Hurricane Helene Auto Tree Collision

Close to midnight on the night of September 27th, 2024, in the aftermath of the hurricane early that morning, I was returning home along Rutherford Road and was obliged to dim my lights in the face of an oncoming car who did not return the favor. With a cloudy sky and not a hint of ambient lighting due to widespread power outage, and blinding oncoming headlights, combined with the dim lights of my van with the older style tungsten filament headlamps, I was not able to see a fallen tree lying across the roadway until it was too late to avoid it entirely. I'm grateful to have gotten through the tree without injury to myself, although my van was badly damaged, probably totaled. This is how I learned that trees continue to tip over for several days after a hurricane passes through. It is best to avoid driving for a few days after a hurricane.