Choose to be Curious Ep. #341: Ready or Not: Curiosity & Emergency Preparedness, with Davyne Dial
Sep 17, 2026
Davyne Dial, general manager of Asheville community station WPVM 103.7, recounts Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic flooding and the communications crisis that followed. They explore how curiosity can turn fear into preparedness, why radio and analog backups matter when digital systems fail, and how neighbors, shelters, food networks, and resilient local broadcasting helped a community recover.
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Morbid Curiosity Builds Psychological Resilience
- Morbid curiosity can strengthen resilience by letting people rehearse frightening situations mentally and emotionally.
- Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals showed greater psychological resilience during COVID-19, treating scary stories as dry runs.
WPVM Broadcast Alerts While Staff Were Away
- WPVM’s automatic emergency alert system broadcast flash-flood warnings for four days while staff remained away.
- The system receives NOAA information and is required equipment for radio stations.
Digital Dependence Makes Disasters Worse
- Disaster exposed the danger of relying entirely on digital communication.
- Asheville lost water, electricity, and cell towers, forcing WPVM to ask how residents could receive vital information offline.