Hurricane Helene

Was able to get up into Burnsville with an "organized" group that was supposed to have local FD authorization and specific working area.. found a group of drunk/high dudes on sxs's playing search n' rescue mad max style.

Dropped them immediately and reported to South Toe FD with a just myself and 1 other to get orders for wellness checks/medical evals and supply shuttle to unreachable by truck areas. People are weary of help and don't want to be bombarded with 10 rigs of stuff being thrown at them for facebook cred.

Takeaways:
-Burnsville is flooded with supplies, access roads are being built to get it where it needs to go. Local FD can use help with remote supply distribution.
-South Toe area is working through wellness checks and roads are being worked on. Remote supply drop help can be used.
-People in those affected areas are strong and independent, its important to give them the help they need.. not what we think they need.
-Contact the local FD directly and maintain the same respect/privacy you expect when people are on your doorstep.
 
Noel said:
Seemed to me like many folks came to joy ride.
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Met a small group who came from farther West but had been effected very little. They were getting agitated and almost immediately voiced concerns that they needed to be doing more and was their to "save lives". They had zero heavy equipment and zero tools. Dressed smartly though and very stylish!

We signed in, took the immediate need with a smile and moved out. After about trip number three I guess we had earned trust or familiarity. Each additional task became a bit more challenging and required more work or awareness of the situation. Our next to last "visit" was to the very lady I help direct to the coordinator earlier that morning.
Timing or God I was grateful just to help and meet a need. Our last task was something we just did. During the day I got puzzled and remarked how earlier parking spots with easy access and departure got roped off. Poorly but effective and I noticed how it was bottling up traffic. Second to last remission at the Church I got my answer. They dropped a medium length conex right on that spot. Never mind that it was next to the pile of stuff we had been raiding for supplies. I also had commented in my brain how poorly that was being executed. I mean stuff in this supply heap wasn't going to last in one or two rain showers or over night laying around.
Our last work was organizing and loading the box. A very worn out retired man told us he needed supper and that was his last days work. We bent his ear enough and got every detail on how he needed it loaded and sorted. He left to eat and we went to work after he'd got settled. He insisted we had done enough already. We laughed and hoped he was blessed and surprised at what he came back too.
 
A thought on donations. The amount of things pouring in is unreal.
From here out a real effort needs to be made on what is sent and how it is sent. Pre plan, pre coordinate, and make sure it is usable items.
Here is why.
Departments and centers have so much and so little help to organise. Things are coming in so much in volume much may become waste or be lost to the environment.

Anything with cardboard or paper as an outer layer should be avoided. Macaroni, Rice, even some stuff like a flashlight in a cardboard package. Why? No storage space, no climate control, no place it can sit out of the morning and evening dew if it can't get squared in time. Canned goods in the hot sun even gets interesting. Quick examples of great stuff to have but it has to have a place to get in the hands of those who need it.
Local fire department have already emptied the bays of their trucks because the floor is covered in supplies.

Many are turning to yard sale set ups for storage and delivery in the area I traveled.
People getting turned away is going to be a reality if not planned. No space, and not enough manpower to move what is gonna become a bigger trash problem and burden because of the elements.

Link up with a immediate family, neighborhood, or call and take only what is requested.

Be specific.
The next big push on the grass roots missionary work is going to be small building teams and building materials. It will have to be planned and the last thing they need is truck loads of material hitting the ground because a company or group feels good about sending stuff. Likewise all things are great but everything in abundance becomes another burden.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
A thought on donations. The amount of things pouring in is unreal.
From here out a real effort needs to be made on what is sent and how it is sent. Pre plan, pre coordinate, and make sure it is usable items.
Here is why.
Departments and centers have so much and so little help to organise. Things are coming in so much in volume much may become waste or be lost to the environment.

Anything with cardboard or paper as an outer layer should be avoided. Macaroni, Rice, even some stuff like a flashlight in a cardboard package. Why? No storage space, no climate control, no place it can sit out of the morning and evening dew if it can't get squared in time. Canned goods in the hot sun even gets interesting. Quick examples of great stuff to have but it has to have a place to get in the hands of those who need it.
Local fire department have already emptied the bays of their trucks because the floor is covered in supplies.

Many are turning to yard sale set ups for storage and delivery in the area I traveled.
People getting turned away is going to be a reality if not planned. No space, and not enough manpower to move what is gonna become a bigger trash problem and burden because of the elements.

Link up with a immediate family, neighborhood, or call and take only what is requested.

Be specific.
The next big push on the grass roots missionary work is going to be small building teams and building materials. It will have to be planned and the last thing they need is truck loads of material hitting the ground because a company or group feels good about sending stuff. Likewise all things are great but everything in abundance becomes another burden.
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100% what I seen and think too
 
Found @jeepinmatt as soon as I got in town
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Just got off the phone with mom and dad. They are in Michigan. They have made several monetary donations to Samaritans purse and the livestock center and are directing friends and family to stay away from fema and other .gov sites so the funds get where they need to go. They are cleaning closets and have a mess of jackets and warm clothes that need to go to the mountains. Is there mailing points to get them direct to that area or would someone close enough be willing to receive some boxes that could get them to where they need to go? These clothes/jackets/blankets are from a smoke free, pet free home! TIA

@Noel @frankenyoter or anyone else closer. It just doesn’t make fiscal sense to get them to me and a 5hr + drive to get them there if they can get there faster…


Edit: supplies are handed off already to be flown from Michigan into NC and sent out to distro points. No more assistance needed and now that this point of contact has been made, mom and dad are spreading the word up there!
 
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So I don’t drop in the forum nearly as much as I use to since the ole ban hammer swung at me so I have missed a lot of this thread.

Let me throw in my experience after two trips up the mountain loaded down with supplies.

Lots of people need help, lots of people are helping, lots of people want to help. But this is not always a great mix. So much “help” has descended on places that honestly don’t know how to get it to those most in need. Local volunteers are beat tired and overwhelmed.

Here is my two cents. Planned and coordinated efforts are what is needed. Actually communicating with someone on the ground in the area is crucial. Listening to what they need and WHEN they need it is pivotal. The needs from last week are not the same needs today so please stay flexible. Remember none of this is about us, this is about THEM, so leave your ego and expectations at the door. In all honestly at this point, instead of going out and buying a bunch of supplies and trying to get them up the mountain, consider donating those funds to a local organization that can deploy those funds in the best manner.

If you need contacts or names of local organizations (not this bureaucratic red tape laden national and international organizations that spend more on over head then actually helping people) shoot me a PM.

To those of you up there and in this and in need of help, shoot me a PM and let me know what you need so I can disseminate. To those of you that are/have/will help, bless you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
 
Went to Ashe county yesterday to the Landing area. Lansing FD and school were rerouting donations to Creston. We took the long way to Creston with the hope of dropping our stuff to someone along the way. The only thing anyone took was some Benadryl. One guy needed some bread, so someone in a truck ran back to town to get him some.

Creston FD was full and was rerouting stuff to a local outreach ministry, the outreach was honestly FULL of supplies, they had a gymnasium full, plus other large rooms full, but they were still taking in stuff. They had enough bottled water outside to fill a semi truck.

There were people getting supplies, but I would guess based on what we saw, probably less than 5% of the county lost 'everything' and really 'need' stuff. There was definitely loss of houses and such close to the river, MANY driveways were washed out all over the route we took. LOTS of trees snapped the closer you got to Creston. Obviously people didn't have power, but having asked probably at least 30 people if they needed stuff, nobody wanted anything. There will be enough food and supplies just between the (old) Lansing elementary school (beautiful building, and they CAN use volunteers there). I HOPE the locals will take advantage of the free stuff, if not it will likely eventually have to be trucked out of there. Roads needed some repair in places, but from what I saw, I imagine Ashe county will be fairly restored for travel and power relatively soon.

When we were about to leave some people told us about an elderly (90, with a special needs--but very able, daughter that was likely in her 70's) lady on Joe's road, so I went down to her place. She took almost everything I had, she NEEDED a generator, but continually said she didn't need one. I went to town to try to round one up for her, gave them her address and they said they would get one to her. While waiting on them to try and contact the generator person, I hauled in donations to the school, and hauled stuff out to people's cars. When I stopped back at her house with more stuff, the people that told me about her showed back up with a generator.

In short, I'd have been/felt more useful if I had stayed at the Lansing school and just helped people carry stuff to their cars all day. So if you want to HELP, for Ashe specifically, go to the school and ask what they need. They were sending out groups to help with house cleanup. I wish they had just told us to stay there and help, it was a major waste of time to drive to Creston and back.

I will definitely go back to Ashe and plan to specifically go check on the guy that asked for bread (he had lost his brother in the storm). Will also go check on Ruth (the elderly woman). But if I go back I will definitely ride the motorcycle. If they need anything I will just run to the school and pick it up for them.
 
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A few things I noticed yesterday.

Locals are happy to see the donations but most can only hold so much at a time. They suggested slow drips of supplies as they believe some will need help or a long time.

In Fairview they got power back on yesterday so they plan to continue to setup places to pass out items to others.

We did see people from out of town just driving around in there jeeps/trucks looking to do something and I suggested for them to go to Samaritan purse and volunteer and they did not seem thrilled. More like they wanted to look at it all and tell others they went up there.

My biggest suggestion is plan for your goods to go direct to a contact. Or work with groups local to you to get stuff up there. Don't just show up and hope to find a place.

I brought fuel with me to get home so I did not fill up at the local gas station so others that needed it would have it. Saw a group of i'll say "drivers" stop in fill up and than just sit there and chat providing no assistance to anyone.

I am glad i can help and want to do more but I agree the next big help will be from people with carpentry skills

Thank you to all that continue to help everyday.
 
Sharing this young ladies Facebook for one reason. Her and her husband have boots and horses and other means to get deep in the woods with little impact. They are in direct communication and nothing is being distributed through congested channels.
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On another note watched her grow up in a tight Church family. If you feel inclined her post contains info on how you can help them help others.
 
gslander said:
I figured they would do that. That's promising!
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Yeah me too. Seems like they did that w the landslides.its good that they did cause…
www.facebook.com

The Greeneville Sun

Officials in North Carolina have closed N.C. Highway 208, which is Asheville Highway in Greene County, to through traffic, beginning at the North Carolina border. This comes after heavy traffic on...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
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Here is a good way to involve your kids. From the comments it sounds like individuals are welcome to send letters, too.

From NC Farm Bureau:



Teachers, help us by allowing your students to write notes/letters/poems or drawings to families, farmers and individuals affected by Helene, or to first responders, emergency personnel and community helpers.
We will accept physical letters mailed to the office (address below), or you can scan and email notes to Heather Morton (email below).
It is hard to know how you can help if you live far away or have limited resources to share. Send letters to us, and we will get them in the hands of people who need them most.

FAQs:
1. When is the deadline? There is not a deadline to speak of, but it would be nice to have these before Thanksgiving.

2. Can adults participate? Absolutely!

3. What if my school cannot afford postage/supplies/ink/materials/etc.?
-Have students all write a small note/sign their name on the board, and the teacher can email a picture of that.
-Have the teacher type what the students say, and email the typed notes.
-Upper elementary students learn letter writing, so teachers can pivot one of those lessons to include writing letters for this initiative. Again, if they cannot physically mail those, scanned letters via email work! Or take a picture of the letter and email it.

4. Can I send small supplies as well; such as pens or pencils or seeds? No, please direct all supply donations to the local missions in your county.

5. How should I address these letters?
-If the letter is to first responders or emergency personnel, or folks in the community helping, they can address them, “Dear helper.”
-If to someone displaced, or suffering loss, the notes can start with “Dear farmer,” “Dear community member,” or “Dear friend.”

6. How will these be delivered? We will be delivering notes and letters by hand as mail services are currently suspended in WNC. We will be doing this through organizations who have folks in western NC communities in the next couple months.

7. Will you include my/student’s/schools/etc. personal information on the letters? No. We will only include what you write on the actual letter, so if you don’t want your personal information included, please don’t write it on the letters.

8. Can I send letters in other languages, like Spanish? Yes! Please make a note about who they are for in English (e.g., “linemen” “first responders” “farmers,” etc.) somewhere on the letter, so we can appropriately sort them.

N.C. Farm Bureau
NC Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Program

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@Pless or anybody that knows him. Have you heard from Johnny Sherman in Hendersonville??
 
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If anyone happens to be in blowing rock, there's a college kid named Kane that my daughter knows that lost his car and all his belongings in the flood. He's a student at ASU and is staying at the Chetola resort.185 chetola lake dr,blowing rock 28605
He doesn't have a means to get out and get the things he needs. My daughter said he's in need of food, toiletries and likely clothes.
Since this isn't in the garage I won't post his number but PM me if you're in the area and can help this kid
 
CasterTroy said:
If anyone happens to be in blowing rock, there's a college kid named Kane that my daughter knows that lost his car and all his belongings in the flood. He's a student at ASU and is staying at the Chetola resort.185 chetola lake dr,blowing rock 28605
He doesn't have a means to get out and get the things he needs. My daughter said he's in need of food, toiletries and likely clothes.
Since this isn't in the garage I won't post his number but PM me if you're in the area and can help this kid
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Damnit, I was just there
 
R Q said:
They're asking for rock crawlers to climb the creeks now. Damn I wish my sh!t wasn't in pieces.
[Log into Facebook
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If this is still a need come next week I will reach out. I already have to be out of town headed the wrong way this week.

The No GPS thing is strange to read, I am certain they mean no cell service. I just download the local maps on to the phone prior to going into an area. I did this when I went to Italy years ago; pulled down all the cities we were traveling to and turned on the GPS when we arrived. I did the entire trip without cell service.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
just download the local maps on to the phone prior to going into an area. I did this when I went to Italy years ago; pulled down all the cities we were traveling to and turned on the GPS when we arrived. I did the entire trip without cell service.
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This. I have topo maps for NC, VA, CO, etc, all saved to my phone. Can do the same with Google and Apple maps.
 
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