My son's currently stationed at Fort Gordon since he got back from overseas and we haven't heard from him in a few days.

--
sorry, Fort Eisenhower is what it's called now.

All I personally got was three days of non-stop rain. There was flooding in the area of Erwin, TN (~20 miles to the south) in which some people got swept away in a vehicle (circumstances not known to me).

Tik Tok video at link.

AMAZING RESCUE in North Carolina – Local Hero Jumps in Raging Flood Waters to Rescue Elderly Woman Who Was Swept Away by the Current – MUST-SEE VIDEO

By Jim Hoft | Oct. 1, 2024 5:30 pm


A brave man from North Carolina jumped in the raging waters to rescue and elderly woman who was swept away in the current. – tiktok screengrab

Video was posted on Monday night of a brave North Carolina man rescuing an elderly woman who was swept away by the current in the raging flood waters following Hurricane Helene.

The Southeastern United States has been plunged into devastation after Category 4 Hurricane Helene, the strongest hurricane to ever strike Florida’s Big Bend region, unleashed catastrophic destruction across six states.

Helene’s ferocious winds and torrential rains have claimed at least 143 lives, left millions without power, and trapped countless families in floodwaters, particularly in North Carolina, where entire communities have been cut off from vital resources.

There are at least 600 to 750 people still missing following the flooding and hurricane damage.

The death toll continues to rise, with North Carolina being hit the hardest, reporting at least 36 casualties. South Carolina follows closely with 25 confirmed deaths, including two firefighters who died in Saluda County, according to CNN.

A gripping video was released on Monday of rescuers saving an elderly woman who was trapped in her home as the raging flood waters consumed her property.

The video was posted by hals__14 on Tiktok and has 3560 comments.

The hero Eddie Hunnell is in a canoe when the woman is swept from her home in the raging waters.

Eddie jumps in the water from his canoe so that he can reach the elderly woman.

Then the two of them manage to get back to shore, totally exhausted.


The woman climbed the bank to safety after the rescue.

This is a must-see video!

** A GoFundMe was started for the victims of the flood in Ashe County North Carolina.

Here is the video that is going viral of the rescue by Eddie Hunnell.

I live and work 911 in the foothills of North Carolina. We all talk about Hurricane Hugo back in 1989, and this is worse. The same amount of wind but a lot more rain. The runoff from the mountains was horrendous.
I have never heard as many helicopters as I have in the past few days. Seems like a steady stream going over my house headed west towards Asheville. The interstate is busy with road construction crews and linemen heading into the mountains.
We lost power for a couple days and still don’t have water back(well pump issues) but we’ll be ok.
Pray for our neighbors in the mountains. They’re gonna need it.

We are 8 miles from the NC/TN state line in the mountains It sounds like a war zone with the helicopters. Here in Greene county our water system was totally destroyed but everyone is safe
We lost over 100 bridges and recovery is going to take awhile. The one thing that stands out to me is everyone is looking to help no matter what NO Bitching stealing or politics just neighbor helping neighbor. This truly is God's country

The day after the devastation a random Twitter user, with the backdrop of towns completely washed away and people clinging to their rooftops, remarked "no worries, those FEMA $750 checks are being printed right now." I chuckled at the absurdity of it because the joke rang a hint of truth.

And then I see this today! This administration continues to shock me somehow in new ways every day.

https://x.com/stillgray/status/1841593520001335503

Grid Apocalypse Hits Carolinas: 360 Substations Down, Power Restoration Could Take "Months"

https://www.zerohedge.com/comm...on-could-take-months

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), representing a district in the western portion of the state battered by Hurricane Helene, released a press release Sunday detailing the infrastructure devastation.

Edwards said power outages remain widespread in Western North Carolina as of Sunday. Fast-forward to Wednesday morning, Poweroutage.US data shows more than 400,000 residents are without power in the region.

He explained that 360 power substations "are out," indicating that "many of these substations were completely flooded, and Duke Energy is unable to assess the damage until the flooding has lowered, the water has been pumped out, and the equipment is thoroughly dried."

What's piqued our interest is that the powering up America theme to power AI data centers and other electrification trends, such as EVs and onshoring manufacturing (as outlined in "The Next AI Trade"), has led to shortages and price increases in the transformer market.

"Distribution transformers are a bedrock component of our energy infrastructure," National Renewable Energy Laboratory researcher Killian McKenna said, who was recently quoted by PV Magazine.

McKenna pointed out, "But utilities needing to add or replace them are currently facing high prices and long wait times due to supply chain shortages. This has the potential to affect energy accessibility, reliability, affordability—everything."

Other reasons for the transformer shortages besides power grid upgrades include raw material sourcing problems, pandemic-related supply chain woes and backlogs, labor constraints, shipping issues, and geopolitical tensions.

Given all of this, Jesse D. Jenkins, an assistant professor and macro-energy systems engineering and policy expert at Princeton University, responded to the dire situation of a grid apocalypse playing out in the Southeast US:

"This is devastating. We do NOT have 360 substations worth of transformers and other electrical equipment sitting in stockpiles waiting to be deployed. It could take a very long time to restore power to everyone. Are we facing a Hurricane Maria-type impact on grid infrastructure?"

Making matters worse for residents of North Carolina, some X users are pointing out the Biden-Harris administration supplied transformers to Ukraine. It's unclear if these transformers were drained for US stockpiles. Meanwhile, others note that Ukraine uses a different electrical system than the US.

What's not questionable is this: Earlier this year, US ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink jumped for joy on X, indicating United States Agency for International Development delivered "50 voltage transformers, 9 current transformers, & 80 isolators."

What's not questionable is this: Earlier this year, US ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink jumped for joy on X, indicating United States Agency for International Development delivered "50 voltage transformers, 9 current transformers, & 80 isolators."

You know, just Washington elites have been prioritizing Ukraine's power grid over the US' fragile grid.

Nathaniel Horadam, a managing consultant and automated vehicle specialist with the Atlanta-based nonprofit Center for Transportation and the Environment, wrote on X, " It's Hard to express how insane this is. With ongoing supply chain challenges facing switchgear and transformers, this could take many months to resolve."

"There's no excess capacity to quickly replace substation infrastructure. Lower priority sites could literally take years," Horadam warned.

More at link

^^

We should avoid using AI images in instances such as this. Of course it is for the best and most just of causes and it will seem counterintuitive to some of you that it is for this very reason that we should refrain from the use of AI images in such instances.

^^^^^^^^^^

Got it.

It feels like propaganda. Perhaps I am wrong. After all, a pen and ink drawing would be an acceptable rendition to convey suffering.

I don't know. Perhaps it's because unlike a cartoon drawing, AI imagery deceives the eye into thinking what is being seen is reality, rather than being a reflection of reality.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
It feels like propaganda….Perhaps it's because unlike a cartoon drawing, AI imagery deceives the eye into thinking what is being seen is reality, rather than being a reflection of reality.

Side note and unrelated to the flooding but thank you for that thought. You articulated an idea that’s been vaguely dancing around my own mind but I was unable to express cleanly.

$750? How generous.
How much are illegal immigrants getting in NYC?

I got a whopping 100 bucks from the government after Katrina. A year later they wanted it back. The Red Cross was offering a cool thousand dollars if you could stand in the blazing heat for several hours. Certain folks made out very well with governmental assistance. I do not believe in government handouts and will make do on my own.
I was very impressed with Church groups who helped with the cleanup and would not take a dime. Although Katrina happened in 2005 memories remain fresh.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Morgan:
$750? How generous.
How much are illegal immigrants getting in NYC?

This may sound callous, but how much is enough? Double it to $1500? $15,000? If someone has lost everything, is even $150,000 enough? But I don't think that's the way to look at it.

Our government doesn't have the money, either to hand out checks to Hurricane victims, or illegal immigrants. We are borrowing at an exponential rate that threatens our entire country with collapse... not just those areas hit by a natural disaster.

Also, government is not capable of being "generous" because government doesn't produce anything. It can only take and redistribute.

Charity comes from individuals and charitable organizations.

quote:

Certain folks made out very well with governmental assistance. I do not believe in government handouts and will make do on my own.
I was very impressed with Church groups who helped with the cleanup and would not take a dime. Although Katrina happened in 2005 memories remain fresh.

Yes.

“The act of reaching into one’s own pockets to help a fellow man in need is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into someone else’s pocket is despicable.”
― Walter E. Williams

Williams also cites James Madison, the acknowledged architect of the Constitution, as saying: “I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article in the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents . . . ."

This tragedy has been awful, and apparently completely unexpected with regard to the massive amount of rainfall. Apparently the last time something like this happened was in July of 1916, when two hurricanes converged over western NC and created similar catastrophic flooding


https://www.usatoday.com/story...flood-1916/86449334/



.

Ive seen several Hurricanes in Ft Myers since 2002 had severe damage 5 times!
NEVER SEEN A CENT from FEMA!!! yes filled out paperwork jumped thro hoops NOTHING!!

Insurance went up to $12,000 this year.

ALSO 60 minutes last Sunday about Insurance Fraud Company fiddling the Inspection Records offering 15K instead of 215K.

I empathize. The grants go to the poor and disadvantaged. If you are responsible and have insurance forget about getting any money.