Thanks for watching 🙂 You can read the story and more about Curtis and Nanda here: jonpaulray.com/he-told-it-on-the-mountain Here's the story and more clips: ruclips.net/video/Hrty9OSYtxQ/видео.htmlsi=n21z3vscmQpER_vA Part 2 Here: ruclips.net/video/FXU9QFBlQtI/видео.html Part 3 DAY 2 Here: ruclips.net/video/haBSP-VWw1c/видео.html Part 4, more cleanup Here: ruclips.net/video/GxC5EZwH1zg/видео.html
I was in Hampton 20 mins away no one thought it cld happen like this that's why we didn't leave no one was saying run for your life. There's a creek behind myself and is been watching it since the night before I watched it fill completely full in just a cpl hours and ran to all the neighbors which are elderly and was trying to get ppl to leave but no one wld no one thought it cld happen. I got my cat my dog and some of my fave things and left but trees were down everywhere there's only 3 ways out and 321 was closed, 19e to Mary Patton was closed so I turned around in a parking lot and that's when the flood water came. I seen my neighbors houses floating off foundation but I have two family members that's lost everything and got rescued by strangers from fb. I have learned that ppl are still good but I'm severely traumatized. Even my dog is scared hearing the sounds of that water. Is was awful I haven't finished the video but pray everyone ok
I know exactly what you mean. I'm glad you're ok. It felt like going back in time, being cut off from society for a few days. After the flood it's even taken me awhile to get back to sleeping normally, so I feel for your dog for sure :)
I’m so sorry for you all. I can’t imagine. I’m sure a lot are suffering from PTSD now. I can’t believe there was no emergency system sounding off. That seems criminal. @Lonnie-s31 you did right by warning neighbors. That’s the best you could do.
Wonderful effort in putting this video together. Although it has been many years since I have been to this area, my heart goes out to all people that have been affected by this disaster. My prayers are with you and may God's everlasting presence embrace you. Love and peace to you.
Thanks, it was an unplanned video that I kind of realized was worth shooting somewhere in the midst of the events. I have heard from the few folks I know and things are slowly improving. I am hoping to get back there before too long.
We kept saying “it can’t get any worse”…. But Helene kept saying back “yes it can”. The worst part is trying to deal with insurance companies. Most of our neighbors have lost everything with no coverage in policies for flood damage. If you were fortunate a tree fell on your house first so that you could claim “water intrusion”. Going to be a long recovery for us here in the mountains but we will pull through together
Exactly. When we woke up, the camp owner, Curtis Church, was devastated about the damage to his land (and his driveway bridge washed out), but when we saw how bad the rest of the mountain looked, he said he felt like he got lucky in comparison. The only upside to all the tragedy was the pulling together of the community that you mention. It was inspiring to see that in the days after the storm. Wishing you all the best in the rebuilding ahead 😀
I watched AccuWeather and the way they portrayed the storm track, I could tell that hurricane would bump up against the mountains and stall, dumping an unprecedented amount of rain. We have family in Asheville and I knew it would be awful for them. Had to wait a few days to even find out if everyone was OK. Thankfully, they all survived.
Same happens in Florida. Everywhere I imagine. The insurance companies hold us hostage on everything and get away with virtually zero regulation or oversight. The BIGGEST post disaster PRICE GOUGERS OF AMERICA are the INSURANCE (insSULTING) companies. They sicken me to no end. I am so sorry this happened to yall.
Thanks @@ScrewtapeLetter Yep. I live in Tampa. I came back from from Helene following me to NC only to see Milton come here and do nearly the same. Personally, we only lost a couple trees and power for a few days, but there's a lot of debris just sitting around on the streets. The only difference is we're sadly used to this in FL. Insurance companies have been fleeing the state (taking their money and running) since Irma in 2017.
People comment on Helene and the flooding as if it's a common occurrence and ask why people don't evacuate. This is something that no one who lives in the mountains of NC, VA, TN would ever have imagined. The mountains buffer us from this kind of weather. Hopefully, a once in a lifetime occurrence.
@@WokisanCamille happened the same way. I predicted the devastation before Helenes land fall because of the landfall location and the predicted forward speed of the hurricane which allowed it to stay relatively strong all the up into the western Appalachians. Camille is the worst natural disaster ever to hit Virginia.
This coastal NC hurricane veteran weeps for our neighbors in the west. We experience tropical storms, depressions, nor’easters, and the occasional hurricane….with some hurricanes worse than others. We usually have warnings and know when the severity dictates we evacuate. We are on flat ground. I would be terrified to live through this horror.😊
Thanks for your sympathies! I live in Asheville. It was an awful experience. Flash flooding in the Appalachians is horrendous. This is the fourth time I’ve seen flooding here but this was decidedly the worst it has been. Sadly, no one had any idea how bad it would actually be.
To the smarter than everyone commenters. Every single year we have hurricanes pass through WNC and every year the weather reporters make a big drama out of it and every single year we get some rain, a wee bit of elevated wind, a few trees fall down and some low lying areas flood a little. We got blindsided here. Don’t judge. Of course you can use hindsight to CLAIM you would have known better because you are so much smarter. Also, you can barely get cell service up in those hills so they weren’t getting the big last minute warnings we got in Asheville to seek higher ground immediately.
Few people have witnessed the kind of down poor that limits a person's view to less than five feet. Never mind how much the budget to the weather service has been cut to keep your for profit weather services satisfied.
thank you for explaining that. As a UK based Brit we always chuckle at how American tourists here panic when heavy rain etc starts - but having been to the US I understand WHY you are all so careful. Such a tragedy. Prayers for you all.
I understand not expecting what happened. I don't understand watching the water rise and failing to move while there was time to move just bc you expected the water to stop rising. That's just foolish.
68, and that was how my grandother said goodnight to me every night I can remeber. "See you in the morning ,gram." "Yes you will sir, if the good lords, willing and the creek don't rise!" It brought a happy tear.💞
People asking why they didn’t move. It happened at night. I’m in upstate SC and the rain and wind started after dark. It was super cloudy so it got dark early. You couldn’t see with the sideways rain. Secondly, it hit fast. No one realized the path until it was there. I remember the eye being a few dozen miles from us even though the forecast said the eye would go through Atlanta and much further west. Finally, no one up here had ever been hit so directly before so no one knew it would be so bad so fast.
Same thing happened to us in GA. AT ten pm that night they forecasted 59 mph gusts. Then it turned and we 113 mph gusts. 30 ft trees from across a field were in my yard. I've been here over 50 yrs and never been through anything like that, it was terrifying, especially on top of a hill. No one here is used to that kind of wind and I hope to never go through it again. But I'm not going to complain about anything after seeing North Carolina. We had it bad and we did not have it anywhere near what they have. My heart goes out to everyone there, I can't imagine going through what they've been through.
@@loisbowers5254 well, local folks knew the massive rain fall came before the hurricane from the cloud seeding and then they also opened a dam while not alerting folks downstream. And then there was the old local who has a book from decades previous, telling the story of the flooding of Golden Pond and why. Same thing only different decade. The stuff we DON'T know...... TPTB want access to the quartz and lithium in the area and people have been fighting it for years. Owning the Weather by 2025 is a government program. Funny both hurricanes hit the same spot on land and gee, another one is headed to the same exact area on election day. What a coincidence. Watch the NEXRADS, dearie..
I live north of Charlotte,NC. My son’s family lives up in Boone. What has happened in NW North Carolina is totally beyond belief. I would have been terrified seeing all that water running by. I lived in FL for 20 years and experienced hurricanes but this flooding scenario was extremely unusual and scary as it gets. I hope people can recover.💕💕💕
I was once caught in a flash flood. I had heard the term all my life, but I can tell you, you have no idea until you experience it firsthand. I was wading a creek and was fly fishing. Water came up fast. It went from my waist to armpits before I knew it. I got out and creek was well out of its banks super fast. Thankfully it was not too terrible, no one in area lost homes or anything.
We were there early last year on the same segment of 40 that get shown and were due to go up there to spend the night Thursday. We decided not to go because the storm might hit where we live in Georgia - it did but just steady rain. I’ve sent supplies and donated money but I can’t replace what you all lost.
That's a scary situation even from where I'm sitting watching. Lots of prayers for everyone and some very special prayers for the ones that sadly couldn't stay alive. God be with them. God Bless. NW ga.
OMG…”y’all: I’ve “survived hurricanes here…so, I offered advice (from what helped ME!) OMG,,, MY experiences are NOTHING COMPARED to what’s happened there; GOD BLESS YOU; I WISH y’all THE BEST….❤️🥰
Thanks, they really need the blessings in Elk Park. I just got myself back to Tampa last week to ride out Milton, which thankfully didn't hit me as bad as Helene in NC. Power came back last night and just some debris to clean here in FL - lucky compared to what I witnessed in NC, something I never thought I'd say.
The change in the water volume was astonishing. An edited version of your presentation could be used by others to demonstrate just how much and how fast things can change.
I’m just amazed that those rvs didn’t lift up and go with the water. I’m not going to say oh they should have known better because I was unprepared for a fire in the winter. We are seeing weird unseasonal extreme weather here too in Colorado , and the take away from this is to prepare for more of it no matter where you live.
I have tried writing letters to our North Carolina senator Tom Tillis and our congresswoman Virginia Fox and all I get is a letter of what is going on that you would give to TV or the media. We are citizens of North Carolina and we should have our Congress and senators give us special responses and I believe if we all get together and vote them out of office when they come up. And put someone in because we are going to need help for many years for this area and if we don't have the proper people in to get it we won't get it and I'm talking about Republicans we've got to get them on board.
Republicans did not do a quick great job helping Americans deal with covid and that lasted over 3 years. Why you Magats expect current government to respond even while disaster is still being evaluated? I’m sure Republicans will save us all if elected? Lmao
@@Starfish2145no shock …unfortunately…repulsicans are the same as Democraps …the UNIPARTY …..do not rely on your government..prayers for you all 😩😩😩🙏🙏🙏🙏
I saw how the U.S. republicans representatives voted no for funding FEMA. They should be ashamed of themselves. All they do is hinder help for our country. McConnell and Johnson brag about passing the aid for Israel and Ukraine, and then killing the border bill they wrote. Hypocrites of the first order.
Prayers for all of you affected by Hurricane 🌀 Helene. I’m in upstate South Carolina (Greenville/Spartanburg county line) we received a lot of damage but nothing like you all. Almost total devastation in some areas. 😞 my thoughts and prayers are with you all ❤
Thanks for sharing that was terrible what happened! I was in that area of NC earlier in September with family in a rental cabin. Glad y’all are okay. I don’t think the state and news warned people of the danger involved with this type of storm on the way.
Yeah, if I had left Thursday morning, I probably could've beaten the storm. By evening the roads off the mountain were closed by fallen trees and power lines and the storm didn't really hit until well after midnight (Fri morning). Power/phone/internet went down for us around 3:30AM Fri, but the flooding started midday Thursday after consistent rains.
I understand now why people didn't leave. This was unprecedented! Did you see where 30" of rain forecasted for NC, TN? Did that forecast come out in time to leave?@jonrayalongtheway
This was scary to watch. I couldn’t imagine being in that position & not knowing if the water is going to get so deep that it carries you away. And it did do that to other’s…
That's crazy. I'm glad you're ok. What I don't understand is, didn't people get a warning about the expected rainfall amount? I heard it was something like 15 inches of rain... Two is enough to cause minor flooding. So if you hear 15 you best be getting far away from even a tiny brook.
I've hernia to elk Park many times when I lived in roan Mt & Elizabethton, even after. What a God's gift. I'm heart broken to see this after the horrific storm. God Bless all the people & hope ypu can get some true leaders to help. Mr Moores statement rattled me about your leardets doing nothing. I pray for all to recover ❤
As soon as I saw it, I recognized everything. I lived in that RV. I dug the moat at 3:43. I can’t believe it is still being rented out, I left because of a rat and mouse infestation. I have wondered the whole time what it would be like if I was still in the RV and I have footage. That’s wild. How is Curtis?
He got the bridge back in and was put up for some time in a hotel while power was out. He sent me a picture and the place is looking better, but I'm sure there's a lot still to do. I was glad things are progressing. Wild that you stayed there. I was given it as shelter because I was on a tent on his mountain when the storm came and he was concerned (rightly) about me being stranded if the bridge washed out.
You're not kidding. I kind of turned my brain off during the storm, but I have had a lot of sleepless nights and nightmare wake-ups since. I appreciate your comment a lot. Thanks for this reminder, my friend.
Very scary, we are in tampa and our coastal beaches are destroyed. The surge with Helene was incredible like nothing before. Thousands of homes are gone.
Fellow Tampan of about 10 years, and when I finally got back to Seminole Heights from Helene, Milton left us without power for a week. Not an easy month! Take care of yourself out there :)
wow noway you should have stayed in a camper or anything that long. you put yourself in danger for nothing my friend. so many died because they didnt want to leave. being from Fla i would have been outa there when it started going as high as that little bridge. why chance life? i prey for all that has lost family and friends.
The thing is if you have a good stash of chocolate chip cookies in your home and then flee because of a disaster you may return to find that someone has come and take in all of your chocolate chip cookies and then you have to go and bother grandmother again to re-up your stash of chocolate chip cookies and she's got snap beans to snap and doesn't have all day to make cookies every time we leave our home and someone steals the cookies that she made for us before and I sure as hell and not counting on some keeper elf or someone else to provide my cookies for me so that's why if a hurricane the size of Jupiter comes I'm staying in my camper with all of my cookies and no one will take them ever ever EVER
The entire place was a flood. We later spotted the parts of the RV fascia that ripped off a mile or so down the rocky river. I probably would not have fared well if I tried to leave, so I had to just ride it out.
@@caseyquinn6458 Yeah, no cell service for the duration of my stay (5 days after Helene). It took several days to get a path clear enough to get off the mountain to civilization. The water didn't recede enough to even see what should have been road until about 12 hours after the storm. At that point, the road surfaces were completely gone for hundreds of yards
Here's the thing, in this area it rains a lot anyway. This happened to be a year's worth of water in two or three hours. Who could know that would be the case?
I was staying on Dark Ridge Rd at the campground, but we definitely drove on Beech Mt Rd. It was one of the wiped out roads if I remember correctly, but it was my first time in the area, so it all kind of blurs together.
One was moved back from right next to the stream, but it could only back up so far, because there was very limited flat space to park. After, we got the road cleared enough to get trucks and small vehicles out, but the mud/gravel won't hold a camper yet, so hopefully the county can properly fix the roads soon.
So sorry for the devastation y’all have experienced. And I’m curious: all those vehicles - trucks, trailers, RV’s etc are, by definition, portable - why didn’t anyone move them to higher ground? Were they not home?
The roads were closed by fallen trees and power lines well before the flood. It took a tractor to plow a way off this road after the flood subsided. It wasn't until a day or so after the storm that the roads were passable, and not to RVs or campers from the place we were.
They had no idea it would be that bad. I’m near Atlanta and the eye of Helene went right over us and we had minor damage. They didn’t know what to expect.
the entire mountain was water when it got bad. It was either the RV, my car, or climb a tree at that point. I did get lucky it didn't get higher, because that trailer would have floated off down the river. At that point maybe I'd have been better buckled in a car, but probably drowning either way. I know in retrospect how lucky I was.
One dam collapsed. Another dam was opened full force. Locals say that has never happened before. I read somewhere that the reason for opening up that dam full force was because if they didn't, the nuclear power plant would have flooded and THAT would have been waaay worse😱🤯🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
They opened up 3 dams fully, those dams were already at max capacity before the storm. I don't understand why they didn't slowly release water before to keep from causing such massive flooding, I've seen a few videos of a wall of water rushing along.
It was a different part of the state ur referring to the nolichuckey river dam and it rose 500x higher in an hour so it overflowed didn't break but pretty sure this is elk river
I have no doubt it washed away. People dont realize there's so little land to build homes here that a large population of permanent residents live in campers and motorhomes that have parked for 20+ years near streams. Campgrounds are basically trailer parks in Western North Carolina.
It somehow sat on its axles on cinder blocks. The water reached the door, ripped off the front steps and moved the porch. Had it gotten any higher, it probably would have swept it down river to TN. I believe an old barbed-wire fence was catching a lot of the debris just as it hit the RV, which probably saved me too.
@@AmyC28713 Very nearly did. I felt a couple shifts, and any deeper water probably would have swept it away easily. We saw RVs and even tractor trailers washed up down river.
It didn't have wheels on it, and it was plumbed into the ground - also it wasn't mine. The camp owner worried about me being in a tent so he let me stay in it. We had no idea it would get that wet!
Hindsight is definitely 20/20. People in these parts almost never have to worry about (or prepare) for a hurricane. During this time period, until it was too late, everyone was just thinking it would be a big rain event and no need to escape.
I was actually camping in a tent for 3 nights prior, which was on much higher ground up the mountain. Unfortunately, the campsites were up a driveway, and the bridge of the driveway completely washed out. The camp owner suggested I move down to the RV area (luckily getting my car off the mountain). By the time the floodwaters rose under the RV, I was pretty much stuck there until they receded. The water was too much / too fast to venture out on foot at that point. Got lucky again that it didn't get any higher.
So the couple days of rain in Concert with Helene's "Pile On" (along with) the damns already for instance holsten, watagua in Tenn, already maxed out and from what I understand , E Tenn should have had damned lakes down further (but summer months the citizens and tourists are expecting to utilize these Waters) and i may be wrong but i believe there is some more investigating needing to occur re; Tenn damming control
Even more so when I saw how damaging the storm had been everywhere else. I got super lucky. Thanks to Curtis, the camp owner for urging me to get in the RV instead of staying in my tent on the mountain
@@Ryan-zd2lk Thanks. I definitely considered climbing a tree, but seeing some trees washed down the mountainside and the fact that I'd been able to stay dry in that RV made me choose to sit tight. I'm not sure it was the wisest move, but thankful it worked out.
Even with advanced warning, how would somebody move all their livelihood? Where would you tell them to go? The roads were closed by fallen trees and power lines before the floods started. Staying was not a choice. Please share your insights.
Yeah it’s coming down? Seriously blew my mind bro….. What about this situation, you inside the RV, in the middle of this is, sane? LOL, assuming you lived and? I’ve been near and in, pretty insane flooding but never filmed from “in” and inside an RV…..
@@jonrayalongtheway Agreed as much. I watched the rest. There for a few minutes that was a serious nail biter. I’ve been in similar situations (stress wise / danger wise) and it got me. Glad you made it through it!
Curious 🧐 did anyone notice if the birds 🐦 became quiet? Here in Florida before the hurricane 🌀 hundreds of black crows gathered on the wires, I said to myself, “That’s an omen”! Something bad is coming. 😳I heeded the warning ⛔️
Here's the address of the campground: 1705 Dark Ridge Rd, Elk Park, NC 28622. Plug that in Google Maps and you can see the street view of the driveway that washed out. I'm going by what the map and property owner say.
instead of getting help from the government we get told that we are spreading misinformation as we are trying to get help lol . people in shelters that lost it all are even getting declined for the BS amount of 750.00
The federal government has provided millions of dollars of aid already, and will provide billions more. They have thousands of aid workers trying to help, and instead of being appreciative, you want to spout rediculous conspiracy theories.
For people actually paying attention, that $750 you mentioned is an initial payment for you to buy tarps and nails, gloves, etc, so you can secure your home temporarily, until more permanent repairs can be done
Too bad Congress keeps cutting FEMA’s budget and reappropriating the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). Welcome to the ‘small government’ vision of the Republican Party. This is a HUGE undertaking…not just here in NC but in FL as well.
I was just a tent camper that the camp owner offered the RV to because he worried about me in the storm. The trailer was there long-term, no wheels on it, toilet and shower fully plumbed into the ground. All the roads out of the area were closed by fallen trees and power lines before the rain caused any flooding. Even if the trailer was mobile, there was no road out when the storm hit.
@@SinnerSince1962 Ah, gotcha. All those vehicles were there long-term. Before the hurricane, the camper was on full hook-ups and didn't even have a battery. We did put a battery in the camper after the storm, but yeah, the roads weren't passable long before the flood, as the wind had downed so many trees.
Thanks for watching 🙂
You can read the story and more about Curtis and Nanda here: jonpaulray.com/he-told-it-on-the-mountain
Here's the story and more clips: ruclips.net/video/Hrty9OSYtxQ/видео.htmlsi=n21z3vscmQpER_vA
Part 2 Here: ruclips.net/video/FXU9QFBlQtI/видео.html
Part 3 DAY 2 Here: ruclips.net/video/haBSP-VWw1c/видео.html
Part 4, more cleanup Here: ruclips.net/video/GxC5EZwH1zg/видео.html
I was in Hampton 20 mins away no one thought it cld happen like this that's why we didn't leave no one was saying run for your life. There's a creek behind myself and is been watching it since the night before I watched it fill completely full in just a cpl hours and ran to all the neighbors which are elderly and was trying to get ppl to leave but no one wld no one thought it cld happen. I got my cat my dog and some of my fave things and left but trees were down everywhere there's only 3 ways out and 321 was closed, 19e to Mary Patton was closed so I turned around in a parking lot and that's when the flood water came. I seen my neighbors houses floating off foundation but I have two family members that's lost everything and got rescued by strangers from fb. I have learned that ppl are still good but I'm severely traumatized. Even my dog is scared hearing the sounds of that water. Is was awful I haven't finished the video but pray everyone ok
I know exactly what you mean. I'm glad you're ok. It felt like going back in time, being cut off from society for a few days. After the flood it's even taken me awhile to get back to sleeping normally, so I feel for your dog for sure :)
I’m so sorry for you all. I can’t imagine. I’m sure a lot are suffering from PTSD now. I can’t believe there was no emergency system sounding off. That seems criminal. @Lonnie-s31 you did right by warning neighbors. That’s the best you could do.
I can’t believe you stayed and watched the creek rise higher and higher without leaving to seek higher ground earlier!
He is 17 and stupid 🙄
Stupid ..... 😮
I'm sure they truly believed at every juncture that "Ok this is the worst and now the water will recede."
And then it was suddenly too late.
I was thinking the same thing! My ass would've been gone!! 😮
That footage at the 7 minute mark of the water rushing past your home is terrifying.
Wonderful effort in putting this video together. Although it has been many years since I have been to this area, my heart goes out to all people that have been affected by this disaster. My prayers are with you and may God's everlasting presence embrace you. Love and peace to you.
Thanks, it was an unplanned video that I kind of realized was worth shooting somewhere in the midst of the events. I have heard from the few folks I know and things are slowly improving. I am hoping to get back there before too long.
Wow! How frightening! There's no way you could run from it! Glad you made it 😊
What a stunningly beautiful area. The damage and loss is heartbreaking. Prayers for all affected.
Omg that looked terrifying i would not be as calm as you sound! It flooded so fast! 😮
I was definitely in denial of the danger. I think only afterwards I realized how close I was to getting washed down river.
We kept saying “it can’t get any worse”…. But Helene kept saying back “yes it can”.
The worst part is trying to deal with insurance companies. Most of our neighbors have lost everything with no coverage in policies for flood damage.
If you were fortunate a tree fell on your house first so that you could claim “water intrusion”.
Going to be a long recovery for us here in the mountains but we will pull through together
Exactly. When we woke up, the camp owner, Curtis Church, was devastated about the damage to his land (and his driveway bridge washed out), but when we saw how bad the rest of the mountain looked, he said he felt like he got lucky in comparison. The only upside to all the tragedy was the pulling together of the community that you mention. It was inspiring to see that in the days after the storm. Wishing you all the best in the rebuilding ahead 😀
Prayers for all. Stay strong.
I watched AccuWeather and the way they portrayed the storm track, I could tell that hurricane would bump up against the mountains and stall, dumping an unprecedented amount of rain. We have family in Asheville and I knew it would be awful for them. Had to wait a few days to even find out if everyone was OK. Thankfully, they all survived.
Same happens in Florida. Everywhere I imagine. The insurance companies hold us hostage on everything and get away with virtually zero regulation or oversight. The BIGGEST post disaster PRICE GOUGERS OF AMERICA are the INSURANCE (insSULTING) companies.
They sicken me to no end.
I am so sorry this happened to yall.
Thanks @@ScrewtapeLetter Yep. I live in Tampa. I came back from from Helene following me to NC only to see Milton come here and do nearly the same. Personally, we only lost a couple trees and power for a few days, but there's a lot of debris just sitting around on the streets. The only difference is we're sadly used to this in FL. Insurance companies have been fleeing the state (taking their money and running) since Irma in 2017.
People comment on Helene and the flooding as if it's a common occurrence and ask why people don't evacuate. This is something that no one who lives in the mountains of NC, VA, TN would ever have imagined. The mountains buffer us from this kind of weather. Hopefully, a once in a lifetime occurrence.
Yeah, hoping nobody sees this again
In VA we remember Camille in '69. When one hits your area people will talk about it for decades.
I'm with you, too many keyboard experts that don't know what they're talking about. Hope all is getting better, from Raleigh.
Not at all natural. It is logically weather modification and Energy Weapons.
@@WokisanCamille happened the same way. I predicted the devastation before Helenes land fall because of the landfall location and the predicted forward speed of the hurricane which allowed it to stay relatively strong all the up into the western Appalachians. Camille is the worst natural disaster ever to hit Virginia.
This coastal NC hurricane veteran weeps for our neighbors in the west. We experience tropical storms, depressions, nor’easters, and the occasional hurricane….with some hurricanes worse than others. We usually have warnings and know when the severity dictates we evacuate. We are on flat ground. I would be terrified to live through this horror.😊
Thanks for your sympathies! I live in Asheville. It was an awful experience. Flash flooding in the Appalachians is horrendous. This is the fourth time I’ve seen flooding here but this was decidedly the worst it has been. Sadly, no one had any idea how bad it would actually be.
To the smarter than everyone commenters. Every single year we have hurricanes pass through WNC and every year the weather reporters make a big drama out of it and every single year we get some rain, a wee bit of elevated wind, a few trees fall down and some low lying areas flood a little. We got blindsided here. Don’t judge. Of course you can use hindsight to CLAIM you would have known better because you are so much smarter. Also, you can barely get cell service up in those hills so they weren’t getting the big last minute warnings we got in Asheville to seek higher ground immediately.
Well, it's not very smart to ignore the warnings.
Few people have witnessed the kind of down poor that limits a person's view to less than five feet. Never mind how much the budget to the weather service has been cut to keep your for profit weather services satisfied.
thank you for explaining that. As a UK based Brit we always chuckle at how American tourists here panic when heavy rain etc starts - but having been to the US I understand WHY you are all so careful. Such a tragedy. Prayers for you all.
I understand not expecting what happened. I don't understand watching the water rise and failing to move while there was time to move just bc you expected the water to stop rising. That's just foolish.
It’s very easy to act superior when you weren’t even there.
I don't think that most people these days understood the phrase "If the Lord's willing and the creek don't rise" until now.
68, and that was how my grandother said goodnight to me every night I can remeber. "See you in the morning ,gram." "Yes you will sir, if the good lords, willing and the creek don't rise!" It brought a happy tear.💞
People asking why they didn’t move. It happened at night. I’m in upstate SC and the rain and wind started after dark. It was super cloudy so it got dark early. You couldn’t see with the sideways rain.
Secondly, it hit fast. No one realized the path until it was there. I remember the eye being a few dozen miles from us even though the forecast said the eye would go through Atlanta and much further west.
Finally, no one up here had ever been hit so directly before so no one knew it would be so bad so fast.
They also were calling for 10 foot rise not 30 😮
@@luv2luv720 And the cloud seeding and geo-engineering...
Same thing happened to us in GA. AT ten pm that night they forecasted 59 mph gusts. Then it turned and we 113 mph gusts. 30 ft trees from across a field were in my yard. I've been here over 50 yrs and never been through anything like that, it was terrifying, especially on top of a hill. No one here is used to that kind of wind and I hope to never go through it again. But I'm not going to complain about anything after seeing North Carolina. We had it bad and we did not have it anywhere near what they have. My heart goes out to everyone there, I can't imagine going through what they've been through.
@@lynnmoser6918yeah, I’m sure that happened.
@@loisbowers5254 well, local folks knew the massive rain fall came before the hurricane from the cloud seeding and then they also opened a dam while not alerting folks downstream. And then there was the old local who has a book from decades previous, telling the story of the flooding of Golden Pond and why. Same thing only different decade.
The stuff we DON'T know......
TPTB want access to the quartz and lithium in the area and people have been fighting it for years.
Owning the Weather by 2025 is a government program. Funny both hurricanes hit the same spot on land and gee, another one is headed to the same exact area on election day. What a coincidence. Watch the NEXRADS, dearie..
What a tragedy! I am so sorry for all your troubles brought on by the storms.
I live north of Charlotte,NC. My son’s family lives up in Boone. What has happened in NW North Carolina is totally beyond belief. I would have been terrified seeing all that water running by. I lived in FL for 20 years and experienced hurricanes but this flooding scenario was extremely unusual and scary as it gets. I hope people can recover.💕💕💕
I was once caught in a flash flood. I had heard the term all my life, but I can tell you, you have no idea until you experience it firsthand. I was wading a creek and was fly fishing. Water came up fast. It went from my waist to armpits before I knew it. I got out and creek was well out of its banks super fast. Thankfully it was not too terrible, no one in area lost homes or anything.
We were there early last year on the same segment of 40 that get shown and were due to go up there to spend the night Thursday. We decided not to go because the storm might hit where we live in Georgia - it did but just steady rain. I’ve sent supplies and donated money but I can’t replace what you all lost.
Glad you didn't get stuck, and awesome of you to help out! It definitely helps :)
That's a scary situation even from where I'm sitting watching. Lots of prayers for everyone and some very special prayers for the ones that sadly couldn't stay alive. God be with them. God Bless. NW ga.
OMG…”y’all: I’ve “survived hurricanes here…so, I offered advice (from what helped ME!) OMG,,, MY experiences are NOTHING COMPARED to what’s happened there; GOD BLESS YOU; I WISH y’all THE BEST….❤️🥰
Thanks, they really need the blessings in Elk Park. I just got myself back to Tampa last week to ride out Milton, which thankfully didn't hit me as bad as Helene in NC. Power came back last night and just some debris to clean here in FL - lucky compared to what I witnessed in NC, something I never thought I'd say.
The change in the water volume was astonishing. An edited version of your presentation could be used by others to demonstrate just how much and how fast things can change.
Utah level risk there.
We went through Elk Park on our way to a friend’s place north of Bakersville back in 2016. Pretty area. Sad all over western NC.
I’m just amazed that those rvs didn’t lift up and go with the water. I’m not going to say oh they should have known better because I was unprepared for a fire in the winter. We are seeing weird unseasonal extreme weather here too in Colorado , and the take away from this is to prepare for more of it no matter where you live.
Never be afraid to move that camera even slower. Go slow and let us take it all in. When you're painting around for shots. Wonderful sound.
Thanks, I totally agree. It was painful for me watching how amateur the shots were. Lessons for the future. Appreciate the input, tho, for sure :)
I have tried writing letters to our North Carolina senator Tom Tillis and our congresswoman Virginia Fox and all I get is a letter of what is going on that you would give to TV or the media. We are citizens of North Carolina and we should have our Congress and senators give us special responses and I believe if we all get together and vote them out of office when they come up. And put someone in because we are going to need help for many years for this area and if we don't have the proper people in to get it we won't get it and I'm talking about Republicans we've got to get them on board.
Republicans did not do a quick great job helping Americans deal with covid and that lasted over 3 years. Why you Magats expect current government to respond even while disaster is still being evaluated? I’m sure Republicans will save us all if elected? Lmao
Your first mistake was thinking the government cares!!!!! Cuz... they don`t!!!!
So Republican politicians ignored you? What a shock.
@@Starfish2145no shock …unfortunately…repulsicans are the same as Democraps …the UNIPARTY …..do not rely on your government..prayers for you all 😩😩😩🙏🙏🙏🙏
I saw how the U.S. republicans representatives voted no for funding FEMA. They should be ashamed of themselves. All they do is hinder help for our country. McConnell and Johnson brag about passing the aid for Israel and Ukraine, and then killing the border bill they wrote. Hypocrites of the first order.
Prayers for all of you affected by Hurricane 🌀 Helene. I’m in upstate South Carolina (Greenville/Spartanburg county line) we received a lot of damage but nothing like you all. Almost total devastation in some areas. 😞 my thoughts and prayers are with you all ❤
Same here
I am glad you got out of there safely !
I would be terrified! So sorry for those affected by this hurricane. I hope everyone is doing better?
I got a text from Curtis (the camp owner) this morning and things are getting better, yes. Lots left to do, but it's looking up :)
I lived in Elk Park in the 80's. What a wonderful place to grow up, it hurts to see it over run with flood water.
Dude that was close!
indeed
Thanks for sharing that was terrible what happened! I was in that area of NC earlier in September with family in a rental cabin. Glad y’all are okay. I don’t think the state and news warned people of the danger involved with this type of storm on the way.
People were warned for nearly a week that a storm capable of dumping record rains on the area was coming.
BS!!
@@annehedonia156 The truth is not BS!
Electric was out. Warning sirens could not be heard ,if they were they did not know what they meant.
@@Biker_1991 Residents were warned days BEFORE the storm ever arrived. This wasn’t a tornado that arrived in the middle of the night without warning.
What a gorgeous part of the country! I hope all your local communities can rebuild
I know I say it all the time. But this is another level.
Wow... that was a close call...i beat you were thinking i should have left 😮
Yeah, if I had left Thursday morning, I probably could've beaten the storm. By evening the roads off the mountain were closed by fallen trees and power lines and the storm didn't really hit until well after midnight (Fri morning). Power/phone/internet went down for us around 3:30AM Fri, but the flooding started midday Thursday after consistent rains.
I understand now why people didn't leave. This was unprecedented!
Did you see where 30" of rain forecasted for NC, TN? Did that forecast come out in time to leave?@jonrayalongtheway
Thanks for sharing 😮
This was scary to watch. I couldn’t imagine being in that position & not knowing if the water is going to get so deep that it carries you away. And it did do that to other’s…
Cant believe people tried riding it out when its at the base of your RV???? 😮wtf were yall thinkin??
We're ALL thinking it!! At what point do you say, we better head to high ground?? When it's trapped you in place!? Just dayumn dumb.
Anybody that lives or camps in a creek, or river' flood plain. Obviously doesn't have the copasity to think.
I'm hooked! This video was incredible. Your creativity knows no bounds! 💯
That's crazy. I'm glad you're ok. What I don't understand is, didn't people get a warning about the expected rainfall amount? I heard it was something like 15 inches of rain... Two is enough to cause minor flooding. So if you hear 15 you best be getting far away from even a tiny brook.
I remember one report they expected 5 ft over 20 hours. They got 20 feet in less than 5 hours. Unprecedented.
My cousin was in the 20 inches of rain forecast the day before
They got food, water, etc and helped people after. You have to read the news.
I've hernia to elk Park many times when I lived in roan Mt & Elizabethton, even after. What a God's gift. I'm heart broken to see this after the horrific storm. God Bless all the people & hope ypu can get some true leaders to help. Mr Moores statement rattled me about your leardets doing nothing. I pray for all to recover ❤
I hope things improve in that way exactly.
Absolutely gorgeous views!
As soon as I saw it, I recognized everything. I lived in that RV. I dug the moat at 3:43. I can’t believe it is still being rented out, I left because of a rat and mouse infestation. I have wondered the whole time what it would be like if I was still in the RV and I have footage. That’s wild. How is Curtis?
He got the bridge back in and was put up for some time in a hotel while power was out. He sent me a picture and the place is looking better, but I'm sure there's a lot still to do. I was glad things are progressing.
Wild that you stayed there. I was given it as shelter because I was on a tent on his mountain when the storm came and he was concerned (rightly) about me being stranded if the bridge washed out.
You are lucky to be alive, sir. You are going to live this day for years. Get Mental health help as soon as possible. Take care.
You're not kidding. I kind of turned my brain off during the storm, but I have had a lot of sleepless nights and nightmare wake-ups since. I appreciate your comment a lot. Thanks for this reminder, my friend.
That’s crazy you stayed there instead of moving to higher ground!
Very scary, we are in tampa and our coastal beaches are destroyed. The surge with Helene was incredible like nothing before. Thousands of homes are gone.
Fellow Tampan of about 10 years, and when I finally got back to Seminole Heights from Helene, Milton left us without power for a week. Not an easy month! Take care of yourself out there :)
Im glad your camper stood.
This reminds me of my cousin…. In his keystone rv…. Late summer 2016 in denham springs LA. If u know ya know.
I had a fifth wheel similar to yours. I live in a travel trailer now I would be shitting myself if that was happening to me live in Florida.
I would have been terrified!
Yep. It's not something I'm looking to relive.
What is the name of the stream?
wow noway you should have stayed in a camper or anything that long. you put yourself in danger for nothing my friend. so many died because they didnt want to leave. being from Fla i would have been outa there when it started going as high as that little bridge. why chance life? i prey for all that has lost family and friends.
The thing is if you have a good stash of chocolate chip cookies in your home and then flee because of a disaster you may return to find that someone has come and take in all of your chocolate chip cookies and then you have to go and bother grandmother again to re-up your stash of chocolate chip cookies and she's got snap beans to snap and doesn't have all day to make cookies every time we leave our home and someone steals the cookies that she made for us before and I sure as hell and not counting on some keeper elf or someone else to provide my cookies for me so that's why if a hurricane the size of Jupiter comes I'm staying in my camper with all of my cookies and no one will take them ever ever EVER
That is so scary ‘so glad you were able to survive ❤😢
Thank you, I'm very lucky
And why did you continue to stay in that rv?
How could he get ou? You cannot see what is road and what isn't. Probably lost cell service at that point so no way of calling for rescue.
The entire place was a flood. We later spotted the parts of the RV fascia that ripped off a mile or so down the rocky river. I probably would not have fared well if I tried to leave, so I had to just ride it out.
@@caseyquinn6458 Yeah, no cell service for the duration of my stay (5 days after Helene). It took several days to get a path clear enough to get off the mountain to civilization. The water didn't recede enough to even see what should have been road until about 12 hours after the storm. At that point, the road surfaces were completely gone for hundreds of yards
Here's the thing, in this area it rains a lot anyway.
This happened to be a year's worth of water in two or three hours. Who could know that would be the case?
@@joannamcpeak7531National Weather Service knew.
You were on Beech Mountain Rd?
I was staying on Dark Ridge Rd at the campground, but we definitely drove on Beech Mt Rd. It was one of the wiped out roads if I remember correctly, but it was my first time in the area, so it all kind of blurs together.
Was this due to Leaving water out of the reservoirs?
I couldn't say. I was just a visitor that got stuck there when I was on a camping trip.
Unbelievable
How were you so calm?
Probably just in denial of the danger, I think.
WOW!!
Odd no attempted to move any campers away from the stream . Thanks goodness neighbors helping neighbors get the road cleared
One was moved back from right next to the stream, but it could only back up so far, because there was very limited flat space to park.
After, we got the road cleared enough to get trucks and small vehicles out, but the mud/gravel won't hold a camper yet, so hopefully the county can properly fix the roads soon.
Wow! I'm shocked about the storm and all of the damage
There's no sound for the 1st min
Beautiful God's country.
So sorry for the devastation y’all have experienced.
And I’m curious: all those vehicles - trucks, trailers, RV’s etc are, by definition, portable - why didn’t anyone move them to higher ground? Were they not home?
The roads were closed by fallen trees and power lines well before the flood. It took a tractor to plow a way off this road after the flood subsided. It wasn't until a day or so after the storm that the roads were passable, and not to RVs or campers from the place we were.
OMG 😳 I can’t believe you stayed, did I see a pet carrier with you ? 😭
Nice scenery 2:00
Is this a private campground?
Yes. I found it on HipCamp. I'd never been to the area before, just happened to be camping here and got trapped for a few extra days due to Helene
@@jonrayalongtheway Glad to hear you are OK
@@michaelspunich7273 Thanks!
You are either incredibly lucky or incredibly ignorant! Can’t believe you stayed as long as you did. Glad you survived.
100% both 😅 Thanks, me too
What is the need for a narrow view of the scenes?
This is why people die in floods. Why didn't you evacuate?
They had no idea it would be that bad. I’m near Atlanta and the eye of Helene went right over us and we had minor damage. They didn’t know what to expect.
Stupid??
Isn’t there high ground around you somewhere
the entire mountain was water when it got bad. It was either the RV, my car, or climb a tree at that point. I did get lucky it didn't get higher, because that trailer would have floated off down the river. At that point maybe I'd have been better buckled in a car, but probably drowning either way. I know in retrospect how lucky I was.
I heard once in the beginning that a dam broke but I've heard nothing about it since so is this a result of dams breaking in addition to all the rain
One dam collapsed. Another dam was opened full force. Locals say that has never happened before. I read somewhere that the reason for opening up that dam full force was because if they didn't, the nuclear power plant would have flooded and THAT would have been waaay worse😱🤯🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
They opened up 3 dams fully, those dams were already at max capacity before the storm. I don't understand why they didn't slowly release water before to keep from causing such massive flooding, I've seen a few videos of a wall of water rushing along.
It was a different part of the state ur referring to the nolichuckey river dam and it rose 500x higher in an hour so it overflowed didn't break but pretty sure this is elk river
I'm so sorry 😢
So 3 dams released water and 1 collapsed? Or no collapse?
OMG. I pray you are safe.
Thanks. Made it back to Tampa just in time to survive Milton (and just got power back here, lol) 😀
What happened to the motor home?
I have no doubt it washed away. People dont realize there's so little land to build homes here that a large population of permanent residents live in campers and motorhomes that have parked for 20+ years near streams. Campgrounds are basically trailer parks in Western North Carolina.
It somehow sat on its axles on cinder blocks. The water reached the door, ripped off the front steps and moved the porch. Had it gotten any higher, it probably would have swept it down river to TN. I believe an old barbed-wire fence was catching a lot of the debris just as it hit the RV, which probably saved me too.
@@AmyC28713 Very nearly did. I felt a couple shifts, and any deeper water probably would have swept it away easily. We saw RVs and even tractor trailers washed up down river.
Were you in a situation where you couldn’t move the rv?
It didn't have wheels on it, and it was plumbed into the ground - also it wasn't mine. The camp owner worried about me being in a tent so he let me stay in it. We had no idea it would get that wet!
I’d be moving out mh to higher ground common sense
They had no warning
i see few people connecting their pickup exhaust to exceptional weather. maybe next time.
I love water !
Me too, for bathing and drinking, but wouldn't want to live next to it..
Why don't they leave
I kept screaming that at the tv!
Me too! As soon as the creek turned into a river!
Hindsight is definitely 20/20. People in these parts almost never have to worry about (or prepare) for a hurricane. During this time period, until it was too late, everyone was just thinking it would be a big rain event and no need to escape.
Because they keep thinking it certainly can’t get worse…. But then it does, and it’s too late to out run.
Mother Nature.....undefeated.
Mother Nature always wins, natural events, happens all the time.
When did you get your first clue that it might be time to move to higher ground?! 🤡🌊😳
I was actually camping in a tent for 3 nights prior, which was on much higher ground up the mountain. Unfortunately, the campsites were up a driveway, and the bridge of the driveway completely washed out. The camp owner suggested I move down to the RV area (luckily getting my car off the mountain).
By the time the floodwaters rose under the RV, I was pretty much stuck there until they receded. The water was too much / too fast to venture out on foot at that point. Got lucky again that it didn't get any higher.
Build your house on higher ground, you have a better chance of survival
I would have been hiking to the top.
Nice scenery 1:40 to 2:10
Yeah, the area is gorgeous. Hope it bounces back even better.
So the couple days of rain in Concert with Helene's "Pile On" (along with) the damns already for instance holsten, watagua in Tenn, already maxed out and from what I understand , E Tenn should have had damned lakes down further (but summer months the citizens and tourists are expecting to utilize these Waters) and i may be wrong but i believe there is some more investigating needing to occur re; Tenn damming control
Thanks for the info! I've heard a couple of people asking, and I was wondering what they were referring to.
Dude that is so fuckimg terrifying
Even more so when I saw how damaging the storm had been everywhere else. I got super lucky. Thanks to Curtis, the camp owner for urging me to get in the RV instead of staying in my tent on the mountain
@@jonrayalongthewayyeah we didn’t realize in Arden how bad it was for days until we figured out we had an FM radio! Then reality began to set in
Always be afraid of the power of water. Either on the coast or in the mountains because water don’t give a damn about you or your life.
Why are you u still in there? 7:21
Nowhere to go. Trapped by closed roads before the flood started.
@jonrayalongtheway . I would have thought about climbing a tree next . But I wasn't there. Glad you are safe
@@Ryan-zd2lk Thanks. I definitely considered climbing a tree, but seeing some trees washed down the mountainside and the fact that I'd been able to stay dry in that RV made me choose to sit tight. I'm not sure it was the wisest move, but thankful it worked out.
Everyone in the world knew it was coming. Don't understand why people stay and not listen to the days in advance warnings
Even with advanced warning, how would somebody move all their livelihood? Where would you tell them to go?
The roads were closed by fallen trees and power lines before the floods started. Staying was not a choice.
Please share your insights.
The fact that you survived is proof that God takes care of children and fools........
Thank God!
Yeah it’s coming down? Seriously blew my mind bro….. What about this situation, you inside the RV, in the middle of this is, sane? LOL, assuming you lived and? I’ve been near and in, pretty insane flooding but never filmed from “in” and inside an RV…..
It wasn't the best place to be, but I thankfully survived. I definitely didn't realize the danger at the time, only in retrospect.
@@jonrayalongtheway Agreed as much. I watched the rest. There for a few minutes that was a serious nail biter. I’ve been in similar situations (stress wise / danger wise) and it got me. Glad you made it through it!
@@TheJacklwilliams Thanks!
@@jonrayalongtheway THANK YOU! GREAT CONTENT!
@@TheJacklwilliams Thanks for checking it out!
Curious 🧐 did anyone notice if the birds 🐦 became quiet? Here in Florida before the hurricane 🌀 hundreds of black crows gathered on the wires, I said to myself, “That’s an omen”! Something bad is coming. 😳I heeded the warning ⛔️
Did you realize what was happening?!?
Not the extent of it until afterwards. I was in denial mostly I think.
@jonrayalongtheway thanks for replying
Can’t believe they stayed that long. Not smart!
How terrifying!!
It was certainly more excitement than I'd planned :)
You need to know were you are at and you are not in elk park you are on the out side of banner elk
Here's the address of the campground:
1705 Dark Ridge Rd, Elk Park, NC 28622.
Plug that in Google Maps and you can see the street view of the driveway that washed out. I'm going by what the map and property owner say.
I’d pull the slide out in to streamline the RV…
Looks like moonshine country
instead of getting help from the government we get told that we are spreading misinformation as we are trying to get help lol . people in shelters that lost it all are even getting declined for the BS amount of 750.00
😓😭🙏
@@jamiematter9979why? he is a convicted felon.
The federal government has provided millions of dollars of aid already, and will provide billions more.
They have thousands of aid workers trying to help, and instead of being appreciative, you want to spout rediculous conspiracy theories.
For people actually paying attention, that $750 you mentioned is an initial payment for you to buy tarps and nails, gloves, etc, so you can secure your home temporarily, until more permanent repairs can be done
Too bad Congress keeps cutting FEMA’s budget and reappropriating the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). Welcome to the ‘small government’ vision of the Republican Party. This is a HUGE undertaking…not just here in NC but in FL as well.
Damn. A foot or two higher of water and you’d be dead right now.
Something go Wong
Why don't people pull up stakes and move their RV's out of harm's way? I mean seriously? Why sit there and watch your property be destroyed?
I was just a tent camper that the camp owner offered the RV to because he worried about me in the storm. The trailer was there long-term, no wheels on it, toilet and shower fully plumbed into the ground. All the roads out of the area were closed by fallen trees and power lines before the rain caused any flooding. Even if the trailer was mobile, there was no road out when the storm hit.
@@jonrayalongtheway I was thinking it was the RV, not a trailer.
@@SinnerSince1962 Ah, gotcha. All those vehicles were there long-term. Before the hurricane, the camper was on full hook-ups and didn't even have a battery. We did put a battery in the camper after the storm, but yeah, the roads weren't passable long before the flood, as the wind had downed so many trees.