If you are interested in hearing more about the impacts of Hurricane Helene on western North Carolina, you may be interested in watching this 80-minute long documentary discussing what led up to the flooding from Helene and the aftermath of the heavy rain, wind, and flooding on communities there. It spends some time at the beginning discussing the meteorological set-up of the storm but most of it is focused on telling people’s stories about what happened to them during and after the storm passed. You can watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_9iFxGEHP8.
Here is the description of the video from WLOS News 3:
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida. Multiple days of heavy rains preceded Helene in Western North Carolina leaving the ground extremely saturated; lakes, rivers, and creeks rose to higher-than-normal levels. Western North Carolinians braced but could not have imagined what they’d see on September 27, when Helene tore through the mountains.
Six months later, more than 100 people are dead; several are still missing as the rest of the region grapples with the lasting impacts of Helene. The sense of safety, in the normally comforting mountains and valleys, disappeared with businesses, homes, and lost loved ones. Mountain people met the challenge; in the early days, when communication with the outside world all but disappeared, the region survived because neighbors helped their neighbors. Today, it’s still happening with every road repaved, bridge rebuilt, and house rehomed, Western North Carolinians are facing adversity together.
The journey back from Helene is a long road and it’s far from over.
