First, thanks to all of you who have inquired about our well-being in the wake of Hurricane Helene. We were only brushed by the storm, getting 1.5″ of rain and had some gusty winds. The power flickered a few times. That was about it for us. Around the Bitty Burg there were a few trees down and some localized short power outages.
Perhaps 15 miles to our northwest, some ham radio acquaintances got 4.5″ of rain and a lot more rain. They also had a tree come down, but fortunately no damage. Out past that, there be dragons. Western NC is a complete nightmare. Roads and bridges are gone, entire towns are flooded, and power, phones (including cellular), and water are down. We’ve never taken a widespread hit like this in my life. Localized things, sure, but never an entire section of the state.
Some progress in relief efforts has already been made. Asheville, at first cut off, is now reachable from I-26. I hear from folks on Facebook that the Cajan Navy is present and working. I’ve seen multiple convoys of line trucks stopped for a break around the I-85 exits near my home and westbound on the interstate.
Floods in the mountains are fierce things. The water pours off of the hills into the valleys. The creeks and rivers swell so fast you can watch them cover roads, cars, and houses, usually in a very few minutes. I’ve personally seen that peaceful little creek turn into a raging torrent 20′ deep in less than 10 minutes. If you don’t move fast to get to higher ground, you’re on your roof praying–hard.
I’d like to ask you to please pray, send good thoughts, send good energy, or whatever it is you do in the direction of these folks and everyone who has suffered from Helene’s wrath.
I’ve found one charity that isn’t the Red Cross or Salvation Army (I don’t support either for several reasons) that I know is worthy of my trust, and that is the people at Send Relief. They’re affiliated with the Southern Baptists and are well-known for their work. My only relation to them is that I was raised Baptist. I’ve already dropped something into their cup.
There are others that do good work in disasters. Despite my distaste, the Salvation Army is one. Blue Ridge Public Radio has a list that’s oriented to the Asheville region, a local TV station has a reasonable list, and Garden and Gun has a large list by state.
What a nightmare.
Freeholder – glad to know you all are doing OK west of us. I understand that Samaritan’s Purse is also working quickly to help victims there in the Charlotte/Boone corridor, basically in their own backyard. best, redclay7 9/29
Thanks for the update, I wondered if you had any damage. Never lived in flood zones, or hurricane areas, and I’m glad of that. We get snow, sometimes ice, but it’s seldom destructive.