Epic flooding in North Carolina's 'own Hurricane Katrina'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Published 8:37 p.m. ET Sept. 28, 2024 | Updated 11:25 p.m. ET Sept. 28, 2024


Helene’s swath of destruction has caused historic rainfall, flooding, power outages and 140-mile-an-hour winds across the Southeast. But it was North Carolina that bore the brunt of it Saturday with vast swaths of cities like Asheville underwater, residents trapped in their homes with no lights or food and few functioning roads for rescue workers to help them.

Helene, Gov. Roy Cooper declared, had become “one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of North Carolina.”

Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, N.C., took to Facebook during a quick break from responding to what he described as "an unimaginable and horrific disaster." “I have limited time to post, but this is the first message I’ve been able to share following the apocalyptic flooding that hit us” and breakdowns in cellular communications that followed, Smathers wrote. “My heart is broken, not only for our town but for the entire region.”

More than 400 roads remained closed in the Tar Heel State, including “all roads in Western NC,” the North Carolina Department of Transportation said in a post on X. “Remember: As crews work to clear and inspect roads and bridges, please give them room.”

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/09/28/helene-north-carolina-historic-flooding-damage/75434466007/

[Attilatheblond]

1. How many people, especially voters, will now see just how important government is for pooling resources

to come to the aid of people who have had such devastation hit them? One hopes it will wake more people up to the need for government and the ways it serves the greater good. One hopes, but sadly, one does not hold one's breath.

[jimfields33]

2. I'm sure the election is the last thing on their mind right now.

They are fighting for survival.

[Attilatheblond]

3. Not referring to the people who have been chased out of their towns by floods

Referring to the rest of the nation seeing the news reports.

[jimfields33]

6. Got it. Thank you. I clearly misunderstood.

Thank you for the clarification.

[Attilatheblond]

15. Sure thing, it's hard to always get a meaning based on just print on a page

[republianmushroom]

4. Huh, maybe your God, not the convicted felon impersonator, is

a little pissed about removing 747,000 from voter rolls, citing ineligibility. Just maybe.

[yardwork]

5. You don't know anything about Asheville, do you?

[Intractable]

7. The poster knows nothing of Asheville but is still willing to render opinions.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=19506962

I am devastated for those in Asheville. I used to live there.

I hope they recover. We need their votes in the upcoming elections.

[yardwork]

8. My son is in Asheville. It's bad.

[Intractable]

13. Hey that's what my Mom used to say - "My son is Asheville."

So, you have heard from him, yes? (I've read that the cell towers are out.)

I never feared the weather in Asheville. I moved from Asheville to Florida (where we expect hurricanes) about 6 years ago.

The U-haul place in Asheville where I rented my exodus truck is at the bottom of a hill. I saw a picture. It's under at least 8ft of water. Trucks are turned on their sides.

It will take years for Ashville to recover. And then the next storm will come.

And, of course, it's not just Asheville but all of western NC and Tenn.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. My sister was able to evacuate today

A bridge near her is out and most of the roads were closed due to landslides. She has no power and spotty internet/cell service. The club near her has a generator but will run out of propane tonight or tomorrow. They cleared the roads so that single lanes can get through. It took her 4 hours to go 20 miles but she is now in a part of North Carolina with fairly open roads and power. She has a second home that has power that she is headed to. It was nice to talk to her.

[yardwork]

10. I'm glad she's ok.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Glad she is okay and was able to communicate to you

It's going to be a long road for so many people there and in the other states impacted.

[electric_blue68]

12. Good she was able to contact you, and heading for her other safe home.

[Tarheel_Dem]

14. A friend sent me a pic of a road her granddaughter traveled to attend a wedding in Banner Elk last Sunday...

today that road has a huge chunk missing. It looks like the earth opened up and swallowed a huge chunk of that road. Her SIL is a state trooper, who lives in Kernersville, has been assigned to Asheville for a week, apparently because of looting and other criminal crap.