re: Helene - Recovery Begins...Devastating Flash Flooding in Western NC and Eastern TN

It’s insane seeing a hurricane where the inland effects actually did way more damage than the coast where it made landfall


The size of this storm is unreal. We have been getting 30 mph winds and rain here in Ms delta from it. The wind today was worse than the wind from Francine and Francine went directly over us.

Truly a powerful storm

This is sad….. what’s even worse is FEMA is broke but we giving Billions and Billions to Ukraine

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We didn't get the rain here in north AL like we could have.

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Speak for yourself Easterner....lol

It hasn't stopped raining in the Shoals all day. Now it has been a steady soaking rain, unlike what others are dealing with. I'm not even sure Wilson had the spillways open when I came across O'Neal about 7. The water didn't look like they were open.

What does someone even do after that?

Augusta had at least 85 mph gusts. In-laws —parents and siblings—north of Columbia had trees fall on their houses.

We are trapped on our little mountain on the Pickens-Greenville County line (which is the S Saluda River). We are at top of a ridge and the part of our property that’s on the river is 100s of feet down and away from the house.

We lost 10 hardwoods that I counted. Mostly red oak and stuff they took out. Cleared out some pine too, which is actually good.

Only damage was dog fence and chicken yard fence. We won’t have power for a week or more I’m sure. Tree across road wrapped in power line just a few feet from our driveway and then more down the hill. No love wires. Road was waist deep in water down the hill in multiple places. Mixed with trees and power lines. There is only one road out and it is toast. Water over bridge too. There’s an overgrown ATV trail high up that I may have to find eventually and try to get to highway and get my friend to take me to get some stuff.

We are on a well so I have to run generator for the 220v pump. Have lots of lithium batteries and solar panels. Plenty propane and some gasoline . Chest freezer full of meat and fish that’s running. Stocked with lots of Quest bars and protein drinks yogurt eggs—lots of protein.

But the neighbors down the hill right on the river were in dire straits today. I drove to their house which is right on (now in) the river, and that was as far as I could go.

They have a lot of health issues, including diabetes. The water was up to their door but not in yet. It had stopped raining, and they said the water should start receding. Told them to call me if it didn’t. I drove home and talked to my friend about trying to help them. He told me Greenville County refuses to lower its drinking water reservoir upstream from us. So it just Fs everyone downstream. Esp in a 30-year storm.

So I went back down find neighbors’ house underwater. I freaked out yelling for them. Then saw movement in my peripheral vision. It was them up the hill a bit at an absentee-owner’s second home. But they hadn’t grabbed their insulin though bc water was rushing in. He is on a walker.

I hauled arse home and grabbed all the shite (I actually had glucose tabs from a race) I could find to get to the wife, whose blood sugar had plummeted. Things were looking super bleak. 911 is still down in the entire county.

No way in or out. Too wooded to get helicopter in except maybe a tight fit in our yard/drive. But who do you call??

Then, shortly before dark, two rescue workers riding in the bed of neighbor’s truck came up my driveway. Checking on us, but more importantly they’d gotten a boat with a 20 hp motor up the river. They said it was struggling badly upstream. They got the neighbors out thank God! It was something like Cajun Navy I think. We didn’t have time to chitchat. But I am going to find out who they were.

We are gonna be involuntary survivalists for some time. But I’m happy. Boys are asleep. Barred owls are monkey-cackling at each other louder than Kamala. Cicadas filling the rest of the sound range. Hummingbirds came back this afternoon. Sun came out.

I’ll be cutting a lot of wood tomorrow to split and stack. Good clean fun

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have insurance.

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The peace of mind that comes with insurance especially duriing storms is why I rarely get worked up about them.

My family lost everything in Katrina, but it’s just stuff. It’s all replaceable. I max out my insurance on everything I own and if that day comes, I’ll collect it and either rebuild or relocate.

I think flooding was expected but not on this catastrophic level.

I think most were worried about the big bend and handle the rest as it came.

It was fast as frick from landfall to disaster in E TN and the Carolinas.

Has been a shite day for such a large portion of the SE and now they have to get ready for round 2, sucks.

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We are trapped on our little mountain on the Pickens-Greenville County line (which is the S Saluda River). We are at top of a ridge and the part of our property that’s on the river is 100s of feet down and away from the house.

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I just saw this asking about that area (I think).

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If anyone has news/info about anything related to Saluda, NC, and/or the surrounding area, please reply (or message me). Also if there's a resource for family contacts, please let me know whom to tweet/message.

We have family there (Jim + family) and we've been out of contact for a few hours. Guessing the cell towers are down, their backup batteries only last ~12 hours or so. We know he lost power last night, but has a generator.

Sure we'll hear from them soon, but I am not familiar with the topography of the area, how the roads are, etc. We are planning to visit for the first time next week, scheduled to fly into Ashville on Wednesday.

Here's a radar image I captured w/ his address. Doppler estimate was around 15 inches of rain.

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Would that be anywhere near you?

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I think flooding was expected but not on this catastrophic level.

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Unfortunately, it was expected. Rain forecasts verified across the area, including the high end of the QPF in Western NC (29.58"). Forecasters were saying this had the chance to rival or exceed the 1916 flood of record.

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[quote]Ngl, I'd take my chances in the water or try to get to the roof vs getting in the attic. [/quote Guaranteed death if you go in that water

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Too much debris in the water, they’d be cut to pieces if they didnt drown first.