Hurricane Helene thread - Not a football thread but y’all be safe *keep politics, conspiracy theories, and and tinderbox squabbles out of this*

[LinvilleGorge]

I didn't take pics on Old Fort yesterday out of respect but a lot of homes were just gone. Others washed a hundred yards or more downstream. All badly flooded. There were probably 5-6 vehicles piled up against the bridge. They were so mangled and partially buried that it was hard to tell exactly how many there were. Old Fort is the worst that I've personally seen so far.

[LinvilleGorge]

Got home and put in some saw time. I hacked my way into the widowmaker at least.

[amcoolio]

We're (Blowing Rock) focusing on Linville/Newland now and asking for donations of blankets, coats, sleeping bags, and camping gear as its about to get cold. I've been cooking daily for the lineman and town workers. They've been working 7am-7pm every day since the storm, brutal. Finally got power back at our house last night

Edited 2 hours ago by amcoolio

[Floppin]

3 hours ago, jayboogieman said:

 

Yep. It's crazy the rumor mill. Even my friend from highschool who's an Avery county EMS that I mentioned earlier on the thread who told me about bodies in spruce pine that he was having to coordinate refrigeration trucks for fell victim to the gossip mill among the literal rescue workers.

Turns out the trucks were for medical storage and there were no bodies.

[LinvilleGorge]

7 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Dropped off a load of goods in Newland. Linked up with Samaritan's Purse and they needed help in a neighborhood that I knew. It's all rich people's vacation homes. I'm like nah, if you have somewhere to go focusing on people's primary residences that they're blocked on or uninhabitable that's what I'm here to do. If the focus is vacation homes I have plenty of poo to do at my own house. They completely understood so I rolled out. I'm going to check in on Black Mountain and Swannanoa tomorrow but honestly it seems like everywhere that's accessible by vehicle has an overabundance of volunteers. If somebody wants to helicopter my ass in with tools to inaccessible places I'll eat a bunch of Dramamine and go but other than that looks like I'm about to shift gears and focus on my own stuff.

I just wanted to bring this back up to clarify that this was in no way meant as a slight toward Samaritan's Purse. They were doing good work and seemed like really good people. My selfish frustration about not finding a volunteer opportunity today that I felt was a worthy investment of the time and effort due to the massive influx of volunteers is whatever. They just had so many volunteers that they had to send them somewhere to do something so rich folks' vacation homes it was. On the positive side, it's amazing seeing the outpouring of support for an area that is often pretty much overlooked and forgotten about.

[Panthers Fan 69]

53 minutes ago, Floppin said:

Yep. It's crazy the rumor mill. Even my friend from highschool who's an Avery county EMS that I mentioned earlier on the thread who told me about bodies in spruce pine that he was having to coordinate refrigeration trucks for fell victim to the gossip mill among the literal rescue workers.

Turns out the trucks were for medical storage and there were no bodies.

It’s not false.  My friends that were out there earlier in the week reported bodies in trees in the valley, but they could not get to them because the valley was impossible to get to. Also yesterday in certain spots medical people had to leave bodies and trees because they knew they were already dead to help people potentially still in the mud that were alive

[Panthers Fan 69]

By the way, gents and ladies shout out to our huddle people who are on the ground reporting and helping. We’re in this together and we will rebuild.

[Floppin]

1 minute ago, Panthers Fan 69 said:

It’s not false.  My friends that were out there earlier in the week reported bodies in trees in the valley, but they could not get to them because the valley was impossible to get to. Also yesterday in certain spots medical people had to leave bodies and trees because they knew they were already dead to help people potentially still in the mud that were alive

Yeah I'm not discounting what you said but he specifically told me about bodies at the Ingles because that's what was relayed to him by another emergency responder.

[Panthers Fan 69]

Just now, Floppin said:

Yeah I'm not discounting what you said but he specifically told me about bodies at the Ingles because that's what was relayed to him by another emergency responder.

No prob!  I believe you. Just being out here and seeing this for a week will hurt your mind. Things just stick with you. The only break I had was a meaningless canes game on Wednesday then right back after it.   Mother Nature is a bad bitch. Jesus Christ   @LinvilleGorgewill tell you.  Seeing people put their petty political differences aside and help is inspiring. But seeing the destruction is terrifying. Ive honesty never been more humbled and terrified seeing this destruction live.  It makes me disappointed in myself for being pissed at my canes or panthers losing in sports.  

[LinvilleGorge]

9 minutes ago, Floppin said:

Yeah I'm not discounting what you said but he specifically told me about bodies at the Ingles because that's what was relayed to him by another emergency responder.

I saw the bodies floating at the Spruce Pine Ingles rumor and it was pretty quickly shot down. There was also a rumor about naked kids running around screaming looking for the parents that was attributed to Spruce Pine. 

There are probably tiny kernels of truth behind all these rumors that then take flight and grow into something totally different. Yeah, there have been bodies found in streams. Yeah, there have been children separated from parents. All this poo has happened but these occurrences take off and grow like wildfire into something way more than what they actually were. The reality is plenty bad enough as is without hyperbole.

[Floppin]

13 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I saw the bodies floating at the Spruce Pine Ingles rumor and it was pretty quickly shot down. There was also a rumor about naked kids running around screaming looking for the parents that was attributed to Spruce Pine. 

There are probably tiny kernels of truth behind all these rumors that then take flight and grow into something totally different. Yeah, there have been bodies found in streams. Yeah, there have been children separated from parents. All this poo has happened but these occurrences take off and grow like wildfire into something way more than what they actually were. The reality is plenty bad enough as is without hyperbole.

Yeah I mean. He told me about that before it became the Internet rumor and it makes me think it started in the emergency response community. He WAS coordinating the trucks but turns out it was for something else. He just allowed himself to connect the dots by suggestion alone.

I mean I've seen and smelled bodies. I watched the pull the girl that was smashed up against the bridge pilings in front of my shop out of the water the day before yesterday.

I've been in the area every day with my equipment and people since Saturday of last week. But tragedy makes for rumor and on and on

[LinvilleGorge]

2 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I didn't take pics on Old Fort yesterday out of respect but a lot of homes were just gone. Others washed a hundred yards or more downstream. All badly flooded. There were probably 5-6 vehicles piled up against the bridge. They were so mangled and partially buried that it was hard to tell exactly how many there were. Old Fort is the worst that I've personally seen so far.

This is what Old Fort looks like

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1076728673772865?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

 

[jayboogieman]

58 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

On the positive side, it's amazing seeing the outpouring of support for an area that is often pretty much overlooked and forgotten about.

Ah, that's old NC Appalachia.

New NC Appalachia is the playground of the "climate refugee" and plane ole rich folks, so it's getting the media attention and support at least until something else takes the news cycle away.

Joking aside, you're right.

[jayboogieman]

9 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

This is what Old Fort looks like

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1076728673772865?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

 

The doll on the guardrail is total BS. Somebody planted it there. The rail is too clean for water to have done so.