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Hurricane Helene

Please tell me Duke was washed away.

Wrong side of the state. A good 200+ miles away from the danger areas.


Good to hear and hate to hear at the same time. Recovering from a catastrophe like this is difficult enough for coastal communities. The challenges are ten times worse when you throw in the terrain of the mountains. There's just no words to express how terrible I feel for those people.

The recovery could take a while. Phone system are still down. IT systems are down (I'm out of work for at least the whole week; could be longer). Gas is limited. Many grocery stores are shut down; shelves are bare. Most stores only accept cash. People are without power and water. Schools are shut down. Businesses are shut down. And, of course, there's a miles and miles of cleanup to attend to.

You've lived through this many times, I'm sure. You know firsthand how rough it can be. And it is. People here are shells shocked. Just not something they've ever been prepared to handle physically or mentally. We will get through this. I know there are disaster relief teams being employed throughout the region. And I do appreciate your concern.
 
Have a buddy on Lake Lure. Fortunately, his house was spared but he had to go looking for his boat (found it largely intact). So many others are not so lucky. I've spent a fair amount of time on this lake. This video is stunning.

 
I have friends in Ashville and they're heartbroken with all the devastation. Prayers for all who are suffering now.
 
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Okay, so guess where we decided to meet up as a group and go camping for a week? Yeah, Ashville, NC. Got here Thursday, holy shit, the place is a wreck and we're stuck here.
At least we picked the right campground, the one across the street is a very deep lake right now.
I blame my wife and @Bert Higginbotha daughter, they wanted to see the Biltmore, LOL.
Women keep us in trouble all the time.
 
Okay, so guess where we decided to meet up as a group and go camping for a week? Yeah, Ashville, NC. Got here Thursday, holy shit, the place is a wreck and we're stuck here.
At least we picked the right campground, the one across the street is a very deep lake right now.
I blame my wife and @Bert Higginbotha daughter, they wanted to see the Biltmore, LOL.

Wow. Really bad luck on that one.
 
KyJeff and my kids are brilliant. They can make anything work.

They are wonderful people.
It was Gilligan's Island here all week. There are only 12 sites in this campground, but we all got to know each other pretty well.
We're loading up to get out of dodge in about an hr or so, looks like we have a route out of Asheville that will be okay for our rigs.
 
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It was Gilligan's Island here all week. There are only 12 sites in this campground, but we all got to know each other pretty well.
We're loading up to get out of dodge in about an hr or so, looks like we have a route out of Asheville that will be okay for our rigs.

any Gingers or Mary Anns nearby?
 
It was Gilligan's Island here all week. There are only 12 sites in this campground, but we all got to know each other pretty well.
We're loading up to get out of dodge in about an hr or so, looks like we have a route out of Asheville that will be okay for our rigs.
Speaking of Gilligan's Island. I saw this the other day. This would absolutely be a movie worth watching. And yes, Mary Ann is still hotter than Ginger.

 
I think part of the problem is most people do not understand what Fema does...
 
Looks like fema needs to be restructured.
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I think part of the problem is most people do not understand what Fema does...
It certainly isn't telling people they aren't qualified to help and sending them on their way.
They also shouldn't be wasting all their funds on aid for other countries, while our own people suffer.
I saw a video today where they quietly set up their comand center behind a building, where nobody could see them. When asked about it, they said people would see their location on the news "they're watching TV". There's no power, or cable tv to most areas.
 
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Thanks for asking. Still without power and water. Shelves are still bare - and still MILES of cleanup in the city. They decided to evacuate yesterday. They're heading to the D.C. area because they're concerned that the supply chain here could easily be disrupted.
Wow, you know it's bad when retreating to DC is a better option. Yikes.
 
Right now my family and I are right in the bullseye of where they project Milton to make landfall sometime on Wednesday. Hoping the models shift over the next few days, ideally further south. Either way it's going to hit Florida hard and rip all the way through the state from west to east. Helene was already the worst storm in Tampa Bay in over 100 years and this one would be worse as a direct hit. The kicker is that all the storm debris and home wreckage from Helene is still piled up outside of everyone's home in St. Petersburg because the county dump won't take it.... FEMA won't reimburse them if they do. Soooo, all that shit will still be sitting out there when Milton hits. Just like pouring gas on a fire. It's going to be a shit show.
 
Right now my family and I are right in the bullseye of where they project Milton to make landfall sometime on Wednesday. Hoping the models shift over the next few days, ideally further south. Either way it's going to hit Florida hard and rip all the way through the state from west to east. Helene was already the worst storm in Tampa Bay in over 100 years and this one would be worse as a direct hit. The kicker is that all the storm debris and home wreckage from Helene is still piled up outside of everyone's home in St. Petersburg because the county dump won't take it.... FEMA won't reimburse them if they do. Soooo, all that shit will still be sitting out there when Milton hits. Just like pouring gas on a fire. It's going to be a shit show.
It is crazy. Y'all can't even catch your breath before having to stress out about another storm. Hoping for the best, but it looks like worst case scenario as of now. Hard to believe it's been 78 years since a direct hit to Tampa and 103 years since a direct hit from a major hurricane. Hoping that remains true. Was seeing that this will be the biggest evacuation ever if the track stays the same.
 
@dukedevilz not sure if you have heard through the grape vine of a good place to drop off gas and propane. We will be coming from Sapphire on Thursday of next week. Was told food and water are pretty much covered, but they need gas and propane. We got 20 5 gallon gas canisters we will fill up and 15 5 gallon propane tanks. We've also raised some cash at the bar that we have been told to give to churches? I think we should give it to Semaritan's Purse, but everyone says to give it to churches being used as distribution centers up there.

Friday my brother and I will be with some guys from Durham County sheriff's office. Not sure where, but they said they've been walking 10-15 miles a day in Rutherford County. Not sure what kind of work we'll be doing or where.
 
@dukedevilz not sure if you have heard through the grape vine of a good place to drop off gas and propane. We will be coming from Sapphire on Thursday of next week. Was told food and water are pretty much covered, but they need gas and propane. We got 20 5 gallon gas canisters we will fill up and 15 5 gallon propane tanks. We've also raised some cash at the bar that we have been told to give to churches? I think we should give it to Semaritan's Purse, but everyone says to give it to churches being used as distribution centers up there.

Friday my brother and I will be with some guys from Durham County sheriff's office. Not sure where, but they said they've been walking 10-15 miles a day in Rutherford County. Not sure what kind of work we'll be doing or where.
You are a good man Ghost. That is wonderful.
 
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