Aftermath of Helene Megathread
Posted by ontrack@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 218 comments
Please put any and all links, comments, observations, and anything else related in this thread. Any separate post will be removed. Thanks.
Valeriejoyow@reddit
I live in Asheville. Parts of the city are decimated. We moved here because it was supposed to be safe from climate events. It's so sad all the suffering around us. We're ok. Still no power or water. Finally got phone service today.
DuperDayley@reddit
You moved to Asheville, North Carolina because someone somewhere told you that Asheville, North Carolina is immune to...weather? Really?
Valeriejoyow@reddit
No I did my own research based on past weather events.
DuperDayley@reddit
Incredible.
brendan87na@reddit
I've been watching videos coming out of your area...
it literally is worst case scenario, just unreal
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Wanted to share this post from the NC Reddit. It’s been real bad from what I’m seeing and I’m not hearing things from my known folks in Greenville, SC which worries me a lot.
daviddjg0033@reddit
At least the power is slowly coming back up - more rapidly than Category 1 Hurricane #Beryl that left over a hundred thousand Houston area households without power a week after the storm when temperatures went up to 110F heat index. https://poweroutage.us/
Slamtilt_Windmills@reddit
We are solidly in the age of attrition, where what is list will not be regained. r/NorthCarolina has a video of (some of) the destruction. Contemplate the washed out roads and bridges, and what it will take to rebuild the foundations needed to rebuild the lost infrastructure. Add in all the wreckage that will need to be cleaned out first. Now add in all the homes that need to be result. Now the homes that "just" need repairs.
Now consider how many other locations just in the US were also recently hit. And the season isn't over. (If another strong storm comes through in the near future, all damage and casualties will be amplified due to previous damage)
And the people holding the purse strings will make decisions based on the economy and business, not their constituents, i.e. humans
ashvy@reddit
So is BlackRock or something gonna sweep in for the dirt cheap land like in Hawaii?
lawtechie@reddit
"Hello, landowner. I'll trade your land for one pallet of bottled water. No? I'll be back tomorrow with half a pallet"
theCaitiff@reddit
Not certain about North Carolina but in Florida that's actually illegal of the sort they enforce. You can fuck with people 360 days of the year on almost everything under the sun, but after a hurricane if you try to fuck with people over water, food, ice, hotel rooms, gasoline or tools/hardware you better hope the sheriff arrests you before someone just shoots you. Whatever the price was before the storm, that's the price after the storm until the state of emergency is over. You can run out of $3/case water and have no obligation to restock, but if you have water after the storm you're selling it for that same price. If you try to sell the last case of water for $20 "because supply and demand, free markt, herpaderp" you're in for a world of hurt.
You also can't even sell a house (in Florida) for a bit after a storm. My dad is currently selling his house and he was scheduled to close last friday, but Helene came through on thursday. The home wasn't affected at all, but everyone involved threw up their hands because now they have to wait two weeks. Not sure if that's a law or just something to do with the title companies etc. I do know my dad had a cash buyer lined up though, not a bank/mortgage buyer.
80taylor@reddit
thats a good law and good social practice!
Slamtilt_Windmills@reddit
Who's gonna stop them, the government? The self-serving- not-for-sale-but-only-because-they're-already-bought government?
brendan87na@reddit
the areas around Asheville will never recover
thistletr@reddit
Here in CT, we had the 100 year floods just a month ago, on CNN, we are still rebuilding roads and a library is still closed (indefinitely). The highest rainfall total was about 12" here compared to over 20" in NC. CT has lots of $ too.
stonecats@reddit
while there's a lot of global warming blame to go around,
inland cities and states are not spending tax dollars on
increasing drainage capacity for more intense rainfall.
after the ground floor of my NYC building was flooded for the third time in 20 years (no nearby river or ocean) after enough lawsuits flew around and politicians got grilled, my area finally doubled the sewer drainage capacity while locals are more vigilant on preventing and reported storm drain debris. what used to be "100 year rainfall" is now occurring each decade, and most places have not spent the money needed for adequate drainage and to divert nearby waterway overflows.
80taylor@reddit
my city has an "adopt a drain" program, where they try to get a normal citizen to sign up to take ownership of and clear each of our drains. we haven't had any big events in recent years, but just having someone rake all of the leaves over a drain on a regular basis does make a huge difference for local road flooding.
froggyfox@reddit
I work for an arborist in Blacksburg, VA, which is nowhere near the main path of the hurricane. We've been doing emergency tree removals from peoples' roofs and cars all weekend, and we only received moderate rain and wind, all things considered. The New River, which is right nearby, got to the highest it's been since the Great Flood back in the 1940s, all due to the massive rainfall far upstream in North Carolina.
We live in a highly interconnected world, where it has become the norm for towns, cities, countries, and even hemispheres to share human resources in response to major natural disasters. As climate change-induced disasters become more severe, widespread, and numerous, this sharing becomes increasingly difficult.
What do you do when there simply aren't enough rescue personal to pull you from your flooded home? Or enough firefighters to put out the massive blaze in your state? Or enough doctors to treat you specifically? Or enough linemen to restore your electricity? Or enough tree workers to remove the tree from your house? Or enough roofers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, machine operators, etc. to fix or replace your ruined house?
Anyway, the future is a scary place, and it's coming all too soon. I hope y'all are doing okay.
MountainWoman333@reddit
I believe that...as things worsen...there will be a wave (or several) of 1st responders of all kinds LEAVING those professions when it just becomes futile, and/or if/when they have their own families to take care of/keep safe. This happened during Covid...especially in the health professions...and continues actually. We are between a rock and hard place, and the squeeze is on.....
ytatyvm@reddit
You fuckin' die
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jbond23@reddit
Keep an axe, an inflatable and a survival pack in the roof space.
Or keep an ocean going lifeboat in the yard.
FieldsofBlue@reddit
Stay safe and check your rope every day!
dumnezero@reddit
Triage. Ask the doctors working in ER and ICUs in 2020 and 2021.
It's a type of rationing based on sensible assessments. Without triage, the next type of useful rationing is based on sortition. You draw straws, throw dice, flip a coin.
froggyfox@reddit
Well, yeah, that is certainly the best simple answer, but perhaps we could try to be a bit proactive (historically not something humans are great at). We could financially incentivize folks to become firefighters and EMS. We could encourage folks to get into the trades. We could stop building in flood plains. We could invest in more durable infrastructure. We could attempt to plan for the future. We could elect politicians that aren't utter dogshit.
dumnezero@reddit
Here's a nice coincidence: Fix Democracy with Sortition and Sociocracy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1a63C3lNEw
Lord_Vesuvius2020@reddit
Thanks for your report. And thanks for what you’re doing to help.
ontrack@reddit (OP)
I've seen an estimate of $100 billion in damages from Helene and so it will probably be >$200 billion once all is said and done.
ishitar@reddit
Look, around this time last year Otis went from Tropical Storm to Cat 5 in 12 hours and hit Acapulco. Just because most large US pop areas have avoided this, doesn't mean they will continue to do so. I foresee a $500 billion to $1 trillion storm within the next decade when one spins into Cat 5 overnight and hits Tampa, Miami, NO, or Houston with no chance to prepare.
fratticus_maximus@reddit
Google says 3am to 9pm so 18 hours but your point still stands.
EllieBaby97420@reddit
It’s really just a matter of when now isn’t it? How long til insurance companies stop covering houses even further inland than anyone anticipated, simply because they can’t afford to cover storm damage…
unredead@reddit
I expect by next year
unredead@reddit
For reference, I work in medical billing and have to deal with health insurance companies, Medicaid, Medicare, etc;
The normalization of corruption in all insurance industries is something else. I am so disillusioned that I’m probably going to move on to something more…collapse sustainable, as soon as possible. I feel so gross working for this system.
I just have to figure out what ‘sustainable’ even is…and what I could even do on a scale that would make any manner of difference. My brain is so fried from it all. Make no mistake, collapse will show most, if not all, insurance industries to be the scam that they are. It’s already starting. It just sucks that so many people have to suffer for us to collectively realize how much this illusion of civility is really JUST an illusion…
Godspeed everyone. I hope I’m wrong and this is just my doomerism, but this feels different. We aren’t quite at “checkmate” but Mother Earth has us in “check”
What move will we choose next?
mem2100@reddit
I got slapped by Beryl a bit North of Houston. And that's all it was, a slap. Made me realize how vulnerable we were to a punch. If Beryl had either: - Been a cat 4-5 Or - Been followed by a heat dome
AnOnlineHandle@reddit
If cruises, luxury flights, and meat earing aren't made illegal, they should at least require a massive tax to pay for the damages they cause to others, putting aside the damage that eating meat does to those who lose their life for it, and often spend it in nightmarish captivity.
endadaroad@reddit
Cruises, luxury flights and meat eating are all related in that they stem from our use of fossil fuels. If you are going to tax them, why not put the tax on the fossil fuel producers and let the cards fall where they will on the industries providing unnecessary and damaging services. The fact of the matter is that instead of taxing oil companies, we subsidize them. This makes it cheaper to go on cruises and airplane rides and eat industrially produced meat.
fratticus_maximus@reddit
What democratically elected government would have the balls to do that considering it would be political suicide?
ontrack@reddit (OP)
That won't happen in any democratic country because any government proposing such measures (especially banning meat) would be voted out of office.
AnOnlineHandle@reddit
Then the selfish people doing the things and causing so much harm to others should be worried about what the victims might do once they can't tolerate it any more.
Twisted_Cabbage@reddit
Lots and lots of shoulds. Let go of the shoulds, and let's come back to reality.
I care less about shoulds and more about what is realistic.
This is not an activist sub. Activist subs are a great place for shoulds, and the often funny, ideas that come after them.
mem2100@reddit
Before you advocate killing the masters, recall a couple of inconvenient facts: 1. We are all wired to over reproduce 2. A lot of the masters are takers, a lot are makers, your mobs won't differentiate
Twisted_Cabbage@reddit
Yes, we should, but the top comment reply to you explains why all these shoulds we see all over are not going to happen.
cryptedsky@reddit
Insurance lawyers are preparing for many all nighters in the near future.
CompetitiveEmu1100@reddit
I saw a news article that said only 2% of homes had flood insurance so it’s the banks that are sweating right now.
_rihter@reddit
As they should.
theCaitiff@reddit
Nah, the banks aren't sweating. They'll just put a garnishment on your wages in perpetuity then write off the mortgage as a loss on the quarterly reports. If they are in danger of actually losing money instead of just making less, they'll just whine to a lobbyist or three until government bailouts appear in emergency "disaster relief" bills.
ontrack@reddit (OP)
There will be plenty of hogs at the trough, not just lawyers.
lavapig_love@reddit
Billion with a B. That's going to be decades to restore, if ever.
syawa44@reddit
The end of the insurance industry?
SoFlaBarbie@reddit
Once the re-insurers shift out of Catastrophe, that will be the end of P&C in the coastal states. There’s still plenty of re-insurance capital for now.
TheBroWhoLifts@reddit
No. The end of insurance for those folks.
leisurechef@reddit
Nothing feeds landfills & the capitalist consumption monster like a natural disaster.
dumnezero@reddit
On one part it's the redevelopment business opportunities after buying cheap land from desperate people, then there are all the subsidies. But it is worth underlining that such catastrophes remind people what needs are, as opposed to the usual conspicuous consumption. That's something rare in the 'Global North'.
SignificantWear1310@reddit
Dang
Portalrules123@reddit
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/30/hurricane-helene-deaths-damage
Over 120 dead and a million without power after ‘historic’ Hurricane Helene
ytatyvm@reddit
Doesn't seem that big of a deal. Almost double died in Nepal from some rain. Still billions of people making babies every day. Onward to the next disaster
fratticus_maximus@reddit
You're not wrong but it's still a very asshole-ish thing to say. We're not having "suffering" olympics here. Their loss in Nepal doesn't diminish the loss here.
We certainly notice it more since this is in the anglosphere and where Western media is most present. Most of us here are probably in the US.
Roland_91_@reddit
That isnt what this collapse is going to look like.
Known_Leek8997@reddit
Helene knocked out power to a data center that processes the Daily Sea Surface Temperature website.
https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_daily/?dm_id=world2
fratticus_maximus@reddit
Salt in the wound.
springcypripedium@reddit
I'm in the upper midwest and am feeling overwhelmed/grief stricken to the point of near immobilization. I can't imagine how the people in the line of fire of this are feeling----terrified for the people I know there but I've not heard from.
Where can one go for accurate, up to date information on what exactly is going on in the Carolina's? How much of Asheville was damaged? You just read things like: "Destruction in North Carolina" (weather channel today) I have a relative there who I've not heard from. There is so much static online between TikTok, f--ing twitter (can't call it the new name), and various social media sites ---this is overwhelming too!
applesqueeze@reddit
If you want up to date information then listen to blue ridge public radio. Asheville updates are at 10am and 4pm but the rest of the day is news local to western NC. You can listen online at bpr.org
Some of our small towns are gone. Swannanoa, chimney rock. Others suffered catastrophic damage - like Asheville’s water system, black mountain and Weaverville. There are over 200 missing people and I expect that number to grow. Houses have washed away, people drowned, many unable to evacuate or use cell service to get help or updates. Aerial evacuations are happening all day. It’s pretty brutal.
I just left my home in Hendersonville w my children and listening to the news was gut wrenching. We weren’t hit as hard (although a tree hit my home and I was injured) but we still don’t have power, wifi, reliable cell service. Many thousands without water and power.
There is a lot of poverty in wnc as it is and I’m sick thinking about those who lost everything and have no where to go and no one to go to.
springcypripedium@reddit
Thank you for writing and for the suggestion.
💔 I'm so sorry for you and your children.
I hope your injury is minor and that your children are ok (as ok as they can be).
So sorry for all impacted, including those not directly impacted but who have been through disasters (fires, floods) and are deeply re traumatized by this. And the animals, the trees, . . all flora/fauna and ecosystems impacted by this human enhanced (if not caused) disaster.
I feel the same (sickened) about those who lost everything and have no where to go. This is why I despise the trope: "we are all in the same boat". We are not. Some are in luxury mega yachts, some in canoes with holes in the bottom, some have no boat at all.
Thank you for your compassion for others.
ceilingfansuperpower@reddit
I'm in Asheville. What part of town are your friends in? You can dm me. I have somehow had service this whole time and am more current with things than most. I will tell you (and everyone) this, it's BAD. I'm so hoping that your friends are okay.
South Asheville/hendo/Brevard fared... Better but still a lot to clean up. East side Swannanoa/blk mtn/montreat/chimney rock lake lure, very bad. Still getting reports in from Burnsville, spruce pine, little Switzerland and it's also bad. There are just an unbelievable amount of small, small towns usually built in the valleys by a river, one way in, one way out. If you have FB, go to North Carolinas Weather Authority and see the pics yourself. It's beyond destruction.
springcypripedium@reddit
Thank you so much for your response. South Asheville----I finally heard from them, they're ok (physically). Take care, my heart goes out to you, I'm so sorry you are going through this.
MountainWoman333@reddit
Something I'm not seeing mentioned, yet: How erosion from this amount of rainfall, loss of stabilizing plants (and rocks) in riparian zones, will INCREASE further issues when more rains/storms come. I have also not seen any mention of possible land/mudslides or other issues when it all dries out (and/or rains come, again). I lived on the central coast of Cal for many years, and we always had to look out in the aftermath of storms (sometimes for years) for such things, not to mention the fire danger from piles on piles of wood left behind. Have any of you seen any articles mentioning these things? Might be too soon and raw to consider these things, but I bet someone is somewhere, especially as re-building is considered.
StrongAroma@reddit
I was just looking at CNN.com and could not find one mention of Helene on the main page. Weird.
_rihter@reddit
My theory is that we'll get more climate change censorship as the situation continues to deteriorate.
ask_me_about_my_band@reddit
This is literally one of the objectives of project 2025.
SecretPassage1@reddit
shit, I think I'm actually gonna have to read this toilet paper material of a text after all.
InconspicuousWarlord@reddit
People don’t like to be bummed out.
CompetitiveEmu1100@reddit
I think really they just didn’t want to deal with people complaining about “sensationalizing global warming” and getting blamed if people evacuated and buying out all the grocery stores if they didn’t need to
dumnezero@reddit
Functionally, think of a combination of McCarthyism and the blasphemy laws in places where blasphemy laws have teeth, with similar lynchings.
deathtech@reddit
100% I posted a thread on this topic myself with same thought! Hansnt been approved yet..
tenderooskies@reddit
been getting this for the last three decades - no reason for it not to continue
Iowannabe563@reddit
One of the NWS offices down there posted in Twitter that this was a forecast they wished they'd gotten wrong because of the devastation, but then here in collapse I'm reading that the forecast WAS wrong - that they were supposed to get like 30mph winds and a bit of rain but ended up getting crazy winds and washed away. Don't know what to believe.
too-much-noise@reddit
You can look up the press releases and bulletins that were issued. It seems like the NWS and NOAA were very stark in their warnings with regard to the flooding. Not sure how accurate they were about wind.
https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/communities-need-to-prepare-for-catastrophic-life-threatening-inland-flooding-from-helene-even-well
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=920785380075044
belleepoquerup@reddit
And this came out the day before I believe after the system shifted and went further east than original forecasts.
FononSoundoff@reddit
They sent out this warning laying out what was going to happen and the news media didn't really cover it.
too-much-noise@reddit
Completely agree. If I heard anything, it was about the Florida storm surge. The potential damage to the Carolina’s was not well publicized.
skeeter72@reddit
It's been on the front page, at the top, literally since it hit. And it still is.
Feeling-Ad-4731@reddit
That's because Helene is over just like COVID-19! /s
tje210@reddit
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
yaosio@reddit
The hurricane is on CNN but not the top story. Front page the top story is Israel going to invade Lebanon. Change to the US and the top story is about how much Elon Musk hates illegal immigrants. The hurricane story that's up on the US section is from before it hit Florida.
Feeling-Ad-4731@reddit
For anyone looking for realtime health & welfare info, this repeater is passing health & welfare traffic into and out of western NC. Just heard they're expecting a million MREs to arrive soon, and some info about places with gas.
https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/43107
Oak_Woman@reddit
The civilians in the area are really stepping up to help their neighbors and countrymen. I just read a story where they are using mule teams to bring supplies to people whose roads all washed away.
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/supplies-arrive-by-mule-nc-helenes-death-toll-tops-130/FPF6C6BOQRGFPIHUDVL4DEHKKI/
Feeling-Ad-4731@reddit
Just heard that Buncombe County's emergency water stockpile was in Swannanoa, which was wiped out. So they're bringing in tankers with more water. They're dropping food from helicopters.
mancastronaut@reddit
Wife’s Aunt and Uncle live in Swannanoa and no one has been able to reach them - how concerned should we be? I’ve been just brushing it off as they probably lost power, but not sure?
moocow4125@reddit
'Swannanoa is no more'
Was one of the most chilling emergency broadcasts I saw during helene. It was the middle part of 3 broadcasts about swannanoa recieving no assistance. I'd do what you can to reach them, and I wish your family the best.
mancastronaut@reddit
Thanks for the update. Concern definitely escalating - they live in a remote part of that town, and it’s pretty remote even in the busier areas. Still no contact. Would consider driving up there, but not sure if that would be helpful? Only about two hours from us…
alandrielle@reddit
There's a Google drive doc going around for welfare checks and such. A lot of community organized search and rescue. Check out r/Ashville they are doing a really good job of collecting and dispersing info on their megathread. The town is no more but there are survivors. I don't suggest trying to drive in unless you have 4x4, lots of experience, and contact w local the local sheriff. I hope you hear from them soon.
alandrielle@reddit
Edit- r/asheville ... sorry spelling is hard
moocow4125@reddit
I've lost relatives so my opinion is tainted. I know what it feels like to not do something and people pass, can't recommend it. I would try but that's a large endeavor.
dinah-fire@reddit
Wa Po did a write up, it's very bad, I'm sorry https://archive.is/wMjUp I hope they're okay
ionized_dragon77@reddit
And this is why I will be moving from NC to join my brother in Wisconsin when I finish grad school.
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
ALL of North Carolina is risky? I thought it was just the Ashville area only
ionized_dragon77@reddit
I'd say all of NC is risky in the same way that all the US is risky, some parts are more at risk than others. But generally speaking the coastal areas are guaranteed to deal with increasing land erosion due to sea level rise (tons of videos of beach homes collapsing recently), the western part of the state will face more severe rain and flooding as evidenced by Helene and the Piedmomt Plateau will have to keep dealing with higher temperatures and longer summers. This gonna increase the amount of people moving to places like Charlotte which already has a terrible housing market due to the high number of people coming in over the past 5-10 years. The other safest semi/urban area will probably be the research triangle which is also getting more expensive due to people moving in from out of state for work.
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Hard agree. Plus NC has a major healthcare crisis. Even in Charlotte things are rough. I left there a decade ago because I could access appropriate care for my complicated health, and had to move to Boston. (Not that Boston was financially viable.) However, I choose to move even further north & inland from there when possible.
GoalStillNotAchieved@reddit
Boston has better healthcare than North carolina? Which aspects are better?
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
Boston has several well renowned teaching hospitals, multiple excellent medical schools, excellent medical research, and several of the leading hospitals in the world. Also, there is significantly better Medicaid coverage.
ytatyvm@reddit
Boston is terrible and nobody should move there. GET IT, SUNNY?
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
I mean. I left, so, definitely don’t think it’s the place for everyone. But better then NC when you’re dying man.
ytatyvm@reddit
BUILD THE WALL
DoubleTFan@reddit
Interview with an Impact Plastics worker who lost coworkers to being told to keep working even when the company said they knew danger was coming but were "monitoring" it: https://youtu.be/a2nKwxH_iCQ?si=tI0aNTKlPm03pZf9&t=115
DrugThrowawayDDAR@reddit
Events like these are pushing me towards becoming an accelerationist. I just read a thread on Twitter about all the destruction and all of the right-wing comments are “no one could’ve known this storm would cause dam failures and destroy towns, etc”. Due to climate change this is now a possibility with every hurricane, storm, tornado, etc and people have been saying it for decades. It’s not climate change though, it’s the government geoengineering the weather. The faster we get this over with the better, imo.
HansProleman@reddit
The touch screen disposable vapes did it for me 😈
I'm not really, literally an accelerationist but taking things seriously is increasingly painful.
SpongederpSquarefap@reddit
I still can't get over that
Rechargeable battery and a circuit board, just discarded into the trash
We're a disgusting species
EuphoricUniverse@reddit
The early history of weather modification (1968):
"There no longer is any question that it is quite feasible to modify supercooled clouds wherever they occur. There is still much uncertainty as to subsequent developments which may occur due to such actions especially in unstable cloud systems. Unlike supercooled fogs and stratus clouds where the seeding results may be photographed and quantitatively measured, these less stable systems involving convection, convergence and divergence of moist and dry air are difficult systems to evaluate.
This paper reviews briefly certain aspects of weather control prior to 1946 and then attempts to provide an accurate historical chronology of the significant advances which occurred during the early period of this new phase of atmospheric science."
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477-49.4.337
Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025 (1996)
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA333462.pdf
(An official website of the United States government)
"Weather Modification, Inc., has been modifying and operating aircraft for cloud seeding and atmospheric research operations since 1961. We maintain and operate a fleet of more than 35 twin-engine aircraft in various configurations that meet the needs of every client."
http://www.weathermodification.com/aircraft.php
Solar radiation management is here (2023):
https://www.niskanencenter.org/solar-radiation-management-is-here/
Explainer: Six ideas to limit global warming with solar geoengineering (2018):
https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-six-ideas-to-limit-global-warming-with-solar-geoengineering/
dumnezero@reddit
People writing about it doesn't make it real. See: Bible.
EuphoricUniverse@reddit
Ignorance is bliss, indeed. Just wow.
GreatestCatherderOAT@reddit
are you a bot? sounds like you are just jumbling up what you read on the most popular topics on the most populated conspiracy threads on twitter etc
hot air can hold more moisture and heat is energy. so the more we heat up the atmosphere by trapping energy from the sun within the bonds of O=C=O, the more forceful storms will become because of all the excess energy we now have in the atmosphere.
government is bad, I agree, and they and the tec bro inc will try to geoengineer their way out of this mess capitalistic greed has produced, which will make things even worse. but climate change is because of the emissions of industries around the world and the way we live and consume.
DrugThrowawayDDAR@reddit
The fact that I need to put an /s after saying the government is geoengineering hurricanes is exactly why accelerationism is appealing.
AggravatingAmbition2@reddit
This bro what even is this person doing like thinking you’re being serious rn lmaooo
Sinistar7510@reddit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law
"Poe's law is an adage of Internet culture which says that, without a clear indicator of the author's intent, any parodic or sarcastic expression of extreme views can be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of those views."
GreatestCatherderOAT@reddit
but shouldn't we take care that people who believe in things such as that the government is engineering the weather are less oblivious before this system collapses?
AvsFan08@reddit
He wasn't blaming the government. He was making fun of the idiots that are.
GreatestCatherderOAT@reddit
I don't think so. the citation " " ends before he says the government is producing climate change through geoengineering , and he says accelerationism is the solution (to overcome that situation)
Big_Brilliant_3343@reddit
They were. Not putting a lot of the right grammer makes it hard to read. They were being ironic talking about the crazies on twitter.
IWantAHandle@reddit
Sweet irony. You mean grammar. Not grammer.
AvsFan08@reddit
I think he was being sarcastic honestly
GreatestCatherderOAT@reddit
or he is actually a bot
ontrack@reddit (OP)
This is a 13 minute segment from 60 Minutes posted yesterday about a type of insurance fraud that is going on in Florida related to hurricane damage. Essentially insurers are lowballing repair estimates by as much as 97% and daring people to sue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5re7zBzrJk
dumnezero@reddit
No insurance: the sneaky way.
ontrack@reddit (OP)
Maybe, but if you have a mortgage then homeowners insurance is required. But some people who don't have a mortgage have opted not to carry insurance.
dumnezero@reddit
Hurricane Helene | Death toll rises above 120 as of Monday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8MaPnphcvM @Wfaa8
mem2100@reddit
Also, it was surreal when ALL the roads in and out of Asheville were closed, and the internet died.
Stranded in paradise. If they get the water back on, it will make things easier. Thank God my wife filled the bathtub yesterday.
Publix is the only major store open right now. Going there very early tomorrow.
When we went this afternoon, the line to enter was about 3 hours, so we left.
The day before Helene hit we visited the Arboretum here. Fantastic place. I've never seen a better Bonzai exhibit.
Also - everyone we have met here, has been great. The people in Asheville are a really great part of the place.
cr0ft@reddit
Shouldn't really be needing a store yet (ie, supplies). Seems like good news that anything at all is open.
mem2100@reddit
Normally, I hold my fire when someone makes an offhand, context free comment.
But in the spirit of the season, a season of phase change from laminar to turbulence. From order to chaos. Overshoot on steroids.
We sold our place north of the Big H, and left behind a house: 1. On the high ground, way above the 500 year flood plain 2. With (Plan B) a whole house generator (nat gas powered - that will run a long long time with air filter/oil changes every 100 hours) 3. A lot of food and bullets
We decided to enjoy the mountains of Asheville while our movers brought our solar panel powered Anker battery kit - the emergency plan C rig intended to keep the lights on in the very unlikely event the generator had a hiccup.
So yeah - what Lemony Snickett would call a series of unfortunate events. A century storm in the midst of the second move of our life.
My better half filled the tub the day before the water pressure died. And I'd bought enough food for about 5 days. Just in case.
belleepoquerup@reddit
You understand that many communities got entirely wiped out in western NC? Asheville is under water. Supplies have floated off in many cases. I know not much has been on the news but you can go to r/NorthCarolina and find all the reasons people who made it through this need a Publix. I keep seeing on this sub and the preppers one a very privileged stance and (maybe a lack of empathy) on what has happened in this situation and is still ongoing. Entire towns will never recover in western NC and I’m sure other states. NC did not get the same warning as Fl bc it’s not FL and my county below Buncombe, Rutherford, got shelter in place orders. All roads in western NC have been closed. Rescues are happening by air and water. Buncombe County’s Emergency Mgmt stated last night that the devastation will be comparable to Katrina. Imagine Katrina hitting your doorway with very little warning. I’m still waiting to hear from family members who have no cellular, no power and maybe no water. I’ll post the Black Mtn Chief of Police’s experience as reported by a citizen. It will maybe give you an idea of what this looks like all over. I don’t come to this sub looking for kindness but I do expect everyone here to understand that your prepping (and mine) is like a security blanket in some instances. And this is one of them. You can’t prep for the unimaginable.
cr0ft@reddit
Yeah, that's true, I guess if you get entirely wiped out making sure food and water remains safe is difficult. I didn't mean to come across as glib or unfeeling.
But preparing for the unimaginable is time to get on top of, and start actually imagining this happening just this bad or worse again.
belleepoquerup@reddit
From NC Weather Authority on FB:
“I’m sorry to text so early. Our friend, Steve, Black Mountains Police Chief, got home this morning to get some rest and then he’s headed back to Black Mountain. He’s been up for 72 hours evacuating and rescuing. It’s catastrophic in that area. Montreat and Swannanoa are gone. Neighborhoods are gone from flooding or mudslides. They’re having to leave bodies behind, houses are on fire. There’s no communication so people that need to be rescued can’t call for help so they have no idea where to look. The flood current is so strong and they weren’t able to save some people that were in their cars. No one even knows this is going on right now because of having no communication. We’ve been watching the news since we woke up this morning and it hasn’t even been mentioned. So many prayers are needed. My heart is so heavy.”
My follower [redacted] shared this message with me.
bobjohnson1133@reddit
holy shit!
belleepoquerup@reddit
Exactly! And this is just one of the many communities that are having the same experience. Only air access and a complete blackout in most areas for comms.
AntiBoATX@reddit
So publix is open and has power and is accepting payment?
mem2100@reddit
Sorry for the lag. We got out today.
Publix has power and is accepting payment.
We drove out of Arden today, so supplies are getting in by truck.
We filled our gas tank the day before Helene struck, which was super helpful because it allowed us to drive 150+ miles East before getting gas. For the first 100 miles gas stations were either: 1. closed due to power outage 2. open but out of gas 3. had very long lines
I drove at 60 mph until we got gas to max our range.
As we were loading the car to leave, a nice couple was walking their dog and paused to ask how we were faring. I told them we were lucky, no harm no damage to the AirBnB we were staying in. I asked about their situation. A tree fell through their roof into their bedroom. I had a spare tarp, hope it helped a bit.
Scary stuff. We have now officially fallen down the rabbit hole.
AvsFan08@reddit
Sounds like there's a fairly decent chance that another hurricane hits the same area around October 6th
walwalun@reddit
Is there a source for this? I'm in the affected area.
Powerful_Dog7235@reddit
here is the main source for what systems are forming: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php
here is a source saying those systems are unlikely to impact land: https://apnews.com/article/tropical-weather-atlantic-hurricane-isaac-joyce-e877d4191f0b41c8eccbca631cc2bf32
stay safe and check the news often!
walwalun@reddit
Thank you, these are amazing!
cruznr@reddit
I would add that, if you're in a hurricane prone area, you should start tracking these weather models - Tropical Tidbits is a great resource for this.
jabrollox@reddit
The GFS / GFS ensembles runs have been consistently showing a FL panhandle landfall for a couple days now around 10/6. The most recent run had it fizzling, but that is the outlier for the moment.
tenderooskies@reddit
all i can think about is what this is going to look like in 10-15 years with bigger and bigger storms. it’s pretty terrifying
SoFlaBarbie@reddit
I never thought I’d see the day when a Cat 4 with landfall to the least populous part of my state would cause this much damage. Cat 4 to Miami, yes. Cat 4 direct to Tampa Bay, yes. But a Cat 4 to the Big Bend, no way in hell. Terrifying times we are living in now.
False_Raven@reddit
There's still gonna be people who won't evacuate
belleepoquerup@reddit
That doesn’t apply to communities who didn’t get the same advance warning as Florida.
MaracujaBarracuda@reddit
Or can’t
lowrads@reddit
The reality is that even normal sized storms produce more damage, because we keep building more infrastructure in high risk areas, like flood plains.
TheRedPython@reddit
It doesn't help that a lot of what used to be 500 year flood plains are more like 5 year floodplains over the last decade
dumnezero@reddit
I do wonder how suburban sprawl with dome design looks like.
ashvy@reddit
Can't say about bigger storms i.e. cat6 or such, or the span, as there might be upper limits to how much one storm can build up to, but there surely will be multiple storms in a shorter spans. Like it's predicted currently that there might be another one hitting the same areas around 6th Oct. So multiple storms hitting in quick successions to cool down the ocean temps. I guess it depends on which dominates the cooling effect, large cat6 one, or multiple cat3/4 ones.
tenderooskies@reddit
warmer and warmer oceans - the flooding events will get bigger and bigger regardless of the wind events
4ab273bed4f79ea5bb5@reddit
There is not an upper limit to the strength of hurricanes. Mach I is a theoretical "soft limit" to hurricane wind speeds but at that point the oceans are literally boiling so speculation beyond that is kind of pointless.
rmannyconda78@reddit
North central Indiana, lots of wind, and still raining
A picture of a rain cell that passed by I took at work, some of these rainstorms(wich were a county over) had a land spout warnings with them. Indiana had it mild compared to the south though, several towns were destroyed by it, 50+ killed by it, storm was no joke.
MidnightMarmot@reddit
That looks apocalyptic
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
collapse-ModTeam@reddit
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rmannyconda78@reddit
That was just a little rain shower
This storm that happened last march on the other hand…
Ok_Mechanic_6561@reddit
It’s been cloudy and rainy and very humid for the past week where I live in the mid-Atlantic
funkybunch1624@reddit
yes. its called WEATHER.
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HusavikHotttie@reddit
I live in MN. I personally know 3 ppl in FL who lost everything and 2 in NC who are stranded because every single bridge around them is gone. How many people do you know? This is insane.
cr0ft@reddit
I suspect this year it's really being driven home to people how unsustainable Florida really is getting. They get the full brunt every time something runs through that area. But yeah when it's a category 4, it's going to rip everything a fair bit further north a new asshole too. Plus, a cat 5 is just a matter of time now that the gulf is heating up and there's more energy around.
dinah-fire@reddit
There's a chance that another tropical storm/hurricane will the exact same area of the Florida panhandle in a week. (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php) It's far enough out that we can't know the trajectory yet, but if another storm goes over the same place within a week of Helene, I don't even want to think about how bad it'll be.
Portalrules123@reddit
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/29/hurricane-helene-historic-flooding-global-heating-fema
“Hurricane Helene’s ‘historic flooding’ made worse by global heating, Fema says”
_rihter@reddit
I'm afraid we'll get a lot more of these megathreads in the near future.
yaosio@reddit
Remember when we were all talking about a predicted arc storm in California? The damage from this hurricane came out of nowhere. No predictions at all, and everybody was so sure hurricanes were done for this year. I've got to wonder what other disasters are coming our way that nobody is predicting.
Coldricepudding@reddit
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, but pretty sure most of us in hurricane prone areas are well aware we're in the middle of peak hurricane season. I don't expect folks in Tennessee, or even inland Georgia, to know that, though.
I guess my point is, folks tend to ignore everything that isn't perceived as an immediate threat. For every disaster you can think of, there's someone out there plotting possible scenarios. But as individuals, we can't plan and prepare for every possible disaster. Just do your best to prepare appropriate emergency supplies and such. Catastrophizing will only drive you crazy.
belleepoquerup@reddit
My family in western NC got shelter in place orders. Also many areas there reported flood walls being breached days before Helene arrived. It was a significant one-two punch for that area
Coldricepudding@reddit
Hope all your folks are alright!
I grew up in mid GA, and went through the flood of '94 in a 3 bedroom house with a total of 9 people living in it at the time because my parents had taken in friends of my brother that were about to be homeless. We were poor, and lucky that we had enough on hand to eat because our street was impassable for 3 days. That was bad enough, but I think a lot of places got it worse from Helene, and it's hard to prepare for an entire town getting flooded.
jabrollox@reddit
Huh, no predictions at all? Us weather nerds were looking at 384 hour GFS runs of Helene 3 weeks ago. The GFS had a surprisingly good handle on every turn 200 hours out, and the intensity models did pretty well on the rapid intensification in the shorter term.
With the record SSTs/TCHP I would not be surprised in the least to see another major impact the gulf coast this year.
IWantAHandle@reddit
Only one????
Straight-Razor666@reddit
on the ground right now in saint petersburg and the area has been smashed. \~69,000 locations still without power. Duke Energy, btw, is not a public utility. They made $2,900,000,000.00 (billion) in net profit 2023...
Barbarake@reddit
You should see the Carolinas. Here's the Duke Power outage map for North and South Carolina.
https://outagemap.duke-energy.com/#/current-outages/ncsc
See that 500K on the left? That's where I am. But luckily I don't use Duke, I belong to a small electrical co-op. I still don't have power but at least I know my co-op doesn't make a 'profit', it spends everything on trying to keep the power on.
Straight-Razor666@reddit
CO-OPs are good, and if you lost power you know it's not for making too much profits off the members. And I was thinking about the other areas after I made this post and I should have included the other areas under Duke's grip.
Between the Carolinas and Florida there are more than a million service locations without power. That affects several times that in people without power. It's not a million people, it's a million service locations...it's an abomination that they get billions and millions twist in the wind.
DidntWatchTheNews@reddit
I'm outside of Philadelphia.
Have two spare bedrooms. If you need a bed after the hurricane you'll can crash here.
mercenaryblade17@reddit
You are a good human
anotherdamnscorpio@reddit
Still haven't heard from my friend in Asheville. I'm assuming he's without power and his phone is dead.
LadyFizzex@reddit
I heard from family this morning. Cell service is starting to crop up again. They're trapped in their neighborhood currently. All the roads are either washed out or blocked by downed trees and power lines. The neighbors are pulling together to share food, water, and generators. As of right now, they're ok. I'm very grateful they weren't down in the valley. Most of Asheville is gone.
Educational-Loss-490@reddit
Just talked to some fam in Asheville and cell service is really spotty all over there. They have to drive around to find a spot with service.
doctordontsayit@reddit
Phone calls are going through now
HackedLuck@reddit
GFS has another major hurricane hitting where Helene made landfall.
Bigtimeknitter@reddit
JFC
IKillZombies4Cash@reddit
Is that another weather model? ;)
sg_plumber@reddit
See Noah's Ark.
DeathByTireIron@reddit
Source?
HackedLuck@reddit
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/
SunnySummerFarm@reddit
My phone is struggling to load that site (my signal is crap). Can you tell us when it’s predicted?
yaosio@reddit
zoom.earth shows the development areas in an easier to parse manner. You don't get all the same information from the other site linked though, which I suppose is the price of it being easier to use.
kaalitenohira@reddit
There are two development regions. One in the bay near Yucatan from October the 1st through 3rd could form, and another a bit southeast of that (southwest of Jamaica) from October the 1st through 5th. Roughly. But of course that could change, and it's far too early to speculate about stormtracks (conditions are very favorable but the windshear in the eastern US is speculated to push any formed storm more West than Helene - but this will depend on how fast they form and then the forward momentum of a storm if it does indeed form.)
Hope that helps. Just keep an eye out, we probably have a week or so before we'll see definitively.
DeathByTireIron@reddit
Damn, thank you
HackedLuck@reddit
Np
cozycorner@reddit
Terrifying
Feeling-Ad-4731@reddit
Just saw this on X. Is it true that they weren't designating shelters for a lot of people?
Even if it wasn't common for Helene, it seems inevitable that the ability to evacuate will become an increasing luxury as governments predictably underinvest in emergency preparedness. I guess you could call it a sort of "passive eugenics".
Purua-@reddit
It’s an absolute mess where I live
vagabond_dreams1@reddit
My mother and sister are in Asheville, and I’ve been trying to contact them from overseas for two days with no luck. According to local subreddits (my only source of info at the moment), Asheville and the rest of western NC is in shambles, with most places having no water, electric, or cell coverage. Many locations are completely inundated and it will take weeks to clean up. It’s been excruciating waiting for news and not being able to contact loved ones there, and there is virtually nothing we can do but wait 😢
belleepoquerup@reddit
Go to North Carolina’s Weather Authority on FB, it gives on the ground self-reported updates and facilitates looking for people by county.
jon_titor@reddit
It’s going to take months/years to clean up, not weeks.
I currently live in NC (thankfully our town is ok, but we were hit pretty hard too) but I also lived in Boulder during their 1000 year flood in 2013, and I lived in Houston during Katrina and Rita and spent a fair amount of time in New Orleans during the year after Katrina.
The Boulder flood also took out many roads in the mountains, washed away homes, etc and it was well over a year before they managed to fix the roads. Including the main highway connecting Boulder and Estes Park, so not just small mountain roads. Expect traveling in Western NC to be fucked for at least a year.
And in New Orleans after Katrina there were large areas of the city that didn’t recover for many, many months. I went to Mardi Gras after Katrina (so like 4-5 months later?) and most traffic lights still didn’t work and most businesses were still cash only because their payment systems were still down. The house we partied in was on a street of boarded up houses that we later learned had dead people inside waiting to be found.
It’s bad, and many small towns in Western NC will never recover.
cr0ft@reddit
Years to clean up, but the area will probably be hammered annually. 😬
AvsFan08@reddit
It might get hit again in a week or so
vagabond_dreams1@reddit
It’s truly horrific. I think my mind is trying to stay optimistic, but you’re right, it’s going to take a LONG time to recover, and some places never will. Glad to hear you’re fairing okay.
mem2100@reddit
I'm in Asheville, actually Arden, and the internet came on about one hour ago in our neighborhood. No idea if it is a local cell or the whole city is now back online.
vagabond_dreams1@reddit
Glad to hear it! Hopefully it comes back on widely soon!
_Cromwell_@reddit
I don't know if you've tried this yet but in the Asheville subreddit I've seen a few people ask about certain areas of town where they had a loved one or friend and people respond pretty good about generally what that area is like. It's given some people some peace of mind to hear that a particular apartment complex looks undamaged/ fine, or a particular neighborhood didn't get flooded, or whatever. You could try asking if you haven't yet. Chances are somebody in the sub has driven by or is near. (I was able to reach my friend and he was fine thankfully)
vagabond_dreams1@reddit
I did just that, and luckily someone was able to give me an update on my mom and sister’s apartment complex. It weathered the worst of it but there’s still no power, water, or cell service. Glad to hear your friend is fine ❤️
Daniella42157@reddit
That's so hard. I'm so sorry you and your family are going through that. I hope they're okay!
vagabond_dreams1@reddit
Thank you. Fortunately, some kind folks on the local subreddit have told me that their apartments have made it through the storm. Now I just need to ensure they are okay too ❤️
NRM1109@reddit
I live in NC. My best news sources have been (don’t hate me) TikTok. Also Brad Panovich meteorologist has a lot of really good informative updates on his Facebook page (highly recommend him).
But basically all of Western NC is closed. They won’t even let people drive on the parts of I40 that is still functional because idiot people wanted to “go check things out”
What’s worse is that all of the water is flowing downstream now so further into the Piedmont are now having flash flooding. They keep evacuating Mountain Island area in Charlotte.
cr0ft@reddit
I suspect at least some of the failed roads are showing us what happens when maintenance is not kept up with and they get stressed. US road infrastructure is overall garbage, and the southern states aren't exactly at the forefront of maintenance.
DidntWatchTheNews@reddit
Maintenance doesn't matter.
Did you ever play with one of those erosion tables?
LectureBoring1722@reddit
I live in East TN. Newport, TN got evacuated yesterday evening. A few dams around here have spilled over contributing to catastrophic flooding. There are soooooo many reports of roads and bridges that have washed out. I think it will be several days to a week or so before we know the full scope of the damage in my neck of the woods.
slickneck4@reddit
The no name storm that hit NC SE coast STILL has roads out and now confirmed with end of year fix. It’ll be a long hall. Good luck.
sambull@reddit
if you never fix them, then your prepared for the next one right?
darkingz@reddit
I know it doesn’t diminish the damage and time it’d take to recover but it’d be funny that it was a real hall that needed to be fixed only and not a haul
Guerilla_Physicist@reddit
My family is up in Elizabethton. Thankfully everyone was fine when we managed to get in touch last night, and I know logically that the cell service is just bad up there right now but the radio silence since then is still stressing me out.
I hope you and yours are okay, too.
advamputee@reddit
Family friend’s beach house near Horseshoe Beach, FL is gone, along with about 95% of the rest of the structures in town.
I’ve got friends in Asheville, NC I haven’t heard from / can’t get ahold of. Hoping they’re alright.
mem2100@reddit
I'm in Asheville right now. Well, technically Arden.
Everyone seems ok. But power is out and holy cow i have never in 60+ years seen so many trees and power lines down.
Our AirBnB lost water this morning. Bummer.
MidnightMarmot@reddit
I spent much of the summer thinking that we would have a bad hurricane season due to the SST rise and moving back to La Niña but I was starting to think maybe we had escaped it. I guess not. It’s devastating. It’s like half of NC is wiped out if I’m tracking some of the news. This is going to cost so much money and displace so many people.
nommabelle@reddit
This post about a squid being found 250 miles inland is pretty crazy. I really want some theories on that...