Hurricane Helene

I'm not following this statement... What is the "this" that the govt created?
I think by "this" he means "this scenario where the mountain get FUBARed by a hurricane."
 
I guess this first really cool morning had me thinking about the folks displaced. Especially the kids. I was thinking about doing an Amazon wish list? For things like buddy heater, hand warmer, toboggans. Also was noticing a lot of the kids were sent out where they could. But many will be coming home or have came back by now. Was also thinking of collecting things for them. One thing that popped up in my mind was the cheap android based kids tablets. Sure they aren’t the best things for kids, but can entertain them for hours and easily portable. A lot of folks are getting power and internet back. And for those still without could provide some solar chargers. Many of you all have already donated and I appreciate what y’all have done. Was just thinking this could drive up a bit more stuff. Was also thinking as I’m gonna do, if you have been thinking about buying a new chainsaw, shovels, any thing like that. You could donate your old one to go up there. Buy yourself that new one you want and it’s a win win for everyone. Even cell phones? Wonder how many folks lost theirs? We all have some old phones we upgraded from in the kitchen drawer.
Just let me know what yall think and I can try to put something together. I feel bad I’m going on vacation this week and can’t get up to help. But plan to go back next week. I’d also love for anyone willing to help me follow us up and help out where we can. Wish list would make it easier to click a button and send it straight here to be sent up I think.

Edit to say: I will personally try to hand deliver all items to the people in need directly. I don’t wanna drop stuff off to be stored or snagged by people who don’t really need.
I think this is fantastic thinking in the right direction, but I question the ability to distribute with much effectiveness. I also do not have the sticktuitiveness to make a dozen trips into the warzone with fuel and water and food and whatever else you have so generously put forth the time, effort, and cost to do, so I have faith that you will figure it out and I'll contribute in whatever way I can.
 
Sorry, the folks on the social media pages are claiming the government made the storm and directed at WNC. This=Hurricane
Anyone who believes that needs to be in a mental institution.
 
Anyone who believes that needs to be in a mental institution.
I don’t think they created the storm but definitely could’ve manipulated it.
If anyone thinks the govt, black rock, (any other mega corp)wouldn’t take out a few thousand ppl for rare earth minerals is too trusting of the above listed organizations.
 
One thing that popped up in my mind was the cheap android based kids tablets. Sure they aren’t the best things for kids, but can entertain them for hours and easily portable.
I'd also say checkers or pick up sticks or cards. Some more interactive games that aren't just screen based. I never played pick up sticks as a kid, but now my kids and I play it regularly and its a blast, and it might have a practical use some day...
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I'd also say checkers or pick up sticks or cards. Some more interactive games that aren't just screen based. I never played pick up sticks as a kid, but now my kids and I play it regularly and its a blast, and it might have a practical use some day...
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Is this some of your family or just someone you ended up helping? Firewood will be plentiful for a long time.
 
I'd also say checkers or pick up sticks or cards. Some more interactive games that aren't just screen based. I never played pick up sticks as a kid, but now my kids and I play it regularly and its a blast, and it might have a practical use some day...
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Done. Added several games.
 
I'd also say checkers or pick up sticks or cards. Some more interactive games that aren't just screen based. I never played pick up sticks as a kid, but now my kids and I play it regularly and its a blast, and it might have a practical use some day...
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Holy smokes! That looks like a total loss with the flooding around the house.
 
Is this some of your family or just someone you ended up helping? Firewood will be plentiful for a long time.
A bit of both. 2 different places. There's no time to make firewood in these situations. You build a bigass burn pile and feed on everything you can as fast as you can, then move on.
 

Check this out. Interactive satellite before and after for Helene.
Wow that really puts context around a lot of it!! I have driven through most of the areas pre storm, and this really connects the dots on the pictures and videos and the before and after with these satellite shots
 
Holy smokes! That looks like a total loss with the flooding around the house.
First 3 pics are a landslide that took out an entire house and scattered it down the creek from Boone to the mouth of the Mississippi (don't be embarrassed, I also did not realize the creeks north of Boone worked their way north and east, through Charleston, WV, to the Ohio River, and out to the Mississippi until I looked it up for this post :D).

Last pics are another location about 200-300yards up the same creek, that had a smaller, but still quite significant landslide. In a normal situation, the house might be a total loss, but after this storm, its VERY salvageable. They will rip out all the wood and sheetrock in the basement and dry it out, then rebuild it.

At this location, there were about a half dozen trees on the house, the basement wall was busted out, there was a 7 day old dead deer in the rubble, and the creek was rerouted 50-60ft over and running on top of their septic system, completely inundating it, so that even if they had power, there was nowhere for the water to go. Additionally, there was ~3ft of water in the basement during the flood, and 6" to a foot of mud in there after the water drained down. When I showed up around 4pm on Friday evening, they had been without power or water or much of any contact with the outside world for 7 days.
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By 9pm that night we had the trees off the house and most of it on a pile burning:
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I was pretty proud of this work here:


Saturday morning was already looking better, and I needed to get a birds eye view to assess the next steps. These poplars are 20"+ diameter, and easy to walk on even though they were 10-15ft off the ground.
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Pictures do not properly convey the gigantitude of this stump:
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Looking out the basement 36hrs later:
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By 9:30pm Saturday night, power had come back on, the septic had drained enough to receive water, the deer was buried, the trees were off the house, the landslide was reshaped as best as possible, and the creek was rerouted as close as I could get to the original position. I loaded the tractor up and then sat on their undamaged deck and had a fresh cooked meal and listened to the creek and cried a bit and basked in the moment with them.
 
My aunt called me today and said she has some various woodworking tools---supposedly much is brand new (miter saw is the only thing I can specifically remember her saying, but she apparently has a small shed full of stuff. If anyone knows of someone that could use the stuff, I can pick it up at some point in the next couple months (it's in Charlotte if someone heading west wants to pick it up and take it).
 
I guess this first really cool morning had me thinking about the folks displaced. Especially the kids. I was thinking about doing an Amazon wish list? For things like buddy heater, hand warmer, toboggans. Also was noticing a lot of the kids were sent out where they could. But many will be coming home or have came back by now. Was also thinking of collecting things for them. One thing that popped up in my mind was the cheap android based kids tablets. Sure they aren’t the best things for kids, but can entertain them for hours and easily portable. A lot of folks are getting power and internet back. And for those still without could provide some solar chargers. Many of you all have already donated and I appreciate what y’all have done. Was just thinking this could drive up a bit more stuff. Was also thinking as I’m gonna do, if you have been thinking about buying a new chainsaw, shovels, any thing like that. You could donate your old one to go up there. Buy yourself that new one you want and it’s a win win for everyone. Even cell phones? Wonder how many folks lost theirs? We all have some old phones we upgraded from in the kitchen drawer.
Just let me know what yall think and I can try to put something together. I feel bad I’m going on vacation this week and can’t get up to help. But plan to go back next week. I’d also love for anyone willing to help me follow us up and help out where we can. Wish list would make it easier to click a button and send it straight here to be sent up I think.

Edit to say: I will personally try to hand deliver all items to the people in need directly. I don’t wanna drop stuff off to be stored or snagged by people who don’t really need.
The lady weve been dealing w in spruce pine is a teacher and bus driver there and she says they are starting to worry about the mental strain this is having on the kids and was requesting some toys for them.She was wanting puzzles.games,and the like but I would think tablets would be a good ideal too.
 
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My work started a winter clothes drive specifically last week. We've already brought 2 loads up the mountain. I know one went Avery county, not sure about the other.
I know different areas have different needs but some places dont want clothes.I know in Spruce Pine they would take them but werent asking for them.The halls at Deyton primary school was lined w trash bags full of unsorted clothes.They dont have the help to sort clothes by size or gender and it was taking up space they could use for other things.
 
The clothes sorting dilemma is a hard one. Clothes are very specific and do have to be sorted and kept organized for people to be able to find what they need. At this point it would be nice if the retailers would offer boxes of 10 XXL sweat shirts clearly marked on the outside of the package and also individually marked on each. Set the sales up as a donation to a 501C and have specific rescues with wish lists that have caps on each item so they aren't inundated with too many of the same things. Then there could be an area for just this size of items in easily stackable boxes or totes. Then people could come get what they need in new clothes in a sealed pouch. It would also allow rescuers to be able to easily grab stuff for the people that they come into contact with and take them back some clean new clothes.
I saw this online and think its a good idea too.
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First 3 pics are a landslide that took out an entire house and scattered it down the creek from Boone to the mouth of the Mississippi (don't be embarrassed, I also did not realize the creeks north of Boone worked their way north and east, through Charleston, WV, to the Ohio River, and out to the Mississippi until I looked it up for this post :D).
There’s this cool geological feature called the Eastern Continental Divide :D . Water on the east side runs east, water on the west side runs west. Interesting to look at the map and compare to the flooding and where things went.

 
The lady weve been dealing w in spruce pine is a teacher and bus driver there and she says they are starting to worry about the mental strain this is having on the kids and was requesting some toys for them.She was wanting puzzles.games,and the like but I would think tablets would be a good ideal too.
Yes, I could only imagine the ones who lost everything. I’m sure they are miserable, just wanting to do something small to brighten them up a bit.
 
Is there a link to donate that we know is going to a good organization / person?

I'm sure some were posted in this thread but I'd rather make sure before sending.

@Noel : If you're accepting cashapp or similar, I appreciate what you're doing I'll send you the $.
 
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