Hurricane Helene/Hurricane Milton

[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.


EDIT: I've added Hurricane Milton to the thread title so as to include it in the conversation.  Anyone who wants to chime in about Milton is encouraged to 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.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Lots of people in multiple states are still without power.  Here's an outage map for Georgia:

https://outagemap.georgiapower.com/

You'll have to zoom in to see most of the markers.  Atlanta is mostly back up and running, but a large swathe from Valdosta to Augusta is still in rough shape.

In the mountains, lots of locals and volunteers are openly carrying firearms due to the threat of looters.  Hopefully the humanoid vultures will be sufficiently deterred and will fly elsewhere to pursue easier meat.

Here's another interview from Mark Huneycutt in Chimney Rock:

This video spans several days, and this lady's trying to process it all:

[Lynn]

Those power lines are going to take a while and there's just no way it won't. Every time I built a house out here on the mountain getting new power in to the property so building could start was always slow. But the way all that stuff was washed away and knocked down it's going to be like putting all new power lines in and sometimes even worse than that because it'll be like you have to move the crap that's in the way first.

[Jeff Tanyard]

In somewhat related news, Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified and is now a Category 5 hurricane headed for Tampa.   

[Lorri Moulton]

My dad is from western South Carolina, and we still have family there.  One of my cousins had a tree fall on their house, but it doesn't seem too bad...mainly hit the corner and seems they can still live in the house.

Hope everyone is safe and well.  This has been a terrible storm and with more on the way, all we can do is try to support each other.  I've been watching so many incredible stories unfold, and it's obvious there are some wonderful caring people out there. 

[Jeff Tanyard]

Regarding agricultural damage, pecans, cotton, peanuts, and chickens took a huge hit.  Look for higher prices for those things in the weeks/months ahead.

Timber also took a hit, and that includes Christmas trees, so expect higher prices for those if you buy a live tree for Christmas.

https://www.agriculturedive.com/news/assessing-the-farm-damage-Hurricane-Helene/729097/

https://farmpolicynews.illinois.edu/2024/10/hurricane-helene-causes-billions-in-ag-damage/

[Jeff Tanyard]

This thread now includes Hurricane Milton.  I know we have members in Florida, so I hope y'all are taking the necessary precautions, whatever those might be for your specific circumstances.

[Vijaya]

It's going to be terrible. I'm worried. Praying.

[Hopscotch]

Milton from the ISS (photo from The Guardian 9OCT):

[LilyBLily]

Maybe it'll go down to a Cat 3 before it hits land. We can hope.

I'm thinking about the beautiful parterre of the Ringling house in Sarasota, which might flood in the predicted storm surge. The lovely art museum is a bit inland, but I don't remember the exact topography, and its wonderful garden with statuary probably will have a hard time in the expected winds. On the other hand, neither are lived-in homes, and those are what bear the brunt in these situations. They tell you to leave, but where can you go?

[Jeff Tanyard]

As the count currently stands, ten are dead and three million are without power in Florida due to Hurricane Milton.  The roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was ripped off. 

Luckily, the hurricane's organization disintegrated a bit just as it made landfall, so the storm was weaker than folks feared it would be.

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2024-10-09-hurricane-milton-forecast-landfall-florida-storm-surge-wind

[Hopscotch]

We went thru Irma huddled in a closet, then Helene & now Milton.  Three's enough.  First threat of next blow, we flee like rabbits.

[Jeff Tanyard]

At least 242 deaths from Helene thus far, and many more still missing.

At least 20 deaths from Milton so far.  (18 here, two in Mexico.)

News segment about the effect on Georgia's timber industry:

Cleetus McFarland and family decide to ride Hurricane Milton out and then survey the damage:

[Jeff Tanyard]

The mudslides began much closer to the mountain peaks than I would have guessed: