Posted on 09/28/2024 7:03:21 PM PDT by Red Badger
PERRY, Fla. (AP) — Massive rains from powerful Hurricane Helene left people stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue Saturday, as the cleanup began from a tempest that killed at least 64 people, caused widespread destruction across the U.S. Southeast and left millions without power.
“I’ve never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now,” said Janalea England, of Steinhatchee, Florida, a small river town along the state’s rural Big Bend, as she turned her commercial fish market into a storm donation site for friends and neighbors, many of whom couldn’t get insurance on their homes.
Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday with winds of 140 mph (225 kph).
From there, it quickly moved through Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday that it “looks like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air. Weakened, Helene then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains, sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams.
Western North Carolina was isolated because of landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other roads. All those closures delayed the start of the East Tennessee State University football game against The Citadel because the Buccaneers’ drive to Charleston, South Carolina, took 16 hours.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
That moron mocked the radar map during the storm. Claimed the radar was wrong because he was dry, while those around him got 10 inches
FWIW, the forecasting in my neck of the woods, including radar, has really sucked the last couple of years.
Torrential downpours with nothing on the radar.
Dry as a bone with radar showing torrential downpours.
How we handle it: We are prepared for the worst at all times. We use our noggins and common sense. We don’t wait for someone else to tell us what to do, or save our butts.
And we do that all on a shoestring.
It helps that I’m a graduate of Agnes ‘72.
Do searches of pics from the Southern Tier of NY and the Northern Tier of PA and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
That was inland flooding, too. That the PTB said we didn’t need to worry about.
God bless them!
Prayers for the victims, loved ones and the rescuers.
I week ago I wished this storm would give me some good rain. I now am contrite and sorry I asked.
Be careful what you pray for. You might just get it.....Old Proverb........
BTW, I looked at FEMA and per them the average annual federal flood insurance premium is running at around $800.
If you can’t afford that, or less, you shouldn’t live in a flood zone.
“The only thing Government ever protects is itself.”.........
All the people devastated by the hurricane won’t get 1/10th the funds they give Ukraine......or ILLEGALS.............
“ TVA which was created for flood control has adopted some very dangerous policies as homes popped up along the east Tennessee Lakes. Norris Lake {Clinch & Powell}, Cherokee {Holston} and Douglas {French Broad, Pigeon} were built as upper tributaries dams with water levels dropped substantially toward summers end and Fall and stay at low pool levels until Spring rains begin. Thus creating a huge buffer for preventing disasters. They have purposely to appease mansion land owners and developers held the lake levels high year round starting about 15 yeas ago.”
This reminds me of what happened with the lake high above Johnstown PA. Changes to the dam for the pleasure of the few super rich Pittsburgh families with homes around the lake led to the catastrophe that occurred in the town below during its historic flood.
Case in point: Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Portuguese Bend area.
Different type of natural disaster that provides yet another cautionary tale for folks willing to learn.
I did a little web surfing after relatives in another state lost power. They are ten miles from a nuclear power station.
I went to the county and power company websites. It is clear that there are plans to shut down coal fired plants. I could not see if they had already done so.
My relatives are charged a higher price during peak electricity usage hours. That is something you do when you have, or anticipate, a shortage of power.
Anyone relying on solar or wind are SOL. It’s been overcast for a few days now and it may be several more before we see the sun. The trees are still.
I live in an adjacent state. We have experienced a few days of rain. We are charged the same rate for electricity regardless of time of day. Helene is a big yawn here.
Natural disasters have always happened. They have happened in the past. You can count on them happening in the future. If you close coal (and gas?) fired plants and ignore power lines in favor of wind and solar, you are just asking for trouble. Helene may prove the point, or perhaps I was just lucky (again).
This is nothing compared to hurricane Kamala if she gets elected.
How is this going to impact the election, so much destruction, a month out from election day. Not heard the governors ask for National ER relief.
Back in the 2010 flood that went from Memphis to Nashville, we in the small towns had 1 lone FEMA bus. Millington, TN has a Navy Base. Flooded the town and whole South Side of the base. Bing has photos. May 2010 Millington TN 100 year storm.
Trailer park, had orange X’s on them. https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.4SPbWkelVnp_VbViceMbPAHaE8%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=149a499bc7ddbb4c28f94d7183f56614840eb1aacc8b10f59910191c3e0317dd&ipo=images
I was raised near there, just inside Mississippi...........
My sis has been sending photos from Sevierville they live just a few miles from Pigeon Forge, in the mountians. Not sure of road accessibility. Her husband is late stage Duchenes MD, in a wheelchair. Not easy to evacuate.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/435250062908060
You have that right. Millington, TN 2010 flooded from there to Nashville, all attention was on Nashville. We have a Navy Base, entire South side flooded, trailer parks, ended up with orange X’s, town smelt like a sewer for some time. Nashville country musicians held concerts to help. We had 1 lone FEMA BUS. Navy brought in big SER-PRO buses.
Trailer park, had orange X’s on them. https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.4SPbWkelVnp_VbVic
Here in east Tennessee, to their dismay, people have learned the lesson again. Do not build on a flood plain
From my experience, tropical rains don’t show up well on radar as they are too low to the ground. When Beryl came through last July, we got about three inches of rain and it was mostly “greens” on the radar.
Reminds me of a similar storm in the early 1970s that flooded and killed lots of people. Hurricane went from Alabama up into West Virginia.
One thing that offended lots of TV viewers...A child had just lost his parents in a flood back then. A news reporter runs up to the boy, shoves a microphone in his face and says in a loud voice....”HOW DOES IT FEEL NOW YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD!”
Prayers for my fellow Florida People. I went through a CAT3, and that was bad enough. I can’t even imagine what they are going through right now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.