Good job 💙💙💙💙

remembered and appreciated.

...in a way, make it mine, not his.

I want him to own his decency; I don't want to own it. It's not mine.

I'm not being cheap. We've supported him financially, as well he knows, which is why he's in graduate school at all. But again, I want him, not me, to own this.

an awesome way to see it. You definitely did a great job raising him.

Raised to be a REAL man with a caring heart.

A good man!

...with the owner about his intentions and get her response.

Just making wild assumptions about a situation does not make him an angel. The B&B -- if open -- might be over-run with requests for reservations. Have him make intelligent decisions when donating money. There are lots of good charities that need help. Stupidly giving money away to people who may not need it does not qualify.

And yes, I donate a lot of money to charitable organizations and scholarships each year. But I try to be intelligent about it.

Go ahead and flame me. But think logically about this first.

During Hurricane Sandy, I had friends call me with offers to help. I thanked them, but kept the conversation short, because there was limited power on the phone battery and didn't know how or when I'd be able to charge it.

I don't think my son is being unintelligent or stupid. I see it as being a human to human interaction, of which I am proud. You are free to disagree.

we used to sing to "Pretty Baby".

It might have been destroyed by the floods and winds.
Possibly split apart, or moved off it's foundation by the water.
Or filled with water and muddy residue
Or crushed by a fallen tree,
or crushed or moved by other objects,
Like cars, logs, electric poles, storage sheds
Swept up in the flash flood,
Hitting people, cars, buildings.
And if it was on a hill or slope, or near a river
it might have been buried in a mudslide,
Or been part of a landslide when the building slides,
Or slid down the slope, ended up in the actual river and sinking.

I'm just south of Asheville. My Internet came back Sunday but goes out often.
All of that has happened in Asheville and across this mountainous region with rivers and streams.
It's important to understand the scope of this disaster. I'm here in the middle of it!

The electric power workers and other volunteers don't usually rent rooms in a disaster area, rooms are scarce, no power, no water. They show up. They have enclaves, sometimes trailers, where they can rest in between working non stop! (After working as hard as these guys do they can sleep anywhere!) I've seen that here, and others mention seeing some groups of workers camped for the night and duration in this parking lot or that facility lot!

One more thing about disappearing buildings...
My mom's condo complex has a stream in the back, and a bridge over it to other units.
After the storm we discovered a shed had deposited itself behind the condo nearest the stream and the bridge (not near mom's condo). It had disappeared from someone's backyard near the creek upstream. Water apparently swept the shed down the flooded raging stream flowing over the bridge, took out the guard rails, and went a bit left, stopping just before it hit the building. It's in pretty good shape. I wonder how far it traveled, if it will be reunited with its owner, what's inside, if there's anything useful to the owner and the community. Chainsaws, generators, shovels, are a few items I've heard were carried away by flood waters, or drowned in sheds and garages.

As far the OP, I would say good for your son! When there's better communication, he could contact the B& B to just ask how everyone is, tell them he's not looking for a refund, and if it is planning to reopen he could say he looks forward to staying with them next fall, or whenever.
I bet they'd offer him a voucher!

...will share your comments with my son when I speak with him again, and offer him your excellent advice.

May you, and your family, recover well and in the future feel restored.

I wish you all the best.

What an awesome and compassionate son you've raised.

Good job to both of you.

Many of the vacation rentals are owned by a real estate company

....develop Nuclear Power stations, I'd say we shouldn't be suprised.