Cat 4 hurricane Helene: Aftermath Reports from towns and resorts [MERGED]

[TUGBrian]

asheville: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/h2BH4ur24rozJ3sZ/?mibextid=oFDknk and

 

[TUGBrian]

rainfall totals coming in...

 

[TUGBrian]

hideaway sands resort update (st petersburg fla)

Quick update, barrier Islands are still not allowing access. This may take some time. The resort will be closed until further notice.
We anticipate that once power has been restored and we have been allowed access to the resort there will be many hours ahead of us to clean up and verify the resort can be safely accessed
There will be NO checkins this Saturday Sept 28th.
We will update you when we can
Thank you for your understanding.

 

[TUGBrian]

wyndham clearwater is closed (even to staff)

 

[TUGBrian]

report from siesta key:

They are only allowing residents & business owners out on the key at the moment to start cleaning up their homes and stores/restaurants. Siesta is going to take a very long time to get back to “normal”. Plus, I think Calini is flooded.

 

[moonstone]

I saw this on the Calini Beach Club website;

HURRICANE HELENE UPDATE:
‍
Longboat Key, Siesta Key and Manasota Key have experienced significant impacts from the unprecedented storm surge brought by Hurricane Helene. Officials are currently assessing the damage, and the barrier islands remain unsafe, and re-entry is not permitted at this time.
‍
As a result, the following resorts will remain closed until we can verify that it is safe and clear for staff to return and owners/guests to occupy their units:
· Little Gull Cottages
· White Sands
· Gulf Tides
· Longboat Bay Club
· Calini Beach Club
· Siesta Sands
· Sea Oats
· Englewood Beach and Yacht Club
‍
We will provide updates as soon as they become available.

Please stay safe and take care during this time.



~Diane

 

[rickandcindy23]

The above post by a local meterologist goes with the pictures in the OP's first post.

I do wonder how Foxrun is fairing, also Blue Ridge Village. This could be heartbreak for owners who love to be there. Fall colors are supposed to be beautiful in NC.

 

[Superchief]

Luckily, I'd say it's not common. In Sept '09, I was living in Cincinnati when the remnants of a Gulf storm or Hurricane worked its way up there. Actually, we were driving back from WV and noticed the change in Lexington, KY. Driving on the interstate in the Cincy area was terrifying.

It had been a dry summer, drought conditions. So many large trees came down in the winds. At least one killed a person inside their home. The power was out for a long, long time. I lived in town near Xavier and hospitals. So, I was only w/o power maybe a day or two. Friends just a few miles away didn't have their power restored for a week. Some were w/o it for 10 days in the 'burbs. Lots of extension cords running from houses that had power to neighbors who did not. Lots of neighborhood BBQ's to cook up the contents of people's freezers. Grateful it was a warm time of year as opposed to winter which would be worse.

I live in Cincinnati Northern suburb and we were hit pretty hard by this hurricane. Over 150k with power outages and lots of trees down. We lost a 50+ yr old American Chestnut tree that blew down at the roots. Luckily it only hit a lamp post but it blocked our driveway. 60+ MPH wind gusts in the area and over 4 in of rain so far in two days. We had virtually no rain in Aug-Sep. It is ironic that many of the Duke Energy and tree service trucks had gone south to the more directly impacted areas, so it is difficult to find people to do the repair work. I really feel bad for the people in the Carolinas who appear to be under water in a lot of areas. Stay safe.

 

[Superchief]

I heard that I-40 is closed East/South of Knoxville due to landslides. It could be a long time before it reopens.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

ill try to post updates as i get them, but everywhere i look more and more videos of devastation keep popping up well outside florida.

I admittedly had no idea how much rain this storm dumped in georgia, south and north carolina, tennessee and kentucky....so many of these towns like asheville are straight underwater today it is very sobering.

The company I work for has a plant in Georgia, near Fayetteville, and we closed the plant down and so glad we did as we took in water at the plant and employees homes took in some water but it was more of the trees falling down and blocking roads and electric being out...

 

[rapmarks]

Someone from Canada posted on bluegreen site that they were marooned at Fox Run. About 80% of the replies blasted them for not leaving early. It would not have occurred to me that North Carolina would get devastated from the hurricane in the gulf.

 

[amycurl]

Yes, the photos out of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are just heartbreaking. We really enjoyed our week there during Spring Break in 2021. (I've tried to figure out how to cut and paste photos from FB here, and haven't cracked that nut yet.)
There are a lot of friends with kids at Western Carolina, UNC-Asheville, Appalachian State, Catawba College, etc....who are being sent home and will not be going back to classes for many weeks. Another year of schooling interrupted for this COVID generation. (Catawba had throwing $$ at my DD and now I am very glad that she had no interest in going to school anywhere in NC.)

 

[amycurl]

Let's see if this works...

Biltmore Village (across the street from the entrance to Biltmore Estate)

Chimney Rock, NC

Lake Lure

Swannanoa, NC (Between Asheville and Black Mountain)

 

[MULTIZ321]

Interstate 40 partially collapses after catastrophic rains in North Carolina

Interstate 40 partially collapses after catastrophic rains in North Carolina

A portion of a major interstate that connects western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee was washed out during catastrophic flooding from Helene, with officials unsure when the highway will reopen.

www.foxweather.com

Richard

 

[TUGBrian]

i doubt anyone expected the levels of rain that far north and that far inland.

 

[MULTIZ321]

For Tampa Bay, Helene was the worst storm in a century

Welcome to Tribune Content Agency - Tribune Content Agency

tribunecontentagency.com

Richard

 

[moonstone]

For Tampa Bay, Helene was the worst storm in a century

Welcome to Tribune Content Agency - Tribune Content Agency

tribunecontentagency.com

Richard

I dont see a story there Richard.

Our DS, who I posted about in another thread, got off pretty lucky. He is in a canal subdivision right off the east side of Tampa Bay (directly across from St/ Petersburg) at Apollo Beach. At the peak the surge came to within 8" of his pool deck and garage door. It would have had to rise at least another 2 ft, maybe 30 inches, to get into the house. Almost all of the water had receded by last evening. His neighbour who has lived there since the subdivision was built told him that was the highest water level he had ever seen there. Quite a few homes in another section of the subdivision that is lower had water penetration.

It is amazing how there can be so much damage over by Treasure Island, 20 miles as the crow flies away from him, and he didn't even loose any branches off his trees, just has a bit of mud on the driveway and walkway to the dock.

Hopefully the next 2 storms that are forming out in the Atlantic are not as bad.


~Diane

 

[TUGBrian]

update from hideaway sands resort:

Dear Resort Owners:
As you may be aware, Hurricane Helene brought severe winds, rain, and substantial rising water to all of Pinellas County and its beaches. The damage is severe, and authorities are not allowing anyone back onto any of the Pinellas County beaches until further notice. We have gathered as much information as possible to share with you, but none of that news is positive. Key points are as follows:
• The resort is currently closed to everyone. Please don’t come to the beach until the resort is reopened for business.
• The resort will be closed for Week 39. There will be no check-ins this Saturday, September 28, 2024.
• At this point, Week 40 will likely be closed, but the final determination has not been confirmed.
• No specific information will be forthcoming until Pinellas County Authorities and the National Guard reopen the beaches and we are allowed back onto the beach. Please do not call the resort as there is no power, phones, or internet available.
• We will post reports every day at noon Eastern Standard Time with updated information as it becomes available.
• No owners, regardless of week owned, should come to the resort. While access is not possible today, there will be no parking on site until further notice. All unauthorized cars will be towed.
Stormwater surged onto all the Pinellas beaches late last night. In most cases it came both from the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Intracoastal Waterway. Storm surge was estimated to be between 7-10 feet. First-floor flooding was catastrophic. Because we have not been able to return to the beaches, we are unable to assess and report damage. Once we are allowed back onto the beaches, we will provide updates regularly. This is a very serious weather event, and the resort may be closed for an extended time. Please be prepared and make appropriate arrangements to be flexible with your travel plans. We cannot predict or control what is going to happen. At this time all we can do is share the information we have, which is limited. We will post all changes daily, but we ask you to be patient while we work through the process of assessing and cleaning up from the storm. Many of us are not in our own homes and have also suffered severe damage and loss. Please be cognizant of this and understand we are all doing everything in our power and ability to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.

 

[JudyH]

I live on the gulf coast near Sarasota and the entire beach coastal line and most buildings are flooded right up to Perry and then the mountain areas north where we spent the past several fall seasons are decimated by floods, landslides, and destroyed roads and interstates. People posting desperate pleas for help in the mountain areas.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Tiny Florida town 'wiped off the map' by Hurricane Helene's wrath: 'There's
nothing left'

Tiny Florida town ‘wiped off the map’ by Hurricane Helene’s wrath: ‘There’s nothing left’

“I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t been touched by this,” one resident told The Post.

nypost.com

Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

Epic flooding in North Carolina's
own Hurricane Katrina

Epic flooding in North Carolina's 'own Hurricane Katrina'

The storm caused massive power outages, prompting search and rescue deployments as many flooded-out residents are left without power or food.

www.usatoday.com

Richard

 

[pedro47]

Let's see if this works...

Biltmore Village (across the street from the entrance to Biltmore Estate)
View attachment 100052
View attachment 100054

Chimney Rock, NC
View attachment 100053

Lake Lure
View attachment 100055

Swannanoa, NC (Between Asheville and Black Mountain)
View attachment 100056

Let's see if this works...

Biltmore Village (across the street from the entrance to Biltmore Estate)
View attachment 100052
View attachment 100054

Chimney Rock, NC
View attachment 100053

Lake Lure
View attachment 100055

Swannanoa, NC (Between Asheville and Black Mountain)
View attachment 100056

I'm just loss for words..My heart is broken.

 

[Dori]

Diane, I’m so glad to hear that your son‘s property was safe.

Dori

 

[pedro47]

I'm just loss for wordsDir Biltmore Estate f

Did the Biltmore Estate survive?

 

[pedro47]

Helene took down Spectrum Cable in parts of Coastal Virginia , North Carolina and South Carolina.