The View from Above

Photographer: Dave Sweet

When I go to Krogers I know every face I see. I know every single person I see. I've known them and have known them my entire life. So if somebody dies in this town, all of us know them. We know their family. We know their Mama. You know what I mean? It means something. All of us grieve. So it's not like you know, living in a place where you don't know everybody, we do. And if you hear your neighbor died of COVID, or someone who works at the restaurant down the street, it's more impactful in a town where there's just not that many of us.

• Rainelle resident

A Town Built to Carry On

Photographer: John Wyatt

While I had the COVID, I was alone. The first evening or two, there was a knock on the door, and I opened the door and here was the owner of [a local restaurant] and he had a big bag of food... every evening he would come and bring me food. Wow. No way in the world I could eat anything, but, man, I appreciated that. And many other people in town who have had the COVID. I've heard similar stories out of neighbors.

• Rainelle resident

COVID-19 Rules

Photographer: Roger Brown 

I have a sign up of course on my business that says, "please wear your mask before entering," you know, but you can't force them to. We don't say anything if they're not, but I keep mine on. I'm the only one here that wears one.

• Rainelle resident

Crossroads

Photographer: Ron Fleshman

The whole story about...dealing with COVID is we've hit almost back to back. It's a tough thing. It's a wonder there's any business left in town.

> Rainelle resident

Bridge Over Troubled Water

 Photographer: Dave Sweet

I was thinking what if it floods during COVID? What would we do because there won't be any water and we wouldn't be able to clean stuff and we'd have to go out and get stuff from where they're giving away water. You know what I'm saying? I thought about that the whole time.

• Rainelle resident

Rushing Water 

Photographer: Anita Simms

The springtime came last year... and every time it rained, I was thinking, Oh God, that would be like the worst thing that could ever happen if it would flood again while the pandemic's going on.

• Rainelle resident

For Rent 

Photographer: Carl Helmick

Quiet Street

Photographer: Dave Sweet

Outdoor Worship

Photographer: Carl Helmick 

Thousand Year Flood

Photographer: Dave Sweet Name

I know for a fact that the town was literally devastated with the flood to the point, say we have another one, heaven forbid, that would do the town in. They would have to bulldoze the whole everything and turn it into a big pasture or something. Nobody would be able to - none of the businesses I don't think would go back.

• Rainelle resident

Food Distribution

Photographer: Frank Groves 

It was also terrifying for these people. I know a lot of people that work in the service industry... the grocery store, McDonald's... they had to go to work anyway. They had people in their families that were at risk... it was terrifying for them, they were thinking, "oh my god, I'm gonna bring covid [home] because 10,000 people have went through my line today and I got to be here.

• Rainelle resident

Political Rally

Photographer: Dave Sweet

She was a mask denier. I saw her on the Saturday before she got sick in Walmart. We were very close, by the way. I saw her at Walmart and she had her mask on down below her nose. We joked about it and I said "You better keep it over your nose..." She said, "I hate these masks." She kept telling me that on the election, this would all go away. Well, she got it on election day. And she spent a month on a ventilator and you know, she just couldn't make it. [She] and I worked together for 20 years... She was special. I don't think there's any way to replace her to tell you the truth.

• Rainelle resident

Canceled Until Further Notice

Photographer: Joyce Cline 

The majority of people in the beginning of [the pandemic]... were in total denial. They simply did not believe that it was a thing. They believed it was related to politics... There was a sense of rage, that everything was canceled.

• Rainelle resident

Empty Church

Photographer: Frank Groves 

For a lot of people, church is their community and to have that ripped away from you like that, it creates such a feeling of isolation... that isolation thing is important too because we're isolated here in Rainelle, pretty isolated from the outside world.

• Rainelle resident

High Water Level

Photographer: David Smith

The flooding, it took people's homes, family, loved ones, our friends...a lot of people died and we about lost our town in that flood.

• Rainelle resident

Thank You Front Liners
Photographer: Joyce Cline

Well there's a couple people in town that had a member of their family that lives in their house that have had COVID, been hospitalized for COVID for weeks lost their jobs, they're bankrupt. They can't go back to work because they're still sick. They can't buy groceries. They can't pay their rent.

• Rainelle resident

Everyone Welcome

Photographer: Carl Helmick

God's a very important part of my life... It's hard not being with your brothers and sisters in church fellowshipping together. I know you can watch TV and see preaching and stuff on there, but you can't ask that TV a question.

>   Rainelle resident

Boggs Creek

Photographer: David Smith 

Every time that sound, the emergency broadcast sound comes on our phones and the TV or something, it bothers me and it really bothers my kids.

• Rainelle resident

Standing Water

Photographer: Dave Sweet

Anytime they talk about the possibility of flooding, flash flooding, or a bad storm system or anything like that, everybody that owns business in that town or that lives in that town, absolutely, their nerves go on end. I can't eat, I can't sleep, whenever they start talking you know that there's a bad storm system coming and everybody that I know of is in the same shape.

• Rainelle resident

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Photographer: Roger Brown

Everyone still is devastated about the flood and COVID just planted on top of it. Double whammy. We're like intermingling these two catastrophes in our lives and minds.

• Rainelle resident

Still Standing

Photographer: David Smith

Most of those houses that I put pictures of, have five to seven feet of water in them. A lot of people just moved off and abandoned their houses...

• Rainelle resident

Empty Classroom

Photographer: Ron Fleshman 

Demolition

Photographer: Anita Simms

Garden Beds

Photographer: Joyce Cline 

Coal

Photographer: Anita Simms

You can't hardly tell that the virus is down here because we didn't have nothing to start with. We didn't have an economy here to start with, except the extractive resources, you know, the timber and the coal.

• Rainelle resident

Timber

Photographer: Frank Groves 

Coal mining is a thing of the past here, when I was growing up, my dad could walk to work to the mines. But there aren't any mines around here now. The only place there is for people to work is Kroger, Dollar General, convenience stores, you know, McDonald's and stuff like that.

• Rainelle resident

Mask Up

Photographer: Joyce Cline 

I don't know about y'all, but I was angry during COVID. Very, very angry and bitter because ... my kid would not survive COVID. And I'm going to Kroger just trying to get the stuff that we need to live for a few weeks. And there's people in there just doing whatever they please and you know, running, spreading it around and the cases are going up, up up.... can you not just care about your neighbor for five seconds?

• Rainelle resident

Coal Train

Photographer: Frank Groves

Attendance Today

Photographer: John Wyatt

Dine In, Carry Out

Photographer: Dave Sweet