When the Lights Went Out: Anchor Moms Reflect on Helene

Summary

Podcast Summary: "When the Lights Went Out: Anchor Moms Reflect on Helene"

Introduction

In the poignant episode titled "When the Lights Went Out: Anchor Moms Reflect on Helene," Off the Radar, hosted by National Weather Desk Meteorologist Emily Gracey, delves into the harrowing experiences of two local news anchors, Katie Killen and Karen Zakalak. Released on May 6, 2025, this episode honors Mother's Day by exploring the dual roles of these journalists as both reporters and mothers during the catastrophic Hurricane Helene.

Personal Experiences During Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in September, bringing unprecedented devastation far inland. Unlike typical hurricanes, Helene transformed into a catastrophic flood event, causing widespread infrastructure failure and isolating entire communities. Katie Killen and Karen Zakalak, seasoned reporters for WLO West and Asheville, found themselves directly affected as the storm obliterated the power grid and communication networks.

Katie shared a terrifying incident:

"[14:26] Karen Zakalak: So we weren't inside. My husband were actually. We were out of town for our 10th anniversary and our daughter was staying with a friend in a different part of town. And we had a house sitter staying at our house to take care of our pets."

"Katie Killen: ...a tree fell on our house. It was almost apocalyptic... we had to take back roads and got back into town, only to find our kitchen destroyed and our house partially submerged."

Managing Professional and Parental Roles

As Helene intensified, Katie and Karen were not only covering the disaster but also grappling with their own crises. Karen recalled the emotional toll:

"[18:28] Karen Zakalak: ...I got to get home to my kids. And he said, I don't think you can make it."

Balancing their responsibilities as news anchors and parents, they were thrust into a relentless news cycle while their families faced the storm's immediate dangers. Karen described the tense atmosphere in the studio:

"[18:41] Katie Killen: ...on air for like eight hours straight that morning, and we finally kind of switched people out and I just started crying... I had to try to get to my exit."

Impact on Family Life and Children

The hurricane had profound effects on their families. Katie's daughter, River, experienced trauma when she broke her arm shortly after the storm:

"[26:30] Katie Killen: ...river broke her arm. We ended up in the emergency room on that Sunday... it was terrifying."

Karen emphasized the challenges of explaining the disaster to young children:

"[30:31] Karen Zakalak: ...trying to explain to them that we're safe, it's going to be okay. But also we're like, are we okay?"

Despite the chaos, the experience fostered resilience in both mothers and children. Katie reflected:

"[02:06] Katie Killen: I think it's definitely made us more resilient. It's just funny what your kids can kind of teach you as well... it's made me a different person and a better person."

Community Response and Resilience

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene saw communities banding together in extraordinary ways. With traditional communication channels down, radio stations became lifelines, providing essential information and support:

"[20:17] Katie Killen: ...the radio stations really stepped up. They just went wall to wall coverage. People would call in, they would say they were missing people, about where people could get supplies and water."

Karen highlighted the resurgence of neighborly interactions:

"[43:08] Karen Zakalak: ...neighbors and communities and families took care of each other in those first couple of days. It was really powerful."

Lessons Learned and Advice

Reflecting on their ordeal, Katie and Karen offer valuable advice for disaster preparedness:

• Have a Plan: Ensure that families have a clear emergency plan, including meeting points if separated.
• Stock Essentials: Keep a supply of non-perishable food, bottled water, and essential supplies like batteries and headlamps.
• Stay Informed: Utilize weather radios and other reliable sources to receive timely updates.
• Community Support: Foster strong neighborhood ties to enhance collective resilience during crises.

Katie advised:

"[34:01] Katie Killen: ...have a plan. Like where would your family meet if you emergency and you get separated."

Karen added:

"[34:33] Katie Killen: ...we leave headlamps in our car and our consoles. It's just something to think about so that when this sort of thing does happen, you're not scrambling."

Conclusion

The episode poignantly captures the intersection of professional duty and personal struggle during a natural disaster. Katie Killen and Karen Zakalak's experiences during Hurricane Helene underscore the importance of preparedness, community support, and the resilience of families facing unprecedented challenges. Their reflections not only honor the strength of motherhood but also provide essential insights for listeners on navigating and surviving such catastrophic events.

Notable Quotes

• Karen Zakalak [00:49]: "I mean, I couldn't get ahold of my husband to know if my family was okay. And I just started crying."
• Katie Killen [02:06]: "I think it's definitely made us more resilient... made me a different person and a better person."
• Katie Killen [14:26]: "A tree fell on our house. It was almost apocalyptic."
• Karen Zakalak [18:28]: "I got to get home to my kids. And he said, I don't think you can make it."
• Karen Zakalak [30:31]: "We're safe, it's going to be okay. But also we're like, are we okay?"
• Katie Killen [34:01]: "Have a plan. Like where would your family meet if you emergency and you get separated."

---

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key themes and personal narratives from the episode, providing listeners with a detailed understanding of Katie and Karen's experiences during Hurricane Helene.

Transcript

[Emily Gracey]

When Hurricane Helene made landfall last September, few expected the level of devastation it would bring to people living hundreds of miles from the coastline. As the impacts intensified over western North Carolina, two local news anchors found themselves in an unexpected position.

[Karen Zakalak]

And I'm Karen Zachlach. We have live team coverage this morning to keep you up to date on exactly what's happening as this storm approaches the mountains.

[Katie Killen]

Road closures just rolling into our inbox one after the other. It's a developing situation. I'm going to say it one more time. If you don't have to go out here this morning, don't do it.

[Emily Gracey]

Katie Killen and Karen Zakalak had reported on severe weather many times before. But this time was different. As the power grid failed and communication networks went down, they weren't just covering the news as anchors or reporters. They were experiencing it in real time as parents.

[Karen Zakalak]

I mean, I couldn't get ahold of my husband to know if my family was okay. And I just started crying. And I remember turning to one of my managers and saying, I got to get home to my kids. And he said, I don't think you can make it.

[Emily Gracey]

Katie and Karen found themselves living in a never ending news cycle. During the day, they were reporting on the tragic loss of life. At night, they tried to comfort and entertain their children in the dark.

[Karen Zakalak]

It's something that I never thought I would live through and have to help my children navigate through.

[Emily Gracey]

With roads impassable and uncertainty mounting, their thoughts turned to the same concern every parent has during a crisis. How do we keep our children safe when the systems we rely on are suddenly gone?

[Karen Zakalak]

You know, you don't want to hide it from your children, but you also don't want to alarm them. So trying to explain to them that we're safe, it's going to be okay. But also we're like, are we okay? You know, how is this going to play out?

[Emily Gracey]

In honor of Mother's Day, we are going off the radar with the hosts of the Anchor Moms podcast to hear what happens when journalists become part of the story they're covering. They'll share what they learned as reporters and as parents trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for their kids as they went through weeks without power and water and how the experience reshaped their perspective on motherhood.

[Katie Killen]

I think it's definitely made us more resilient. It's just funny what your kids can kind of teach you as well, right? Like, I think it's made me a different person and a better person. And I think it's definitely built some resilience in her.

[Emily Gracey]

Meteorologist Emily Gracey. And you're listening to off the Radar, a production of the National Weather Desk. On the show, we dig deep into topics about weather, climate, the ocean, space, and much more. Our goal is to help you better understand the weather and to love it as much as we do. Last September, Hurricane Helene slammed into the southeastern United States. But few places were hit as devastatingly as western North Carolina. Asheville and the surrounding areas were particularly hard hit west. What many expected to be just another storm became a catastrophic flood event that killed over 100 people and cut off entire communities from the outside world, something that rarely happens in modern day America. Roads washed away, bridges collapsed, entire neighborhoods were submerged, water systems failed, cell phone towers were destroyed, and communities were literally stranded as landslides buried mountain roads. It's like traveling back in time, knowing about the conveniences of modern life that we've come to rely on, but suddenly finding yourself living in an era before cel and Internet connection. Today, I'm joined by Katie and Karen, two television news anchors and the hosts of the podcast Anchor Moms. As media professionals, they reported on the disaster even as their own families were in the midst of the crisis. With no electricity, limited water, and children depending on them, they navigated both their professional duties and their most important role, being mothers. In our conversation today, they'll share their firsthand experiences of preparing and not being prepared for weeks without basic services. They'll talk about the difficult choices they had to make, the lessons they learned, and how surviving Hurricane Helene transformed their approach to motherhood. So happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. And join us as we go off the radar with two remarkable women who weather the storm in more ways than one.

[Unknown Host]

Karen Zakalak and Katie Killen. Thank you so much for coming on today, guys. This is a little different. Normally we kind of talk to scientists and dig into, you know, why things happen, but I love getting the human touch, too. And in honor of Mother's Day, I really want to talk to both of you about an experience that you went through less than a year ago now. And we're coming up on hurricane season again. So I think it's really good to touch upon this. I think who better to get that information from than two people who lived it and two people who lived it with their kids? So thank you so much for coming on today to talk about this. I want to get a little overview of both of you, too, because you're anchor moms, so we know the podcast or at least I do. I'm going to hear more about that in a second. But I want to know what you do for WLO west and Asheville, too.

[Katie Killen]

I am the morning co anchor. I've been here. I've been here in Asheville, like, on and off for 15 years. I've worn every hat. I have done traffic, I reported, I worked night side, day side. I was in a bureau, and now I'm the. Now I anchor the morning Shack.

[Unknown Host]

Awesome. And Karen.

[Karen Zakalak]

And I am an investigative reporter here. I started on the morning show, so Katie and I worked together on the morning show for a while and then moved dayside and now I do investigative work and we also co host the anchorman's podcast, awesome.

[Unknown Host]

Which, you know, is such a fun podcast for anybody who hasn't heard it. Go take a listen to it. There's some great episodes from the past, too. Can you give me a brief overview of kind of what you discuss on the podcast?

[Karen Zakalak]

Ooh, what don't we discuss on the podcast? We kind of just talk about all of the ups and downs and in betweens of being working moms in 2025. And we were pregnant together with our babies, who are now six, which is crazy. And that's when we started the podcast was when we came back from maternity leave and just couldn't stop talking about everything, how we're juggling being moms and working in TV news.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah, I think that's a pretty good synopsis.

[Emily Gracey]

Yeah, that's madness.

[Unknown Host]

As somebody who did it for a long time, too.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And Karen, you have a lot of kids, right?

[Karen Zakalak]

I do. I. Yes, we have four kids. My husband the other day texted me, I think we had too many kids. And I texted back, I think he might be right. Yeah, correct. Correct. Of course, we love them all, but it is a very, very crazy, crazy world in our house, so.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah, but it's fun.

[Unknown Host]

I am one of four, so I can relate. Katie, what about you?

[Katie Killen]

So I have one, she's six. And I think that's what's fun about the podcast and that's what's been fun about our friendship, is that Karen always has all the answers because she's been through it all. There's nothing that you can't bounce off her. And she won't have a good suggestion.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right. I don't know if it's always the correct answer, but I can tell you what we've tried and maybe has or hasn't worked for us. Ooh. It is a lot of just, you know, throwing a Dart at the board. Right. And see what sticks when you're a mom.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Emily Gracey]

And it's so fun because your podcast.

[Unknown Host]

I think, really resonates with people, but also because you can tell by listening that you two are really good friends.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

I'm not making that up. Right?

[Katie Killen]

You're not making it up.

[Karen Zakalak]

No. We hang out together a lot. At one point, I feel like we were realizing that we were maybe together more than we were with our husband. Right. Yeah, It's. It's a lot since we work together and we hang out outside of work. And it's really fun, too, because we kind of had a revelation sort of recently that our daughters, who are the same age, are really good friends.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah. They like each other, too. Like, at force, we start to sort of force the issue at first.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right.

[Katie Killen]

Like you're like, come on. You know, like you guys are.

[Karen Zakalak]

We're friends. Yeah.

[Katie Killen]

Come on, let's do it. But now I think organically, they really do love AR friends, which is a huge win for us.

[Emily Gracey]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, that worked out cool.

[Karen Zakalak]

Okay.

[Unknown Host]

So back in September, I mean, there isn't anybody in the country who has not heard of Hurricane Helene. It was devastating to the area that you two live in, and also very unusual because it was inland. You guys live hundreds of miles from the coastline. So moving to Asheville, did you ever think that you were going to be dealing with a hurricane?

[Katie Killen]

No, no. It wasn't even part of. You know, there's some things that you think of being here in the mountains, but a hurricane and in an emergency situation. No, no.

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah. Never would have ever crossed. I don't think anyone's minds, I mean, in there, you know, I think some people might not realize there had been flooding before in this area. In some sections of town, and different communities often are prone to flooding. There was a tropical storm, Fred, you know, several years ago that did do some extensive flood flooding in one particular area. But this, I think what was so unbelievable about Helene was that it was so unbelievably widespread. I mean, it just felt like the damage, the damage and the destruction and where the storm touched was so far reaching. I mean, so many small little pockets, little communities, but also entire bigger towns. Swannanoa, Marshall, parts of Asheville, North Asheville, you know, Hendersonville, Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, Lake, Lure. It was so many different people and communities were impacted by this. Yeah.

[Katie Killen]

I mean, you know, when we're here in the mountains, we think about. We're preparing for snowstorms. Occasionally we have a tornado in some of our southern counties. But I mean right up until it happened, I don't think anybody saw it coming. You know, we had been warned. We had gotten a lot, a lot of rain in the days before the hurricane moved through and our meteorologists had been warning us. But I just don't, I don't know that anybody anticipated just how impactful it would be.

[Karen Zakalak]

I think that even, even our meteorologists knew it was going to be bad and catastrophic, but they couldn't have even predicted just how terrible it was going to be. And I think one of the biggest things was the loss of infrastructure right away. I mean we, I don't think people realize the interstates in three directions were washed out. We had no water, we had no cell service for weeks. We had no, I mean it was just, you know, there. The, the, our Asheville water system, I mean was. The actual plants were gone. Failed. Yeah, I mean it, it was, it was so beyond just some flooding and some trees down. It was a really pretty felt desperate situation, especially for that first week or so.

[Unknown Host]

So in the days leading up to you said that you kind of had an idea that there was going to be an event in that time period, like two, three days. Were you able to prepare at all? What, what did you do during that time? Or were you so caught up with having to do work because TV station. How did you prepare your family for this?

[Karen Zakalak]

So I think that we talked about.

[Katie Killen]

Cleaning out gutters if that makes sense. I. A tree fell on my house and I will tell you, there's just really no way to prepare for a tree hitting your house.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right.

[Katie Killen]

So we got a lot, a lot of rain and then the hurricane rolled through on Friday morning and that brought wind and so it. A lot of the ground was already saturated, so a lot of trees came down in addition to the rivers flooding. So I think that a lot of people did things like we think about when we get high wind events or rain events like put away your patio furniture, clean out your gutters. What we probably should have been doing, and I'll be honest with you, is stocking up on non perishable food and water and having, you know, you've seen those like battery packs where you can charge your cell phone. Some of the stuff we just couldn't. You know, you can't prepare for not having Internet for days on end. It forced a lot of people to get Starlink, believe it or not, which is a satellite Internet system. Now people are better prepared here in western North Carolina that they than they were beforehand.

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah, but I Don't. To your point, I don't think anyone was ready for what hit. I don't think people were prepared for exactly what was going to happen and how serious it was going to be. In hindsight now when you ask the question, it is kind of like, oh, why didn't we think more about these things? I do think also literally no one thought it could hit this bad in this area, this again, this far inland in the mountains. I just think it was something, you know, they call these 100 year floods. And I think it really was an unprecedented, historic. And not to sound cliche, but that's the type of storm it was. And I just don't think we could have really prepared for it.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah, but I think people are better prepared for it now. I'll be honest with you. We still have water stocked up in our basement.

[Karen Zakalak]

Same.

[Katie Killen]

Like I said, people in our neighborhood have now switched how they're getting their Internet. People are testing their water because they're still concerned about contamination. I think people. It's changed people here in western North Carolina.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Tell me what it was like personally in each of your homes.

[Emily Gracey]

You know, Katie, you said a tree.

[Unknown Host]

Fell on your house. Were you inside? How did that happen?

[Katie Killen]

So we weren't inside. My husband were actually. We were out of town for our 10th anniversary and our daughter was staying with a friend in a different part of town. And we had a house sitter staying at our house to take care of our pets. And right before, you know, cell service, right before she left cell service, she called me. We were in upstate New York and said like, screaming that a tree fell on our house. And of course you're like, you don't know what that means, Right? Like, okay, so a window got knocked out, a gutter fell down, or, you know, total, total destruction.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right.

[Katie Killen]

So we got in the car, tried to get a flight back to Asheville, couldn't. And so then we miraculously, like, took back roads and got back into town and the tree had to.

[Karen Zakalak]

You flew into Atlanta and then drove. Right. And then.

[Katie Killen]

And then had to drive in.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right.

[Katie Killen]

We tried to fly back into Asheville, but of course there were no flights in or out, so. And then when we got home, we realized our whole kitchen was destroyed and most of the back half of our house. And like I said, on top of that, your friends and family who are, who don't live here are trying to get a hold of you, but you have no cell phone service.

[Karen Zakalak]

So it was, it was a really hard couple of days.

[Katie Killen]

I don't it's almost. Sometimes I don't even know how to describe it, and I don't know how we got through it.

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah, you know, you. So because Katie was off, I was filling in for her on the morning show and she texted me on the desk and I saw it saying, oh my gosh, a tree just fell on my house. What's going on there? You know, and this was early in the morning and it was very odd to be anchoring during this time because we knew it was bad. But the report, you know, for the first couple of hours, we had reporters out live who we were concerned about. I mean, they were moving locations. You could see the flooding in the background. And, you know, we wanted to make sure they were safe. And at the same time, we're doing phoners from emergency personnel, you know, who are calling in saying, everyone stay home. Please don't be out on in this. It's, it's, it's bad. And for a while it felt like we didn't really know how bad it. It was. Right. I remember asking, do you know, do we know how, how many, how much damage are people injured? Like, what, what, what's going on out there? Because you were a little bit in a bubble in the studio. And for a while, I don't think they had a very good grasp of just how widespread the damage was. And then as the morning started to wear on, it became really clear that there was a lot of human loss, a lot of buildings and homes and roads, and it really turned into a really scary situation. And on top of that, I mean, I think the, the heart, one of the hardest parts was just no communication. I mean, I couldn't get ahold of my husband to know if we were, if my family was okay. You know, Katie was trying to get ahold of her daughter who was at another house. She couldn't get ahold of that family. I mean, it was just. You couldn't check on people. It's hard to describe. It was very, very scary day.

[Katie Killen]

You know, when we pulled back into town, it was like a love. So that storm came through on a Friday morning. We came back into town at like Friday at 11 o'clock. It was almost apocalyptic. There were people. Lines for people in trying to get gas, because of course that was, that was another thing, right, is that people were worried about running out of gas or not be like trying to get out of town. There were ambulances trying to get into the gas stations there. You know, all the electricity was out. It was like you couldn't believe it happened. You couldn't. Those first couple of days, it was like you were in a bad movie and you kept. You had to pinch yourself just to. Just to make sure that you were really here and this was all really happening in Asheville.

[Unknown Host]

Karen. I was talking to Jason Boyer about trying to get into work that day and his whole story of like, chainsaw, like, cutting down trees to get through on the roadway. So what was your ride home like when you're in this point where you didn't know what your kids were doing or how they were trying to get to them?

[Karen Zakalak]

It was crazy. I remember saying. I mean, I think we were on air for like eight hours straight that morning, and we finally kind of switched people out and I just, was. Just started crying. I mean, I knew it was just such a terrible situation. And I remember turning to one of my managers and saying, I got to get home to my kids. And he said, I don't think you can make it. I don't.

[Katie Killen]

I don't.

[Karen Zakalak]

I don't think you can get there. And I said, well, I gotta try, you know, I gotta. What? I can't just sit here. And so I started driving. There is no one on the interstate, and there are so many trees down on the interstate that you're literally weaving in and out of trees that have fallen. You know, trees aren't right along the interstate, right?

[Katie Killen]

They're pretty far off.

[Karen Zakalak]

And they were just crisscrossed all along. I. I made it all the way and I remember thinking, if I can just get to my exit, I live close enough that I could walk, you know, I could. If I can get off the exit, I can leave my car and just walk to my house. And I managed to get, you know, I was driving underneath trees that were being held up by power lines, and it was crazy. But I got to my street and ran inside the house and, you know, my family was fine. It was, it was unbelievable because, you know, they didn't. They lost power. Everybody lost power, I think at around 4 that morning. And, I mean, my husband knew there was a storm outside, but of course had no idea how bad it was. And he was like. I was like, oh, my gosh, everybody's okay. I love you all. You know, very emotional scene. And he's like, oh, we're good. We've just been, you know, playing Barbies and trucks and, you know, there is a bad out there. You know, he's like, is my 3:00 going to be canceled? I was like, yeah, I think so. You know, like He, I mean, you just didn't know. And even we didn't really know how bad the rest of western North Carolina was.

[Katie Killen]

They were still looking. You know, people were missing and they were still looking.

[Karen Zakalak]

And I mean, unless we went into the studio, into work and had Internet and email and social media access, you're totally in the dark. I mean, we were just living in this weird. The whole weekend of our neighborhood and talking to people.

[Katie Killen]

And the radio stations here did a really good job. It was sort of everybody's point of contact because, you know, this is the truth. Not a lot of people could watch. You know, you could stream us if you had Internet, but not a lot of people could watch us on TV because they didn't have power. So the radio stations really stepped up. They just went wall to wall coverage. And people would call in, they would say they were, you know, about missing people, about where people could get supplies and water. That was a huge lifeline for people. Which is funny, in 2025, you don't necessarily think that that is going to be such a thing.

[Karen Zakalak]

But I mean, we like dug out one of our kids old, like CD players that had like a radio setting and they're like, what is this we're listening to? You know, and that's how, like, I remember several neighbors were all at our house huddled around our kid radio trying to figure out what the next steps were. And I think, you know, like I said, I think being cut off geographically, I mean, supplies took days to get in. It was, it was just a very bizarre and scary time.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

So in those days following, because, you know, the hurricane center talks a lot about deaths in hurricanes and when they happen, and most of them don't happen in the initial onset of a hurricane making landfall, they happen in the days following because of power loss. So I'm curious about those days following. How long were you out of power? What did you do during those times, you know, going back and forth to work. How did you manage? Like that week after the storm?

[Katie Killen]

So the station runs on a generator, so it was the only place where we could shower. We have a shower here. So in terms of employees here, like friends and family, a lot of people came here and used the station. Some producers spent the night here. We had some producers whose, whose houses were. They couldn't go home. So that is what we did for showers. And food. I think some of the managers left town to bring back food. We will occasionally still get. There is a system in place that counts the hurricane deaths and we will occasionally. It hasn't happened super recently, but I would say in the last couple of weeks, we will get. And they count this as a hurricane death. Somebody who was cutting down tree branches or cutting down trees or trying to clear debris off their roof and they fall and die. And that is considered a hurricane Helene death because, of course, that contributed to the hurricane, you know, contributed to their death. They wouldn't have been up there doing that. You're exactly right. There were people on oxygen who, you know, couldn't use their oxygen. There were people who died of hypothermia hype, you know, because they were cold inside their house. It's wet, it's raining. You know, those are. Most of those deaths were elderly people, people who didn't have good support systems. But it is true, you will still get emails about updating the death, the. The death toll from people who, you know, would still be with us had the hurricane not rolled through. In Asheville, we were without water for about two weeks.

[Karen Zakalak]

I think it was more than that, three weeks.

[Katie Killen]

But then this is the issue. The water came back on and it was not what they call potable, so we couldn't drink it. Some folks were bathing in it. They said you could. People were hesitant to do it. So even though water came back on, you would go to a restaurant and they. You couldn't have ice. And they were. The restaurants were bringing in bottled.

[Karen Zakalak]

Bottled water. You were using bottled water at your house and. Yeah. And so, Katie, your family, you and your family ended up moving because of the, the damage to your house. Moved to another house in another part of town for those couple of weeks. We ended up. We. We stuck it out for a couple of days. And then honestly, we got to the point where we didn't have. We had, you know, we didn't have. We didn't have power for, I'd say, three weeks. You know, after a while, when you have four small children, your fridge is empty. It's not sustainable. All of the restaurants were closed. I mean, there was nowhere to. To. And. And the grocery stores, I mean, that's a whole nother thing. I mean, there was days and days where the grocery stores weren't open, so.

[Katie Killen]

Or they would take cash and they would limit the amount of people that could shop. So you would wait in line with your cash to get, you know, the, the things that.

[Karen Zakalak]

Milk and bread or whatever you need. So we kind of exhausted all of our pantry and, you know, what we could salvage. And then we went to a friend's house about an hour and a half away. And so I was driving back and forth to work, but we were hunkered down there with all the kids and my husband was working remotely. Um, but I think a lot, I, I would say most people, in the initial week, a lot of people left town.

[Katie Killen]

And if you had the resources, they did set up personal care stations here in western North Carolina where you could take a shower, do laundry. They were at, you know, in the parking lots of grocery stores, that kind of thing, like a FEMA thing. So I think.

[Karen Zakalak]

But I mean, it was a long time that we were, you know, every other day driving to the locations to get cases of bottled water from the National Guard. You know, our kids kind of got used to like, oh, okay, it's our water run. You know, let's stock up. And there was a lot of resources from fema, but also, you know, churches, nonprofits really stepped up and, and did what they could. But in those initial weeks, it was just crazy.

[Unknown Host]

What was the kids reaction to all of this? Did they think it was an adventure?

[Emily Gracey]

Were they upset?

[Karen Zakalak]

Well, first we should also say schools were out for a long time. So obviously that was another big thing is schools were out indefinitely. I think they ended up going back about a month and a half later. But I'll let you say how river responded.

[Katie Killen]

So believe it or not, river broke her arm. The hurricane happened on a Friday, and river broke her arm on a Saturday jumping off a swing at Karen's house. We ended up in the emergency room on, on that Sunday, which was. If you've never been to an emergency room during a disaster, I don't recommend it. I don't recommend it. It was, it was scary.

[Karen Zakalak]

It was scary.

[Katie Killen]

There weren't clean linens.

[Karen Zakalak]

They had no water.

[Katie Killen]

They had no water. They were triaging people. So it was, it was scary. You know, I think I, I hate to say this because I don't want to think about our kids being traumatized, but I think it was a pretty scary situation for River.

[Karen Zakalak]

I do.

[Katie Killen]

I think the whole thing.

[Karen Zakalak]

And in fact, well, a tree fell on your house.

[Katie Killen]

A tree fell on our house. That was really upsetting for her, as you might imagine. And then, you know, the broken arm, but not going to school. You know, even to this day, when you drive around certain parts of Asheville, it's destroyed. And I just think the whole thing was really. I think it was. I think it was tough. I think it continues to be tough. We still talk about the hurricane. It's still brought up in our house.

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah, I think it's hard. You Know, so our kids are ages 3 to 9, and obviously the older ones are definitely more aware of what was happening. I think all of our kids were definitely very aware that they could see the trees down. And even the little ones who maybe didn't understand exactly what had happened, could tell. Our youngest, I mean, it was months before he could walk outside and not say, is it safe? I mean, he every time would go outside and say, even if it was sunny, is it going to storm? Are we safe? I mean, he was very. I was amazed at age 2, at the time, that he was so aware of the situation and what it was. And I think now seem, you know, now he doesn't bring that up, and I think he's probably mostly forgotten it, but the bigger kids haven't. And the other hard thing was, you know, my husband and I, I mean, we're trying to figure out, do we leave town? Do we have enough food? Do we. How do we get water? I mean, it was scary. And we're talking about these things, and, you know, you don't want to hide it from your children, but you also don't want to alarm them, of course. So trying to explain to them that we're safe, it's going to be okay. But also we're like, are we okay? You know, is. How is this going to play out? And being in news, I think added another element. You know, I'm coming home. Katie and I are coming home every day out in these communities that are just. You can't help but cry. It's so emotional. You're reporting on these stories. You're. You're sharing this devastating news every day on. On tv at work, and to then come home and kind of have to turn that off and just sort of act like things are going to be okay with your kids and try to. Let's play a game in the dark with no power, and let's, you know, kind of make it seem like it's not all doomsday. It was a really weird, I think, balancing act. And. And also just trying to figure out, you know, one point. I remember one of my kids said, what. What. What does death toll mean? You know, obviously they had heard one of us say that. And, you know, you're. It's like some really tough conversations with little kids about the fact that people here in our area died in this storm, and then also trying to make sure they understand that they're safe now. And, you know, one of the things that we talked about on our podcast in the aftermath of Helene was that you know, there was an expert saying that you, you try to teach them that, like, here's how we're going to be safe next time. You know, you don't want to over promise and say this is never going to happen again or things like that. But okay, now we know to have water.

[Katie Killen]

We have a plan.

[Karen Zakalak]

We have a plan. We have water. And so that kind of for the little kids, I think helps them in their heads to know, okay, we're prepared. Now if it does happen again, here's what we do type of situation.

[Katie Killen]

I think Hurricane Helene is probably going to be a core memory for our kids. And I mean, we talked about especially early, I mean, early on there's like, in all of our lives there's a before Helene and after Helene. Now sometimes we'll even reference things like, well, when did that happen? It happened before Helene, you know, and now this is after Helene, you know. So, yeah, I mean, you know, I don't know. You hope it makes your kids stronger. I mean, Karen and I cried a lot of tears together and on our podcast, just because, yeah, it's. These are, you know, these are areas where like our favorite taco shop is like a barren shell. You know, it looks like a bomb shelter went off. You know, places that we, our kids did gymnastics. You know, it's just places that are familiar and that you love and that you're used to going to. And that's like the least of it.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right.

[Katie Killen]

Because we're not even talking about, you know, the kids in our community who live just down the road who didn't make it.

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah. And I think too, I mean, we're seven months out. I mean, our personal drive from our house to our kids school, there are multiple collapsed buildings still. I mean, it looks very similar. There's still spray paint on the buildings. No trespassing, trespass, Looters will be shot. I mean, you know, that sort of stuff. It still looks very similar as it did in the week after the hurricane today, seven months later, and we drive that stretch every day. It's hard to help your kids get past it when you're all still seeing it every day. Now I do think there's pockets of the communities, you know, downtown really wasn't hit that bad. So I think if you're not in one of those areas, you know, maybe you've moved on and it's a little bit easier because some, some areas have, you know, done a good job cleaning up and getting the debris removed and the damage cleared away. But I think there's Definitely pieces that are still just have so far to go.

[Unknown Host]

The hurricane center often talks about communication now as well and the best way to get information to people and you guys were stuck. There was no way to get information at least when the storm hit and then after for a while. But given that you're both so entwined in the community, I'm wondering if you have any advice for them on how to communicate with places like Asheville or these little pockets, communities that just didn't have the information to survive.

[Karen Zakalak]

Oh, that's a good question. I just don't think anyone could have guessed. I mean I'd never even seen that all of our cell phones had sos so we could not use them at all. I'd never even seen that logo before. You know, maybe other people are more familiar with. I'm not tech savvy, but should not be able to do anything on your phone call, text, Internet, nothing. I don't know how you get around.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah, I mean I will say this and what this is one of those things and you hear this and you see this, but I don't think at least we never paid any attention to it because we don't live in Florida, you know what I mean? Like we don't live in the plains where there's tons of tornadoes. I think having a plan, having a plan. Like where would you go if something like a tree hit your house or you get, you know, one of the things that happened is that people got scattered.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right.

[Katie Killen]

So where would your family meet if you emergency and you get, you know, separated. Having those kind of conversations now before something like this hits and you really don't have communication, I think is, is really huge. And you know, you don't need to be an alarmist about it. But like I said now we do have water stockpiled in our garage, which I think I'd be willing to bet that everybody here in Asheville will.

[Karen Zakalak]

I mean, I won't leave. I have three bottles of water in my car at all times. Right. Just because I'm so panicked.

[Katie Killen]

We leave headlamps in our car and our consoles. It's just something to think about so that when this sort of thing does happen, you're not scrambling. And radios, don't they always say to have weather radios? I mean huge.

[Karen Zakalak]

Huge.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah, yeah.

[Karen Zakalak]

I mean if I, if I was, could dial it back and, and be in a different place before this hit, I would have a bag of bottled water, non perishable food for three days. I don't know a weather radio headlamps batteries, you know, those sorts of things ready to go in a bag and just kind of have that conversation with my husband and the kids perhaps, just because I feel like if nothing else, you know, you did something.

[Unknown Host]

Were there any foods that you grew to love that you depended on that were non perishable?

[Karen Zakalak]

So we pretty early on put a bunch of stuff in a big cooler. And then on the last day, I remember we got to the bottom and there was two frozen pizzas, which of course we couldn't cook in the oven, but my husband put them on the grill and they were good and they were amazing. Who knew a frozen pizza on a grill? But that was the last bit of propane. And then we ran out of propane. And we fortunately had like a camping stove, so we were able to do some stuff. But when we ran out of propane, my husband said, it's time to go, Mark. Our cooler is empty. We've eaten frozen pizzas on the grill. The propane's out. We gotta get out of town. Yeah.

[Katie Killen]

You know, we bought all these hiking bars because we were supposed to be hiking in upstate New York for this anniversary. For this anniversary trip. And like, we ate those stupid protein bars for like six days in my house. In fact, people came over to, like, help us cut the tree off. And I was like, protein bar. Just like thought that those. That was the occasion in which we would, you know, just novel. We anticipated while we were eating them. But yeah, I mean, I do want to say this because I know, Emily, you have been to Asheville recently. Asheville is open for business. I don't want people to hear this podcast and think, oh, gosh, we can't come to Asheville. There are certain spots that are not open, like the River Arts District, portions of Swannanoa, portions of Biltmore Village. But a lot of Asheville and western North Carolina is ready for folks and come visit because tourism is our lifeblood here. And I think if you're a tourist here, I think that you would. You'd be surprised that Asheville is still up and running.

[Karen Zakalak]

Very good point, Katie. And I think that, know we've been doing stories and talking to small businesses who are just in a really desperate situation. I mean, yeah, tourism is our main industry here, especially in the Asheville area. And downtown is really, it's. It's back and they are desperate to get folks back in here. We're really hoping this spring kind of brings a lot more people back. Yeah. That we need it to.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. You know, I, we. I love Asheville. I went to college there. I interned at wlos. And so we go back frequently, and it is.

[Karen Zakalak]

It's beautiful.

[Unknown Host]

But there's also some really good deals right now because in the past, it's been really expensive certain times of year to find an Airbnb or a hotel. And there's some really great deals right now, too, so. And like you said, I was just there recently, and it was beautiful. We did drive around just to kind of see where there is damage. But you're like, you're right. There are pockets, and then there are other areas that are great.

[Karen Zakalak]

Right. Downtown. Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

You talked about, you know, how to communicate with people and how to get information people. But as mothers, I'm curious. Maybe the next generation is how we get that information to people. So how are you teaching your kids about how to prepare for hurricanes or weather disasters in general?

[Karen Zakalak]

Oh, that's a good question.

[Katie Killen]

I know.

[Karen Zakalak]

I feel like for our kids, just living through this has taught them so much. I think now they know, like we said a little bit earlier, we need a plan. We need to have bottled water. I think that they definitely remember those days. And here's. Here's how we. Here's how we roll. We do that, you know, from. From very early on, I remember saying, like, we're going to get through this as a family. We're going to rely on each other. Let's stay positive. You know, we can do this. We can do hard things. We can get through this. So I think just having that kind of mentality and having that experience of knowing that they've been through this horrific natural disaster and could do it again if.

[Katie Killen]

If.

[Karen Zakalak]

Hopefully not, but if that ever happens. And I think just being. I talked a little bit about the balance, but just being open with them about what was happening. And, you know, I do think you don't want to necessarily sugarcoat it and say this is never going to happen again, you know, because I think it's unfortunately, a real possibility.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah, I hope. I mean, I hope not, but. Yeah, you. You just never know. You just never know any.

[Unknown Host]

Well, there's the wildfires. I mean, natural disasters come in all different forms, and you guys have had no shortage of them this year.

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah, but it is. It's an interesting thing to think about.

[Katie Killen]

What the kids will take away from.

[Karen Zakalak]

Take away from this. And to your point, how to communicate with them better. And, you know, down the road, I think you're asking all the right questions about how do we better prepare and how do we better get information. I mean, it was really, really hard for us as TV news journalists to be in a position where we were getting the information in that first week and literally no one could. We, we. It was like we were shouting into a hole. Right. Like we were watching. Thank you. The outside world is watching all of this information. And then we would see, you know, all of our neighbors and friends who we would see face to face would say, we can't, we can't get, we can't watch. We. What? You have to just tell us, you know, face to face because we can't get the information. It was so frustrating to have those, that, that info and not. Because that's kind of our job. Right. That's what we do is we share information with people. And it was really tricky to be in that position for a couple of weeks where no one could get us.

[Katie Killen]

Yeah. And I mean, I guess that's also what's nice about living in the digital era because almost everybody knew where they could get service. You could drive somewhere and a lot of people relied on social media, on Facebook, on Instagram, that kind of thing.

[Karen Zakalak]

We would drive to like a church and get a cell phone. Right.

[Katie Killen]

You might not have been able to like turn on, you know, flip your remote and turn on your tv, but you could see what we were posting on, on the socials.

[Unknown Host]

Has this changed you as a mom?

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah, I think it's changed, I think it's changed me as a mom just because it's something that I never thought I would live through and have to help my children navigate through. And it was, I'm going to get emotional. It was really scary and it was a really tough time. And I think it's hard to process that and go through that as an adult. But then you're also trying to help your children go through that. And it was, I don't know, it was just, it was really tricky those first couple of weeks and even afterward, I mean, school wasn't back in session for almost two months. I mean, there was a long time that we were in this weird zone of seeing a lot of destruction, dealing with it, processing with it, processing it. And it's just, it's. When it's hard for you as a 40 something year old, you know, it's hard for these kids who are five, six, eight, you know, who are also realizing something big and terrible has happened. And what do we do now?

[Katie Killen]

I think it's definitely made us more resilient and just, you know, even just on a practical level, I feel like I have a better understanding of what it is going to take to get through a natural disaster. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, just as a family, I feel like we have the sort of the practical means and we know the measures we have to take. But I. You know, when river broke her arm and we were going to the emergency room and there were FEMA trucks outside and they were triaging people in the emergency room, that was. It was terrifying. And I'm. I'm proud. I'm proud at how well river was able. She was like.

[Karen Zakalak]

I was.

[Katie Killen]

Started. As soon as we walked in that emergency room, I started crying and she was like, mom, get it together. Like, you know, like, let's like to get it together, you know. So, yeah, it's just funny what your kids can kind of teach you as well, right? Like, they had to, like, go back to school and deal with all of this. And I, you know, I think it's going to make all of. I'm. I think it's made me a different person and a better person, and I think it's definitely built some resilience in her, you know. And the other notes. Yeah.

[Karen Zakalak]

Really cool thing that I think all of our kids got to see was. And this sounds maybe cliche, but, I mean, our neighborhood are the people directly around us. I mean, we still text who, you know, we may have waved at them, but we weren't really close. I mean, it really brought communities together, which was really, I think, a special thing to share and to teach our children that. It was. It was almost kind of like you're rewinding back decades to where you hung out face to face more with people that live on your street. You know, my kids still write cards and put them in the mailboxes of some of our elderly folks who we got to know really well and shared meals with and, you know, had this really crazy experience. Experience together. It was. It was really powerful how I think neighbors and communities and families took care of each other in those first couple of days. And that's something that I really hope they remember and I think has changed me and I hope has taught them that we need to care for each other. Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Well, thank you so much for revisiting this trauma with me. I'm sorry that we brought it all up, but I think it's such great, useful information for other people, for other moms, and just for disaster preparation as well. So I appreciate your time so much.

[Karen Zakalak]

Yeah, thanks.

[Unknown Host]

Off the Radar is a production of the National Weather Desk. Make sure you're following the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes publish every Tuesday. I'm also proud to announce that off the Radar is the winner of a.

[Emily Gracey]

National Headliner Award for Best Information Podcast.

[Unknown Host]

Thank you to today's guests Katie Killen and Karen Zakalak. Sadly, their podcast anchorman is coming to.

[Emily Gracey]

An end this month, but you should.

[Unknown Host]

Definitely check out their whole catalog of episodes, especially the ones after Hurricane Helene and the episode that I was a guest on a couple of months ago. Thanks to the National Weather Desk and Sinclair Broadcast Group for their ongoing support of the podcast, as well as my associate producer Brian Petras for his help with Today and all the episodes on meteorologist Emily Gracie. Happy Mother's Day.

[Karen Zakalak]

Foreign.

[Unknown Advertiser]

Find yourself looking for a new job or change in career? Monster.com is here to help. We are not only here to bring you job postings, but also AI interview prep and salary tools, expert career advice, and top notch resume services. We've got everything you need to land your perfect job fit. Discover the magic of finding the ideal job with monster.com. your future starts now. Visit monster. Com today. Your next job opportunity is just a click away.