Observer Time: September 28, 2024
Helene Widespread Devastation in NC: Asheville, N.C. – Saturday morning a cleanup is underway in western North Carolina by helene devastation.
So today here at Observer Time we will discuss and observe the news of Helene North California’s devastation.
HELENE NORTH CALIFORNIA DEVASTATION
• Dam breach called:
A flood emergency issued for parts of Cook, Greene, and Hamblen counties in eastern Tennessee has been extended until 6 p.m. noon ET.
The state of emergency for the dam failure is in the Nolichucky River below the Nolichucky Dam, affecting an area of more than 5,800 residents and two schools.
According to the National Weather Service “dam operators were advised of the failure of the Nolichucky Dam” in a flood emergency report. Several rivers have risen rapidly in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.
Although the main rain has stopped, another 1 to 2 inches should fall this week. The river level will take hours to days to drop back below the critical level. If the dam fails, the flooding could lead to “severe damage and loss of life,” the weather service said.
• Deaths in 5 states:
Deaths from the storm were reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia due to Helene. At least 19 people were killed in South Carolina, including two Saluda County firefighters, state officials said.
At least 15 people have died, including two from the Alamo tornado, according to a Georgia state spokesman. Brian Camp. Florida officials said eight people were killed, including several in Pinellas County.
Six other deaths were reported in North Carolina, including a car wreck on a stormy road that killed a 4-year-old girl. In Craig County, Virginia, one person was killed after a tree fell and a house collapsed during the storm, Governor Glenn Youngkin said Friday.
• Weather Outlook:
More rain is forecast for the weekend in parts of the southern Appalachian region. Additional rainfall of up to 1 inch is expected for parts of western North Carolina, including Asheville, and eastern Tennessee, including Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Up to 2 inches is possible for parts of Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania on Monday.
The National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg said Saturday morning that although the rain will be light, areas that have received heavy rain from Helen will see isolated pockets of high flow.
• Hurricane relief efforts continue:
The Department of Defense said Friday that nearly 4,000 National Guard members are conducting relief efforts in 21 counties across Florida.
North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama have activated the alert from helene. Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that more than 1,500 Biden administration staff have been deployed to support communities affected by Helen.
• Major flooding in North Carolina:
Governor Roy Cooper called Helen “one of the worst hurricanes in modern history for parts of North Carolina.” The western regions of the state were hit by heavy rains and strong winds, severe flooding, several landslides, and power outages.
The governor said more than 100 people were rescued from the high water. More than 2 feet of rain fell in the mountainous region of the state from Wednesday morning to Friday morning, with Busick recording 29.58 inches in just 48 hours.
In Asheville, Asheville has been hit hard, with the city on lockdown until 7:30 a.m. Saturday, officials said. About 20 miles southeast of Asheville, heavy rains and flooding pushed the Lore Dam to “near-danger,” according to the National Weather Service.
• More than 3 million without power:
The remnants of Helene continued to knock out power in several states across the eastern United States on Saturday morning, leaving nearly 3.3 million customers in the dark in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.
• The threat isn’t over:
Helene’s remnants will continue to bring rain and gusty winds hundreds of miles to the east. Several states recorded more than a foot of rain, with 14 more than 1.1 million people in the southern Appalachian region of western North Carolina and adjacent parts of Tennessee, South Carolina, and Virginia.
In addition to the rain, winds of 30 to 50 mph continued to batter the Ohio and Tennessee Valley regions Friday night, leaving more than 35 million people under warnings air.
More than a foot of rain has fallen across much of the region in recent days, setting the scene for disaster as Helen passes as a tropical storm on the morning of Friday. There was heavy flooding and mudslides.
Buncombe Deputy Emergency Management Director Ryan Cole said, “This is the worst disaster we’ve seen in western North Carolina.”
In the city of Asheville, several trees fell and several buildings were damaged.
Several roads and trails were closed Saturday morning.
In Asheville, more than 100,000 people will be without power Saturday morning, according to a Duke Energy outage map.
The ABC11 crew said it was garbage, dirt, and more in every way, with no mobile signal.
As of Friday, there were more than 100 rapid water rescues, about half of them around Asheville. People get emotional after going back to their loved ones.
Ryan Cole, assistant director of Buncombe County Emergency Services, said the washed-out roads prevented first responders from getting to the first call.
It was involved in a landslide in which four houses were destroyed and many people lost their lives. Three deaths in NC were attributed to the storm.
The deaths of 43 people across the country were confirmed as a result of the Helene incident.
The National Helene Hurricane Center said the hurricane, a post-autumn storm, will move over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend.
Several flood and flash flood warnings remain in effect for areas of the southern and central Appalachians. High wind warnings have also been issued for parts of Tennessee and Ohio.
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