Survived storm Helene unscathed

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Dec 15, 2002
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Retiredville SC
Upstate South Carolina and we are in a small pocket that just got power, cell service, and internet back on line. Lots around us aren't back on line with any of it yet. Huge amounts of damage and destruction, along with unfathomable flooding of this region. Power not expected for some to be back for almost a month. I know lots of folks along the Gulf coast and Atlantic side are used to these kind of events, but this area is not. Last count I heard was 59 dead in over 9 states, millions without power, massive flooding and major destruction of property. Storm center tracked about 30 miles west of my place so we were in the worst quadrant for sometime with almost hurricane force winds. And we are hundreds of miles inland near the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am blessed as we experienced minimal damage around the compound, just 1 big tree in the woods behind the house fell, landing just 20 feet from my back fence. Right now, thousands out and about raiding grocery stores and gas stations. It's rather apocalyptic. Please keep those affected by this devastating storm in your prayers.
 
So did my BIL. He lives in White Springs, FL, Guess where the track went....right through his back yard!
Still no power though. Not as much rain as the last storm.
Nephew in Asheville did OK too, just no power yet and cell towers are down.
 
A portion of I-40, the major east-west interstate near the TN/NC border, was washed out along the Pidgeon River and is closed for an undetermined period of time. NCDOT made statements to consider all roads around the Asheville area closed and undrivable due to the catastrophic flooding.
 
Good to hear you are OK.

Even if you are inland you got to prepare as if you’ll get a direct hit.

Lots of gas stations do not have a generator.
 
A portion of I-40, the major east-west interstate near the TN/NC border, was washed out along the Pidgeon River and is closed for an undetermined period of time. NCDOT made statements to consider all roads around the Asheville area closed and undrivable due to the catastrophic flooding.
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So did my BIL. He lives in White Springs, FL, Guess where the track went....right through his back yard!
Still no power though. Not as much rain as the last storm.
Nephew in Asheville did OK too, just no power yet and cell towers are down.
It's mess. A friend of ours ended up having river front property near Biltmore Village. Chimney Rock (SE of Asheville) was wiped out from water running out of Asheville and the Lake Lure dam almost failed. They evacuated 3k people downstream of the dam.

As of this morning there were no public utilities in much if not all of Asheville.
 
If you have power back already your doing very well. Something like 1/3 of the state is without power and might be for a while. That storm hustled North faster than any I have seen. It hit the coast at I think around 10PM. At 3:30AM I got a tornado alert on my phone, so I looked at radar and the storm center was already just East of Augusta.

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During Ike, 2008.
Closed fuel station in a town I covered close to the coast had been closed for a couple of years.
There was so much water/surge/flood, both fuel tanks pushed themselves out of the ground and broke through the concrete drive.
 
I know lots of folks along the Gulf coast and Atlantic side are used to these kind of events, but this area is not.
I've seen interviews of some of those folks on the gulf coast afterward.
Insurance had already skyrocketed before this, deductibles are too much to handle so often.
Many worries about how they could ever sell to relocate.
This weird weather keeps proving that planning is a must.
 
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Just found this with recent info.

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=ht...bp&s=fc27a9c16746d84e248054599fd6804592d1592c


Like I said in the other hurricane Helene thread….. after any hurricane expect to be on your own for the next 2 weeks WITHOUT any assistance from local government.

I read lots of people are going to Mission Health Hospital because they think there’s food and Wi-Fi there.
Yes, the hospital has very limited supplies and food for their employees and patients….. not 1000 people showing up because they lost power and have no food.

Hopefully things improve but this situation reminds me of Andrew back in 1992 when we had little food and no electricity for 2 weeks. Felt like a Mad Max Thunderdome movie with people unfortunately looting stores for food.
 
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Like I said in the other hurricane Helene thread….. after any hurricane expect to be on your own for the next 2 weeks WITHOUT any assistance from local government.
I agree you should be able to take care of yourself for minimum 2 weeks no matter where you live. Having said that - this is Asheville. There 250 miles from the nearest coast line, and there was no prediction of it coming there, let alone 12 hours after landfall. No excuses, but I feel very bad for them quite honestly.

The other problem is I would guess very few had flood insurance.
 
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