The Forestry Forum

thought I would start this up.  I got an alert to deploy from Kansas search and rescue task force 1.  It was only for swift water, so I am not going.  already some deaths, and lots of people involved and people trying to help.  Of course many will just jump on the climate change band wagon.  this is reported to be historical in part due to the area and tact of the storm.  Godspeed!

It tracked very close to Jake aka Customsawyer.

   I have a 99 y/o aunt and her son in Lake City FL and another first cousin in Tallahassee I have not heard from yet. I'm betting they are in the dark and don't have to walk far to find standing water.

2 miles from me the barrier island bridges are closed. There is 4-5 ft of sand in some of the streets. It's a mess down there. Boats blow all over.

Wild Bill lost power and is waiting for reconnect.

Our friend who lost her husband a couple months ago just lost her house to storm surge.

I had a couple fence panels and limbs blow down, [no calls from the rentals].

I just looked at the 911 dispatch and they have over 120 units out working wires down, tree and structure fires plus the normal in my county.

Quote from: Magicman on September 27, 2024, 01:26:31 PMIt tracked very close to Jake aka Customsawyer.

Power out at my place close to Jake.

It's hard to click "like" on the posts where people are in distress.  Prayers for all affected by the storm.  It certainly has laid a swath of destruction from Florida into Tennessee.

Unfortunately, I doubt we've seen the total deaths yet as some of the flood victims may not be realized for some time. 

Yeah, this is a bad one for sure. I sent Jake a PM early today but no response. Sent him a text but no joy there either. Hopefully he gets power back soon and he pops up.

Same. Not heard from him yet.

Jake and I texted this morning, he's ok, he had a big mess of trees come down in his yard, and was woken up at 5am by the local cops needing his help.  I also got a text later saying he had bad cell signal, so haven't heard from him since then.  

Been following things on the local news, reports that 40 people have been killed (that they know about?). So pretty serious stuff. I'd say cell reception would be patchy if power to the towers is out, they run out of battery and roads being closed means that techs can't get to them to set up generators etc.  They also say the size of the storm has meant a wider area affected, and moist air around the storm means more wide spread heavy rain that's going to cause issues as the former cyclone tracks North over other States. 

Rained all day in Virginia, sometimes pretty hard.  I had a tree fall down which is not really unusual, but dangit, I should be runnin out of those types of trees soon.

Wife home early from work as there was lowland flooding throughout the state.  Internet service has been pretty crappy all day.

While Helene is veering to the west, we are getting tons of rain clouds pushed our way.  I live on a hill, so things shouldn't be too bad as long as the trees behave. 

I'm surprised that we aren't going to get a drop of rain off it. I'm guessing because it went inland so quick.

Take care all.

We can see that here in NZ. Last big storm to hit the East coast, maybe 160 miles away, roads flooded, bridges washed, houses with folks on roofs and some victims never found. Meanwhile here i'ts cloudy and some light rain.

A different storm pattern and we can get slammed of course.  

I got a text and brief broken up phone call from Jake this morning. He reiterated what Robert has told us. He says they are all right but it sounds like a mess. The sheriff was calling him as he was calling me, so he had to go.

Robert and Jeff, thanks for the update, just wanted to know he was OK. Trees are fixable and maybe he can find a place to mill some lumber out of them. As long as his house and mill are undamaged all is good.
 I should have guessed he would be out helping others and that may be consuming a lot of his time for a while. I hope all our other members in the affected areas came through OK also.
 The storm came pretty much north doing a lot of damage, but then sort of faded to the west and is combining with a low pressure area being pushed/held south.

We have been at our Delaware beach house, about a mile and a half from the ocean but with a canal 25' behind the house, since Wednesday and just rainey here. The tides are high but not quite coming out of the canal. I get texts from our neighbor in PA and getting lots of much needed rain there. He sent a picture of a 5-6" tree that blew down and missed our mailbox so no damage and it can wait a few more days till I get back although I wouldn't be surprised if it's moved already. We don't have a good neighbor, we have a great neighbor.

Jake mentioned names that he knew were okay, but he was breaking up. I did here Slider in there, but it sounded like members local to Jake are safe.

Helene pushed a big bunch of clouds up the eastern seaboard and they slid off over the Atlantic in the VA MD area.  We get a day of sunshine here and then the remnants of the hurricane will be blown eastward and we get rain for another week.

App State football game in Charleston WV is postponed.  Once again the Alleghenies protect us from the midwest weather in the great valley of Virginia.

He sent me a short vid of his yard and the trees on the ground.  Big mess for sure, and he says some connectivity is slowly coming back on line 

Bad internet outage in my area for several days. We just got it back a short while ago. Some heavy rain when one "band" circled through but no wind damage.

Western NC got clobbered lots of roads washed out, and more. Many without power. Got a text from Dan in Hendersonville just south of Ashville saying he was running his generator.

Jim Rogers 

Nasty business them hurricanes. Hope things are fixed up and repaired as fast as possible. Loss of power sucks, but loss of life is certainly no joy.

Here in Maryville, TN I had most of the rain Wendsday and Thursday......about 7-8"

Northeast in the mountains is really bad, I 40 is washed out near the TN/NC line, I26 is washed out in Erwin.
There is a youtube video of Erwin taken this AM WOW.

In the last TVA release concerning the Nolichucky Dam it said 19+inches of rain had fallen. They had a red alert on the dam because they couldn't see it under the water.

My nephew near Ashville, NC can't get out there are too many roads flooded.

Dave, It sounded like you made it through OK which is good news.  I am assuming that your access in and out plus 411 & 441 are both OK East of you.  ??

Thanks for all of the calls, texts,  and PMs from everyone reaching out, and the comments here. We are fine here and just got power and internet yesterday. The power going out isn't a problem for me as I have the standby generator. They said I was on the east side of the storm according to there tracking. However most of my trees are blown down to the south and east. In my mind that puts me on the other edge of the storm. It doesn't really matter as I did get the brief break when the eye passed over me. Same thing happened 6 years ago with Michael.
You know it's going to be a bad day when the sheriffs office is calling you before 6am because they can't get down hwy 441. There were a few deaths just south of me that I have heard of and probably more that I don't know about. This was a bad one. Grateful to be able to assist them when they need it and that they don't mind calling.

Good to hear from you.  Sounds like boredom won't be a problem for a few days. 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z9PZrQ-ROHk?feature=share

This is just one look at the yard. I'll try to get some better videos later today. It started blowing trees down from the road towards my house. When it got to the trees that would reach my house they quit falling in that direction. Just amazing.

Lynn I think 411 and 441 are fine. I did see something about some flooding around Boyds Creek.

They issued flood warnings yesterday for east Knox county, the flood waters from the French Broad (comes through Ashville, NC) were just getting there.

I was near Fort Loudon dam (Lenoir City) yesterday and 5 gates were spilling. I saw that Douglas dam has all of the gates open.

I would not plan on going North east of Sevierville any time soon and check the closings in GSNP

Jake I hate to see that much cleanup in anyones yard, I'm happy everything else seems ok

Thanks for checking in Jake. I know there is lots of work ahead by the sounds of the aftermath.

Glad to see you pop back up Jake! At least your house (and Mill?) didn't take any damage. Yeah, it's a bunch of work but you have the tools to make fairly quick work of it. Them branches are gonna make a heck of a slash pile fire. :wink_2: Wish I was closer so I could come over and lend a hand.
Glad you were able to help get the roads open. Hang in there man.

We did OK in our area of Middle GA.  Just power outage for 36 hours and all the inconveniences that go along with it.   Pray for those it had it bad and for the families who lost love ones. 

https://youtu.be/CV6CjzeBWq8

Here's a little longer video of my place.

Jake,
Looked like only one tree hung up out of all those that blew over.  I guess on the plus side, you won't have to dig up the stumps. :wacky:

Good to hear most didn't have major damage.

Quote from: customsawyer on September 29, 2024, 06:08:47 PMhttps://youtu.be/CV6CjzeBWq8

Here's a little longer video of my place.

I'm glad you are safe.  Lots of work ahead but that's secondary to being safe.

Quote from: customsawyer on September 29, 2024, 06:17:05 AMThanks for all of the calls, texts,  and PMs from everyone reaching out, and the comments here. We are fine here and just got power and internet yesterday. The power going out isn't a problem for me as I have the standby generator. They said I was on the east side of the storm according to there tracking. However most of my trees are blown down to the south and east. In my mind that puts me on the other edge of the storm. It doesn't really matter as I did get the brief break when the eye passed over me. Same thing happened 6 years ago with Michael.
You know it's going to be a bad day when the sheriffs office is calling you before 6am because they can't get down hwy 441. There were a few deaths just south of me that I have heard of and probably more that I don't know about. This was a bad one. Grateful to be able to assist them when they need it and that they don't mind calling.

If the eye went over you then the trees were pushed down from the backside of the storm.  That frequently happens as they are pushed one way on the approach and then the winds shift and they fall the opposite way.  That was a lot of the damage at my sister's house during hurricane Michael.  Either way, glad you are safe and able to help others.

Well for those that have been to the last few projects, there has always been questions about the spool that held my blades. Most were about when I was going to replace it, as it was leaning so bad. I had decided to see how long it would last. ffcheesy  Well it didn't make it through the hurricane.

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000006297.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=355882)

My neighbor who is a city fireman personally worked 4 structure [house] fires caused by EV's that were left in garages that flooded.

Quote from: customsawyer on September 30, 2024, 07:11:57 AMWell for those that have been to the last few projects, there has always been questions about the spool that held my blades. Most were about when I was going to replace it, as it was leaning so bad. I had decided to see how long it would last. ffcheesy  Well it didn't make it through the hurricane.

I think you should fix it.

Good to see the sawmill building (and sawmill) are still standing. :thumbsup:

Jake, during the storm I was checking the local weather recording stations around your place, I noted the closest one went off line fairly early in the storm, but the best info I could find showed 8-9" of rain right around you. Did you have any flooding issues in your big work shed? Did any of those beautiful machines take water damage? Looks like you wind was out of the west and that would put the lt70 and the edger at the rain entry side.

 Sorry about your stool, but it looks like Howard's bench is hurricane proof. ffcheesy I wonder if it has developed a rocking motion yet? No matter, I think that new detail is something Howard could use in his marketing package.

The death toll is at 100 as of this am.

The Buncombe County (Asheville) EMS Director didn't say outright but has inferred that there are many people missing and expected dead.  She spoke about entire homes have been washed away and said we don't know where those people are.  The interview was hard to watch.  

Not diminishing impacts elsewhere but the mountain areas of SC, NC, TN and VA have been hit mighty hard.   

Jake,

   Looks like your metal roof survived okay. I was wondering about that. Glad you guys fared as well as you did under the circumstances. Sorry for all those who did not.

We were in Pigeon Forge Tenn. on a 4 day vacation with my son and his family during the storm. I kept getting flood alerts on my phone and the streams were running pretty high and fast but we didn't see any major flooding. I really didn't realize how lucky we were until getting home and watching the news. We are still in a major drought here with little relief in sight.

Over 600 people unaccounted for.  very sad.  KSAR making plans to swap out rescuers for October.

Talk about bad luck... my wife's cousin lived in Florida for most of her adult life but got fed up with the hurricanes  and decided to move. Last year she did move... to Ashville NC.   She is safe.

Quote from: cutterboy on September 30, 2024, 07:59:58 PMTalk about bad luck... my wife's cousin lived in Florida for most of her adult life but got fed up with the hurricanes  and decided to move. Last year she did move... to Ashville NC.   She is safe.

I'm glad she is safe.  She didn't necessarily make a bad decision but as you say, got bad luck. 

Well, she still made a good move as far as storms. She got hit with a tropical depression with a rain bomb. Up this far north we mostly just get a little rain off them storms. Been here 57 years and only seen one actual hurricane hit this far north, Arthur. It was a cold wind to, because it collided with a cold front, a double whammy. I think it was Cat 1 up here. Were told it would not come up here. We don't have much for an emergency prepared system, we're on our own. A weather forecast is all you get. Similar to my grandfather's experience, he could only remember one hitting here in his lifetime. We get tropical depressions but mostly straight down rain with hardly a whiff of wind, just an ordinary rain day. I know there have been some folks from the south move up here because of the hurricanes. They are over it by next spring and head back home.  ffcheesy For me October to April is the best time of the year. I don't live on water front, and I'm on a ridge, so I don't worry about water. Snow don't bother me either, because I don't have to be anywhere that bad.  :wink_2:
Nova Scotia gets more of the big ones.

Watching the news this morning, the damage and impacts of Helene aren't over.   It's a dire situation.  

Roads continue to flood from both the crest moving downstream and from scattered storms coming through.   Roads continue to collapse and streams that are not  currently flooding are eroding embankments.   Mudslides continue.  For all intents and purposes the western part of the state is closed, individuals and freelancers are being turned away if the don't have specific reasons for traveling into the area.

First responders are still rescuing people and recovery of the deceased is beginning. It's pretty grim.  

Assistance is beginning to get to folks but the roads and bridges are simply just gone.  Reports are that hundreds of roads are closed in Western NC, that doesn't include private roads and driveways to residents- that's one of the big problems .  People are trapped in their communities where private roads and bridges have washed out.  

If any care to help - Red Cross, Second Harvest Food Bank and Samaritan's Purse are three established charities with infrastructure and resources to respond effectively.  

We put in about 5 hours on the clean up yesterday. After we got some customers taken care of. Got about half of it and will work on the rest today.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TAukwcdyr8o?feature=share

Has anyone heard if the hotel at Little Switzerland, NC was damaged?

TVA is moving a lot of water through their system, the news said a record release from Douglas dam 60,000cfs. all of the gates are open.

in TN 5 state highway bridges are completely gone, many others are damaged.

Transportation wise the biggest hit is I40, it is washed out in several places, both TN and NC. If you've ever traveled it there is an incredible amount of truck traffic.

Possible as bad I26 has a bridge washed out in Erwin TN. This is the major detour for I40.

Looking at the map a large portion of I 40 east of Ashville is also closed.

I have seen where several water systems have lost a large part of there supply. Most of the stores in Maryville have sold out of bottled water.

There are countless people stranded because of impassble roads.

If there is any bright spot, I have seen much less political stuff in the local news.

My heart hurts reading about all these folks cut off from resources.  Thru my aviation email updates, I found Operation Airdrop for Hurricane Helene.
I just donated to them. https://www.operation-airdrop.com/hurricane-helene?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
These are private pilots flying in supplies to small airports where the roads are gone or blocked.  They are taking donations in planes, volunteers, supplies, and money.
It really feels good to help in some small way.

Quote from: customsawyer on September 30, 2024, 07:11:57 AMWell for those that have been to the last few projects, there has always been questions about the spool that held my blades. Most were about when I was going to replace it, as it was leaning so bad. I had decided to see how long it would last. ffcheesy  Well it didn't make it through the hurricane.

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000006297.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=355882)

Jake, those spools make great tables. I have one at the fish camp with a Lazy Susan made onto the top. Everyone that sees it is amazed. Of course, I'll probably never move it, I value my back too much. :wink_2:

Well I received notification today that we've lost another firefighter, this time from the Hurricane:
-------------------
"Blackshear Fire Department 
Blackshear, Georgia
Date of death: September 27, 2024 "
--------------------
He is the 44th Firefighter who has died in the line of duty this year. This one hits home because during Hurricane Irene several years back I was out in the Engine checking roads and flooding conditions just before the height of the storm. I got out of the truck to clear debris and a 18" x 90' EWP came down between me and the truck. It missed me by a good 10 feet, but the guys on my crew thought I was dead.
 My thoughts are certainly with his family and crew, a terrible loss.

Sorry to hear about that.  

At least 2 NC law enforcement officers have been killed in the flood.  

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/deputies-killed-in-flood-waters-north-carolina/275-e206a2f8-1066-4dda-8e11-62dcc882ba29

Heroes no matter the sector of first responders and very tragic for family, friends and their departments.  

Lots of these folks have it a lot worse than I do. I consider mine as a minor discomfort compared to their's. My progress is still slow as I'm busy helping others that are in worse shape.

It's horrible beyond belief 

We survived with a lot oh, trees down. No trees on the house or vehicles. we were without power for five days. Still no Internet, but they're getting the cell towers up and running. There are still a lot of people in Augusta without power. We've been out every day cleaning up properties and the devastation around here is unbelievable. I could not tell you how many hundreds of houses I have seen with trees through them. 

I had to take a drive down to Hazelhurst last Friday. Wow!!!!! From Douglas, GA. all up through Augusta, GA. and  NC. Anywhere just to the right of the eye of the storm got their backside handed to them. There are huge pecan orchards that are completely flattened. Large tracts of mature timber that are just leveled. I'm sure the major damage started further south than that but that's as far as I've seen. This one made any I've been through in the past, look like a thunder storm. I wish them folks over there well.

Wranglerstar just posted a video to YouTube titled Boots on the Ground if someone could drop the link

This tree fell on my wife trying to get home during the storm, shes very lucky to walk away from it. she come out of it with a 2 inch cut above her forehead in her hairline. it was standing dead on top of the road bank probably 15 feet up. hadnt been for the roll cage in the jeep is what saved her from being hurt way worse or even death. she had to walk about 1/4 mile before she found a guy sitting on side of the road watching the storm. he had to drive through downed trees and through flood water to get her to the nearest town to get her to the rescue squad.#6.jpg#7.jpg#5.jpg

Yikes, a close one for sure. 

Wow. The father was looking out for her for sure. I hope she gets better soon.

A group of us from our Church took some supplies to another Church in Montgomery County yesterday.  The destruction to the forest and timber tracts was more than I could Imagine. One place had acres and acres of 6-8 foot planted pines, just laid over.  What little work our group did to clean up at a couple of houses was only a drop in the bucket.  

The wife was very lucky that the Wrangler's roof held, and she was able to escape a more serious outcome.

'Just mayhem.' Working to reopen national forests after Helene (https://safnet.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7e60c7a60d4d1bb40706127b4&id=5e61e04dee&e=4ff6a0ca18)
WFAE | OCTOBER 17, 2024

The U.S. Forest Service is working to begin reopening parts of the Pisgah National Forest following significant damage from Tropical Storm Helene. While sections of the Pisgah Ranger District may reopen sooner, extensive recovery efforts continue across the region, particularly in the hardest-hit Appalachian and Grandfather ranger districts. The Appalachian Ranger District includes forest land along the North Carolina and Tennessee border, stretching from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Roan Mountain in Avery County. READ MORE (https://safnet.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7e60c7a60d4d1bb40706127b4&id=3ca1db0f0c&e=4ff6a0ca18) 

The E-Forester