Hurricane Update

This is the first time I have been able to communicate since the hurricane hit Thursday night. The situation here is catastrophic. The hurricane dropped its load of water here in the mountains of North Carolina. All cellular towers are down. All power lines are down. I-40 is closed and so is I-26, eliminating the major ground lines of communication with eastern N, SC, and TN. Locally our county seat has no power or phones, although I have heard that 911 is back online for anyone who has a phone that can call them. No cellphones work, but some landlines do.

Our rescue operations are 24 hours a day currently. I can report steady progress; yesterday at dawn it took me five hours just to cut my way out with a chainsaw to reach the highway and the rally point. Today we have saw crews and a three man team from DOT with earth moving equipment to clear landslides. We have established a temporary shelter for the elderly until they can be moved to proper facilities, but our hospitals are overwhelmed-- one of them is closed, but yesterday all of them were.

This is going to take a while. Power restoration is estimated between 5 days and weeks, depending on who you consult. I have Internet while standing next to this one fire truck with a mobile Starlink system. Many people have generators, but fuel is an issue: with the interstates down supplies will dwindle, and the economy is cash only because credit card systems can't reach their banks. We are especially concerned about elderly on oxygen, supplies of which will also dwindle.

I will be in touch as I can be, but expect that to be limited especially at first. I have not heard anything about when cell towers will be back online. Once power is restored, I'll have Starlink from home. I haven't been at home much, though.

The community is pulling together in the best traditions of America. The support systems are heavily stressed, though.

"Let the hoarding begin"

The EU enacted a law intended to prevent members from buying all kinds of products without first requiring overseas suppliers to prove they weren't deforesting. It's not working out quite as hoped.

Well, I'm sure EU residents will be happy to do without. When I hear the EU anthem now I always fill in the lyrics in my head as "Schadenfreude."

Flying to Peril

I’m sitting at an airport bar in Dallas, waiting for a flight that will carry me to the outer bands of this hurricane. My fire/rescue district is dead center of the bad zone on this map. 

It’s been a pleasant two weeks, which looks likely to be followed by some interesting days. 

UPDATE: Through already-heavy rains, we made it home. We’re on station for what follows. 

UPDATE: We've had one land slip with downed trees and power lines so far; the rain has continued to be heavy, meaning that the earth is saturated with water and the heavy rains/winds to come will be more dangerous. The National Weather Service is being comforting.

This will be one of the most significant weather events to happen in the western portions of the area in the modern era. Record flooding is forecasted and has been compared to the floods of 1916 in the Asheville area. The impacts from this event are expected to be greater than Tropical Storm Fred from August 2021, the mountains in 2004 from Frances and Ivan, and in Upstate South Carolina the Saluda River Basin flooding from 1949. 

We plead with everyone that you take every single weather warning very seriously through the entirety of this event as impacts will be life-threatening and make sure to have multiple ways to receive the alerts. The protection of life and property is the overall mission of the National Weather Service, and we pledge to stand by the folks of the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia. We cannot stress the significance of this event enough. Heed all evacuation orders from your local Emergency Managers and go to a storm shelter if you do not feel safe at your current location.  

Hurricane Helene will make landfall later this evening near the Big Bend of Florida. Significant to catastrophic, life-threatening flooding will occur along and near the Blue Ridge Escarpment. Historic flooding will be possible in this area as an additional 9-14" of rainfall will be in store. Many landslides will occur as a result, with a few large and severely damaging slope failures or debris flows are likely.  

Possible hurricane-force gusts in the North Carolina mountains, northeast Georgia, and the western portion of Upstate South Carolina. 60-70 mph wind gusts possible elsewhere. The combination of strong winds and super saturated soils will lead to widespread trees down and numerous power outages. 

The day has been spent in preparation, and I suppose we are as ready as we can be. Any of you who happen to be local to this region, batten down the hatches. It should be over by tomorrow evening, and then we'll start figuring out how hard it will be to put things right.

American Wildlife Museum

One of the best things about Jackson Hole is the national wildlife art museum. I highly recommend it if you’re ever out there. 

Note to Frank in IF

Thank you again for the kind invitation. It turns out that my mother, my sister, and my wife fully planned my weekend for me, and I had no leeway for a trip. 

My mother volunteered me to tie a knot board for the local community, the sort of thing that rescuers and Boy Scouts use to learn knots. Here it is in progress. 

My sister planned a lengthy hike near Teton Canyon, as well as a dinner I was to cook for friends and family. 

And my wife planned yesterday’s expedition to Dubois. 

So my life was quite completely ordered by the women, which I am told is the best thing for men. I am sorry that I didn’t have time to get out your way. Thank you for the asking. 

But it's OUR immunity

This is the kind of immunity people should be worried about.

Dubois Rhymes with Cowboys

Today we visited the extremely scenic town of Dubois, Wyoming. It is located on the western edge of Wyoming’s badlands, so that if you ascend the ridge by the town cemetery you will be able to look West upon a mighty gap with ascending trees, or East upon a barren land of colored and banded hills. Look either way, or any way, and you will face stern and glorious beauty. 

Mrs. Grim photographs the scenery.

The town itself is less glorious. It does have an Old West charm, a general store that plausibly claims Butch Cassidy as a former customer, at least one good restaurant called the Cowboy Cafe (est. 1937), and two bars.