The Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

This is more of an apocalypse than an adventure but I feel compelled to write about it since it affects MANY areas I typically ride and camp. Hurricane Helene roared through our area last Thursday evening/early Friday morning and it was devastating. I live in Concord, NC which is less than two hours to most of these areas that got hit hard. Luckily, this area did not see nearly the type of damage as the mountains. We did not get the amount of rain OR the wind seen in the high country.

I am not from this area but grew up on the coast in South Georgia. Hurricanes are unfortunately very familiar to me. I learned at a very young age that Mother Nature is powerful and she always wins. Water, to me, is one of the most powerful forces I have ever seen. Mix that with a lot of wind and it is a lethal combination.

We were fortunate enough to not lose power. During the course of the storm, we saw sustained winds of 15mph with gusts up to 30mph. We only got 3" of rain total. Once the storm was over, we began to see the reports of how mad it was in the mountains regions of GA, SC, and NC. It is so sad since I frequent this area a lot.

I was in Chimney Rock in August. Where we used to park our bikes on the road, it is just gone. Here is a before and after picture (note the Chimney Rock Village to the right on the hill in each photo).

That is just one small town. Then there is Lake Lure. This is where the film Dirty Dancing was filmed. This is a town of a few hundred people but gets tons of visitors every year. I have driven here many times. Now look at it.

And the list of many small town goes on and on. Many of these communities are not only destroyed but completely cut off from everyone. Almost all the bridges are gone. Air lifts are the only way of getting supplies to/from what is left of these towns. There are many efforts trying to gather supplies to get them what they need to survive.

Not only the towns have been affected. Many of the major thoroughfares are destroyed as well. I-40 is a major artery from east to west. There are many sections from Statesville, NC to Knoxville, TN that are shutdown. When some of these parts will open, who knows. Just look at the damage to this major highway at the NC-TN border.

How long will it take to repair this one section? Years? Who knows. We have had rockslides and mudslides on this highway in the past and the worst one closed I-40 for almost a year. What a mess!

The short of it is, if you can help in some way, please do. It does not matter if it is donating money, supplies, or you time but please help out these folks. As for riding up there? Who knows (or even if) we will be able to ride like we used to. I just hope and pray for the safety of those involved.