Shehawk (original poster member #68741) posted at 1:19 AM on Friday, September 27th, 2024
Sending positive thoughts to everyone in the path of or affected by the hurricane.
Stay safe!
We started losing power this morning and there is flooding all around us. We are inland 600 miles but in the projected eye.
We went out and bought junk food because hurricane party (used to live in Florida and also on the coast). Got some bottled water, filling the bathtub, have a bunch of reusable ice packs in the fridge and we are on the 3rd floor so hoping for the best but we do live near a river.
"It's a slow fade...when you give yourself away" so don't do it!
zebra25 ( member #29431) posted at 1:36 AM on Friday, September 27th, 2024
"Don't let anyone who hasn't been in your shoes tell you how to tie your laces."
D-day April 2010
BearlyBreathing ( member #55075) posted at 12:53 AM on Saturday, September 28th, 2024
Hope everyone in Helene’s path is okay.
Me: BS 57 (49 on d-day)Him: *who cares ;-) *. D-Day 8/15/2016 LTA. Kinda liking my new life :-)
**horrible typist, lots of edits to correct. :-/ **
Shehawk (original poster member #68741) posted at 12:07 AM on Sunday, September 29th, 2024
Thanks Bearly. We are ok so far. The storm surge in the river was over 30 feet. We live next to the river but a bit of a ways up the bank. So far the flooding did not hit the parking lot of the little downtown apartment so hoping for the best. And we are over 600 miles from the hurricane landfall.
We were more in the eye of the storm. The sun has been out several times for us. It’s a bit surreal. Yesterday it was so quiet at times.
We are fairly close to the dam breaches and the unspeakable damage.
We are reaching out to people to try to do what we can to help others.
"It's a slow fade...when you give yourself away" so don't do it!
Shehawk (original poster member #68741) posted at 12:09 AM on Sunday, September 29th, 2024
And thanks Zebra. We are on so far but just trying to wrap our heads around what happened in our area.
"It's a slow fade...when you give yourself away" so don't do it!
Superesse ( member #60731) posted at 5:55 AM on Sunday, September 29th, 2024
It is really unbelievably bad down in NC, thinking of members in the hardest hit areas. Check in, please...
Shehawk (original poster member #68741) posted at 7:14 PM on Sunday, September 29th, 2024
Thanks Superesse.
We are still ok. We are expecting 3 more days of rain but hopefully not rain like we had.
I don’t think mainstream news is covering it but there are places not far from us where there is only one way in and out. Roads are gone. The needs are very real.
There are private pilots flying in and out of airports in coordinated efforts to get supplies in.
I personally know people who are heading that way with things that are actually needed. It’s not what people might initially think.
One thing that is needed is blood so I guess shehawk is gonna be confronting her fear of needles and finding a donation site.
I have never seen anything like this in all my more than 6 decades of living. And I have lived through tornadoes and hurricanes and infidelity. It makes my experiences of surviving infidelity seem really small to me…
"It's a slow fade...when you give yourself away" so don't do it!
tushnurse ( member #21101) posted at 8:17 PM on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024
Fir any of our members in SC I hope.you are safe and dry. The damage and devastation is unreal. I love Ashville such a cool fun funky town, now they will have to start over.
If any of you are missing loved ones please keep spirits up, as there are many remote areas that have no power or access to internet. They are working to get Starlinks set up to create checkin spots for residents.
Prayers for safe outcomes for all.
Me: FBSHim: FWSKids: 23 & 27 Married for 32 years now, was 16 at the time.D-Day Sept 26 2008R'd in about 2 years. Old Vet now.
Superesse ( member #60731) posted at 9:39 PM on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024
Our dog trainer forwarded us an email regarding need for dog and cat food donations in some small communities down in SW Virginia. The NC rainfall flowed into the New River and many people in SW VA are suffering loss of their homes - even if not on the scale of Buncumbe County, NC.
Wish I could post the website; it's a non-profit ministry of ag producers (farmers) who are volunteering to provide food to the needy. Our local feed cooperative is a partner and will be sending a truck down there.
Just sounds like a way to help these forgotten folks and maybe lift some spirits...sure seems the losses from this storm are growing worse every day!
KitchenDepth5551 ( member #83934) posted at 10:51 PM on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024
I live in upstate SC/western NC area. We're safe. It was a bad storm and infrastructure is suffering. Around here, there is more tree and powerline damage. It reminds me of hurricane Opal in 1995 when I was a few hundred miles inland.
Our power went out early morning Friday. We have a natural gas generator and the transfer switch did its job. We also have a short-term rental that had guests, so my husband decided to go buy a generator. Just after he walked downstairs to the walkout basement where he parks his truck, a huge oak uprooted and took out part of the back deck. It punched a few holes in the roof and a limb landed in his truck bed. He was not outside yet. He went out about 15 minutes later in my car. Within a few hours, there were about 6 large, old growth oaks uprooted in the neighborhood. He and my son spent the next few days with chainsaws clearing trees off roads and houses. My husband has to be careful physically. He was scheduled for a hip replacement in about a week.
We still don't have power. Probably end of week. Internet may be longer. Our vrbo guests left last weekend. We offered it for 1/2 price and immediately had new grateful guests. We have long extension cords from our houses to neighbors houses. The community almost immediately opened places for ice, showers, WiFi, etc. We've been fortunate. Many more rural areas are cut off.
DragnHeart ( member #32122) posted at 4:21 AM on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
Has anyone heard from HFSSC?
The videos and pictures coming out of the devastation is just, well there's no words.
I did see video of drones being used to deliver supplies with other drones being used to boost the signal so they could get over the mountains. Amazing. Praying for all affected.
Me: BS 46 WH: 37 (BrokenHeart911)Four little dragons. Met 2006. Married 2008. Dday of LTPA with co worker October 19th 2010. Knew about EA with ow1 before that. Now up to PA #5. Serial fucking Cheater.
KitchenDepth5551 ( member #83934) posted at 4:33 PM on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
I think she lives in Summerville. All my friends in Charleston, Hilton Head/Bluffton are doing OK. Some people from here evacuated to that area.
Superesse ( member #60731) posted at 10:27 PM on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
Well my bad feeling about this storm was confirmed today, that damage is so widespread and hard to believe. We just learned that my niece and her husband down on the Gulf Coast (below Bradenton, FL) lost their house to storm surge that rolled through there 4 days ago. They need to completely rebuild, along with all their neighbors. The Tampa paper says it looks like a war zone down there. But I only learned of this when her brother emailed me today with a GoFundMe page friends of theirs just created. I had no idea, as this girl rarely has kept in touch with her old aunt via email. The GoFundMe site states that their insurance deductible is $10,000, pretty steep but it is Florida. Plus they need funds to help with temporary accommodations.
Should we use a donation site or just send them something directly? They probably can't even get mail at their address. I've never done one of those before but would want them to get 100%.
I didn't hear how they're doing but I can just imagine. At least they got OUT in time.I need to call her. :(
[This message edited by Superesse at 10:33 PM, Thursday, October 3rd]
Superesse ( member #60731) posted at 10:45 PM on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
Mountaineer Mules delivering supplies to the victims up in NC that nobody else has shown up for....made me cry. Oh my gosh.
DragnHeart ( member #32122) posted at 12:44 PM on Friday, October 4th, 2024
I spoke to HFSSC. She's ok.
Yes I've seen video of mules being used.
Also using drones to deliver supplies and medication.
Sadly I keep seeing reports of local authorities threatening civilians with arrest who have arrived with their own helicopters if they don't leave. How awful. People are still stranded. You'd think they would want all the help they can get.
Me: BS 46 WH: 37 (BrokenHeart911)Four little dragons. Met 2006. Married 2008. Dday of LTPA with co worker October 19th 2010. Knew about EA with ow1 before that. Now up to PA #5. Serial fucking Cheater.
sisoon ( Moderator #31240) posted at 8:52 PM on Friday, October 4th, 2024
Thanks, Dragn.
Superesse,
I'd send $ directly to them, if possible. You can pretty easily set up a Paypal 'Friends and family' transfer of cash to their phone number or email address. Something like Zelle or a competitor should also work, as long as they have a way of accessing a bank account.
I find it nerve-racking to send to a phone number, but the programs I've used keep the phone number as an address, so if one transfer goes through, I can quiet my nerves by selecting the number that worked rather than typing the number in each time.
[This message edited by SI Staff at 8:53 PM, Friday, October 4th]
fBH (me) - on d-day: 66, Married 43, together 45, same sex ap
DDay - 12/22/2010
Recover'd and R'ed
You don't have to like your boundaries. You just have to set and enforce them.
Superesse ( member #60731) posted at 9:09 PM on Friday, October 4th, 2024
Sisoon, bless you. I agree with you - I'm not too comfortable doing money transfers online. I've never even bought anything from an online retailers, such a dinosaur I am. My father was an early computer analyst for the DoD and he trained me well as to the risks of sharing data like folks do nowadays. This niece wanted me on FB 20 years ago and she prefers that to email! So I'm not on FB, either....
I have the sense their situation is going to be a fairly long-term drag, and I want to keep being "family" even though I think it's nice that their friends set that page up for them.
Sorta like online obituaries you see where some folks always post a nice tribute but it's rarely the family themselves. Just surreal.
I read today they are still finding hundreds of bodies in NC...
KitchenDepth5551 ( member #83934) posted at 4:15 PM on Saturday, October 5th, 2024
GoFundMe states:
Registered non-profits that use the GoFundMe platform are charged 7.9 percent plus $0.30 fee for each donation
I don't like cash apps either, but we've had to keep up with that. My MIL still mails my children checks as gifts, and it's my responsibility to cash them promptly.
Around here, we are in the disaster zone. Multiple groups are asking for donations of physical things- socks, water, formula, diapers... for those in areas hit worse. Usually they request money. Honestly, it feels strange to buy that up to send out if you don't know what others in the immediate community need. Most of our grocery stores are not well stocked. Our small airports were making emergency supply flights out.
The FAA is functioning and handling airspace. There are no reports around here of emergency flights being denied. And I know some of the groups and pilots personally.
It is a difficult situation. I have significant damage, but I am aware that I am miles or 10s of miles away from larger disaster. It seems better to focus on my immediate friends and community, stay off the roads, and leave that to a larger and better organized response. But I just don't know.
[This message edited by KitchenDepth5551 at 4:36 PM, Sunday, October 6th]