Full scale of the impact of Hurricane Helene becoming apparent, North Carolina devastated.

 

A resident of North Caroline examines the damage of the disaster. BBC/Reuters. 

The full scale of the impact of Hurricane Helene is becoming apparent as North Carolina has been devastated. BBC. In one county alone, Buncombe, 30 people are dead and scores are missing. The level of damage in that county has been described as 'biblical". Nation-wide 105 people are confirmed to have died since the hurricane made landfall in Florida last Thursday but that number is expected to rise, possibly dramatically. The majority of deaths occurred in North and South Carolina where the storm caused extensive flooding. Rescue operations are being conducted by helicopter as so many roads were damaged, blocked or destroyed in the storm. Thousands of people are without power and there are concerns about food and water for the survivors. 

Horrific Flooding yesterday in Black Mountain and Swannanoa, North Carolina.
Human impacts from Helene in WNC will rival Hurricane Katrina based on the hell I’ve seen the last 48 hours.

📍Black Mountain, NC pic.twitter.com/pFK8K5RJdf

— Billy Bowling  𝕏 (@babowling12) September 28, 2024

 

Went to help in the Lake Lure/Chimney Rock area today, and it’s hard to describe - never seen anything like this. Post apocalyptic. It’s so overwhelming you don’t even know how to fathom what recovery looks like, let alone where to start. Going to be a long path to recovery that… pic.twitter.com/HnyxwyQB76

— Tariq Scott Bokhari (@FinTechInnov8r) September 29, 2024

My Comment:

This is a story that flew under the radar until today. I think most of us outside of the affected area assumed that the situation was not that bad as the place where the Hurricane hit, Florida, did not seem to be badly damaged. However, there were rumblings that things were very bad in North Carolina and that has been completely confirmed. 

The story went viral on social media and we finally got some real coverage of the damage that has occurred due to Hurricane Helene. The media essentially had to be shamed into covering it as people in the area that still had power and internet access were furious that they were being ignored. The same thing happened with the federal government, which also seemed to be asleep. 

Indeed, they still seem to be asleep. Biden has finally made a statement but the folks in North Carolina are reporting little help from the federal government. To be completely fair, much of that has to do with the fact that the logistics of this situation are a disaster in itself. So many roads have been destroyed or swept away it's going to be absurdly hard to get aid in. This is up in the mountains and once a road is destroyed or damaged it is hard to say the least to reopen. 

Still, it's not like the Biden White House has been good at disaster management. They failed in East Palestine Ohio, where they had to be shamed to even do anything. And the massive wildfire in Hawaii? They mishandled that one too. And I have no reason to believe that they will do better during this disaster. Indeed, Donald Trump is already planning on visiting Georgia tomorrow, but I have heard no evidence that Biden or Harris will be doing so. 

Keep in mind that a lot of people are still at risk. Asheville is probably the largest city in danger right now. Almost 100,000 live in the city and there is no power or city water there now. Food is a major concern as well, and if things aren't fixed with sanitation soon, disease could be a major problem as well. It's to the point where the city should be evacuated if possible, but how can they do that? Take them all out by helicopter? 

And Asheville is just the biggest city affected. What about all the smaller towns and cities that are even more cut off than Asheville and aren't getting as much attention? I worry for the folks in those towns, it might be awhile before they are rescued. 

Though this disaster isn't unprecedented, Asheville was largely destroyed in fairly similar circumstances back during the 1916 Charleston Hurricane, it's fairly surprising that the area was so devastated. You don't think of Western North Carolina when you think of hurricanes. And though the folks may have been somewhat prepared for a major storm, I don't think anyone could have prepared for this level of flooding. 

Though it is probably in bad taste to mention the political impact this disaster could have while the disaster is still ongoing, it's probably necessary. North Carolina was supposedly a swing state and this disaster could have unpredictable effects. Given the poor federal response so far and the fact that Harris is an incumbent VP, she could be hurt in the state. But the election could also be affected by the massive disruptions caused by the storm. It's about a month to the election, and it's very possible they won't have things up and running by the time the election comes.