Ukulungisa umonakalo owenziwe yinkanyamba kwenza abantu abangazaniyo babe ngamaqhawe

IOld Fort, yaseMntla Carolina yidolophu encinci engakwiiNtaba iBlue Ridge. Ngosuku oluqhelekileyo, kuhamba amanzi phantsi kweebhulorho ezogqumekileyo ngoxa abantu abakwela iibhayisekile nabathanda ukonyuka iintaba bebuka iPisgah National Forest ekufuphi.

UMelissa, umhlali owazi phantse wonke umntu kule dolophu uthi, "Ukuba unexesha elide uhlala apha, awukwazi nokuya evenkileni ungakhange ubone abantu abayi-20 obaziyo."

Nge-26 kaSeptemba 2024, iNkanyamba uHelene yanethisa iimvula ezingaphezu kwee-intshi eziyi-15.5 kwiintsuku ezintathu. Imiselana yatshintsha yayimilambo equkuqela amanzi, iphakamisa izindlu kwiziseko zayo kwaye incothula imithi eyayime iminyaka emininzi. Kwehla udaka olutyibilikayo kumathambeka eentaba, lungcwaba iimoto, lucima imibane neepali zeefowuni ibe lusenza kungangeneki kwiindawo ezikufutshane—kusenza abantu bangakwazi ukuya kwezinye iindawo.

UMelissa wathi: "Awunakukwazi nje ukuyicacisa la mvakalelo—ngokuqhwanyaza kweliso, ubomi babantu bonke batshintsha.

Ngendlela abantu baseOld Fort abadla ngokwenza ngayo, le ntsapho yakhawuleza yanceda. Wonke umntu unemoto encinci okanye unedonki anokuliqhuba, ngoko ingekapheli imizuzu eyi-30, bonke aba bantu bavele bagcwala bephethe imitshini yabo yokusika nezixhobo ukuze bagece bavule indlela."

UMelissa uneminyaka esibhozo engumbuki zindwendwe wakwa-Airbnb. Ungumnikazi kwaye ulawula iiAirbnb ezintathu kule ndawo—enye kwindawo nganye eOld Fort, eAsheville naseBlack Mountain. “Ndiyayithanda iNtshona North Carolina, ibe akukho nto indivuyisa njengokunceda abantu bazive bekhululekile kangangoko kunokwenzeka—nokuba beze eholideyini, okanye bazokunceda intsapho yethu ibuyele kwimeko yayo.”

Oko kwehla inkanyamba, uMelissa uvule amakhaya akhe ngoAirbnb.org ewavulela amavolontiya ayi-24 neentsapho eziyi-13 ezifuduke ngenxa yenkanyamba.

Uthi: "Suku ngalunye ubona iposti yeqela ithi icawa yayo okanye umbutho ongenzi nzuzo uza nokutya okungondla abantu abayi-2 000. Kusekho abantu abangenambane okanye abangenamsebenzi."

UAmanda, ivolontiya laseJamestown, eNC, wafika kwiAirbnb kaMelissa enemithwalo emininzi yamanapukeni, umgubo wokwenza ititi, nezinto zexesha longxamiseko ukuze azinike abantu. Into eyaqala ngokuhlala usuku olunye yajika yaba yinto intsapho eyazimisela ukuyenza. UAmanda weza nabantwana bakhe uAvis, oneminyaka eyi-13, noBriggs, oneminyaka eyi-10, kuhambo olulandelayo, watshintsha indawo kaMelissa eqeshisayo wayenza indawo enzela kuyo umsebenzi wokunceda abantu.

Kwiinyanga ezintathu emva koHelene, iOld Fort isasokola ukubuyela kwimeko yayo yangaphambili. Kodwa kuyo yonke loo nto, izindlu zikaMelissa ziseyindawo yethemba, indawo yokuhlala neyentsapho ebantwini abanceda ekwakheni kwakhona idolophu yakhe ayithandayo.

“Siye sakwazi ukwamkela abantu basekuhlaleni abaliqela abaphulukene namakhaya abo nabanye abangenambane namanzi naintanethi—siye sakwazi nokufaka iStarlink, nto leyo eye yanceda kakhulu. Kwaye, ndingalibalanga, siye samkela amavolontiya amaninzi avela kwezinye iindawo ezokunceda.”

Abantwana bazilahlela bencedisa ekulungiseni izinto. UAvis wabhala imiyalezo ekhuthazayo ukuze ifakwe xa kuhanjiswa ukutya, ngoxa uBriggs wawongwa "ngokuba ngumqeshwa wenyanga" kwiziko leminikelo, ebulisa zonke iimoto ezidlulayo emgceni. UAmanda uthi, "Zange ndambona esebenza nzima kangaka. Soze ndiyilibale loo nto."

Iintsuku ezintathu zadlula oko kusetyenzwa nzima. UMelissa uthi, "Sasivuka ekuseni. Kwakuthi nje kwakuvela ukukhanya, siphume, sihambise izinto de kube ngo-9 ebusuku ngamanye amaxesha."

Kuloo mbodamo, uMelissa wafumana ithemba kwiindawo ebezingalindelekanga. Njengaxa uAvis wayengafuni ukuhamba, ezifihla endlini ukuze ahlale ekufuphi noMiss Joyce, umntu omdala owayehlala apho owayesele engumhlobo wakhe, okanye njengaxa uAmanda wamxelela indlela uBriggs avuka ngayo ngo-6 ekuseni aze ambuze athi, "Siyaya kuloMelissa? Siza kwenza ntoni namhlanje?"

KuMelissa, la mava abonisa ukufaneleka kwesizathu sokuba avule ikhaya lakhe kubahambi kwasekuqaleni. Uthi:

"Kuyothusa ukucinga ukuba umntu ongengowalapha angazinikela ekuyincedeni kangaka intsapho yethu. Kwixesha nje elifutshane, baba yinxalenye yentsapho yethu. "