Hurricane Helene

[Jeff Tanyard]

Just an update thread for anyone who's interested...

It's been raining here for about the past 28 hours now.  The ground here in Georgia is already completely water-logged from these outer rain bands, so when the main body of the hurricane arrives, I expect widespread flooding, especially down on the coastal plain.

Not much wind here yet.  Enough to tip over a potted plant yesterday, but that's it so far.

At this time, Helene is a cat-4 and is still in the gulf and heading towards Florida's Big Bend coast.  New tornado warning just issued for Savannah.

If anyone in Florida or the Carolinas wants to chime in, please do so.

[Vijaya]

Jeff, I was thinking how you are faring.

Here in coastal SC (I'm in Charleston) we got a lot of rain and wind but it's much worse inland. I really feel badly for the poor rural communities that Helene has gone through. I still remember driving down to FL a year after Irma and so many people still only had tarps for their roof.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Well, luckily, this thing blew through pretty fast.  I was afraid it would be like Tropical Storm Alberto from 1994 and just park itself over the state and dump rain for what seems like forever, so I'm relieved that's not the case.

There are a few limbs down in the yard, but that's it.  No damage that I've seen yet, though I'll take another look around a little later.  I live closer to the top of the hill than the bottom of it, so flooding from the nearest creek rising isn't a concern for me.

The sky is cloudy, but the sun is already trying to peek out.  We should have blue skies and lots of shine again in a matter of hours.

Vijaya, I'm glad you made it through okay.  I saw all the tornado warnings for your neck of the woods.  It got a little wild down there on the plain for a while.   

All told, things could have been much worse.  It was a strong storm that killed some folks and did a lot of damage, but it fortunately raced through.

[Vijaya]

It's sunshine here now. I'd rather the hurricane race through than park itself. That happened with Florence a few years ago--so much flooding inland. Surprisingly, we've fared much better in the all the years we've been here (since 2011 and Irene). Hugo was the worst here--our church still bears the marks of the water line.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Lake Lure Dam is in danger of failing.   

Flooding in the mountains has been pretty epic.

Lakes along the Catawba River are expected to hit record levels soon if not already.

St. Petersburg, Florida had to shut down one of its sewage plants:

https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2024/09/27/st--pete-officials-say-northeast-sewer-treatment-taken-offline

No draining water or flushing toilets for a couple of days.  That place could get post-apocalyptic fast.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Walters Dam on the Pigeon River has failed.

Section of I-40 near the TN-NC border has washed out and fallen into the Pigeon River.

Newport, TN being evacuated.


EDIT: Now NWS is saying the Walters Dam has not failed.  Not sure what to believe right now.   

[Jeff Tanyard]

Death toll stands at 91 at last count.

https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-tropical-weather-destruction-16b41006d3cb6fedad78d19ca3f389a9

I expect that number to continue to rise as more of the missing are found.   

It's amazing just how hard the mountains were hit.  They've had flooding up there before, of course, but nothing even remotely like this.  Entire towns are gone.  Roads are washed out, power is out, and communication is down, so much of the region is now isolated to the point that it might as well be on Mars.

[Vijaya]

Jeff, we're starting to hear from our friends in the rural areas. It is really awful how hard they were hit. I remember seeing the projected path but didn't think it'd have so much power after making landfall. Still no power for millions. And I suspect the death tolls will rise too. Sad.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Death toll now at 133.   

Pack mules being employed in areas that are inaccessible by other means:

https://www.axios.com/2024/10/01/hurricane-helene-north-carolina-mules-aid

Numerous volunteer organizations from many states getting involved.

States along the Ohio River have experienced flooding and power outages.

Vultures in human guise are out in force, so if anyone reading this lives in an affected area, keep your wits about you:

In unrelated news, the danger from the chemical fire in Conyers seems to be over.  The shelter-in-place order has been lifted:

https://apnews.com/article/biolab-chemical-plant-fire-chlorine-evacuation-9552ac17f3674ecbd1a52be13b08413f

[Jeff Tanyard]

Death toll is now at 167.   

The response from volunteers has been outstanding.  In addition to charities, churches, and other such organizations, individuals who own their own helicopters have started bringing supplies to those who can't get them any other way.  Race car driver Cleetus McFarland says in the video below that 37 helicopters--private craft, not government birds--were ferrying stuff in.

In an homage to the Berlin Airlift, I'm going to refer to this operation as the Appalachian Airlift.  Y'all do what you can to help that moniker catch on.

[Vijaya]

At times like these, you see a community coming together, the generosity of strangers and neighbors. I like your Appalachian Airlift!!!

[Jeff Tanyard]

Death toll is now over 200.   

Mark Huneycutt takes a walk around Chimney Rock and talks to some locals:

Dolly chimes in and chips in:

[LilyBLily]

I love Dolly. She's done so much for her old stomping grounds and for children in particular. I drove through Pigeon Forge when it was just a dot on a map outside Gatlinburg and since then she's turned it into a destination. People now have jobs, free books, and hope. Nice going, Dolly.