges and a convoy of staff and equipment, and the Florida National Guard was deployed to help the North Carolina National Guard with search and rescue, along with many other resources, detailed in this article.
We are fortunate to have one another in times such as these.
Also, by the time this issue reaches readers’ mailboxes, we’ll be well into autumn and preparing for a tumultuous election cycle’s result. This November, when we typically ask one another what we’re thankful for, you might be feeling overwhelmed by current events.
As cliché as this sounds, I invite you to count this industry of resilient and caring workers among your blessings. More than emergency workers appeared when Americans needed rescue from roofs while flood waters from a failed dam rushed by. Neighbors and private pilots manned their fishing boats, private helicopters and drones to assist. And transportation officials alongside contractors arrived with equipment to clear roadways for responders to access dangerous areas.
The task of rebuilding will now fall to the contractors who helped build this nation in the first place. We are fortunate to have resilient and competent contractors around us in times such as these. And that’s something I’m thankful for.
My prayers are focused on the recovery and safety of everyone affected by the recent storm and my gratitude is extended to all the individuals who have boots on the ground—and in the air—to assist. I’m thankful for the asphalt industry and its members who build and maintain the services we use daily. And I’m thankful for the agencies and engineers who design the structures that will, one of these days, restore some semblance of normalcy for the souls impacted that deadly weekend in September.
Stay Safe,
Sandy Lender