While you were in Old fort, I was on the back roads from Alabama driving over the mountains to rescue my daughter out of Asheville. It was raining, dark ....I drove through where mud slides were, destruction, crying hoping my daughter was alive. I reached her, then we lost contact as I got near and I pulled up to a terrified daughter. Our trip out was worse, but I got her out. We went through darkened neighborhoods, scary bridges. It brought back my ptsd from rescue right after Katrina.
@@IngDep101That's my job! She and her roommate, who we also rescued out and delivered to her parents, was so traumatized. Not something I wanted my baby to go through so young, but they are doing better.
@@IngDep101I ran into two cops blocking the roads into one of the towns on the back roads and he told me "I'm not going to stop you, I can tell youd just find another way in, but please please be careful and go get your baby"
@@TheFineLine920 thank you. I'm dealing with extreme issues of PTSD I have from helping after Katrina hit coming back full force. I made my daughter and her roommate close their eyes for some of the trip out. No 20 something needs those kind of memories in their head like I've lived with
As someone from the Asheville area, thank you for your time and helping us Appalachians in our time of need. This is footage that people need to see and stories people need to hear.
Yes. I lived through it in NE TN. Was a terrifying night. I was cowering under the covers with my new kitten, as our upstairs bedroom rocked, shook, squealed, moaned and roared, as if the whole upper floor was about to secede from our old farmhouse. 😳😱🙀 Our phones and iPads were screaming out WARNINGS, which we had never heard before. Whaaa? We figured it was warning of flash flooding “somewhere in the County.” Nope. It was for US, at our location! We’re high up on a hill, so above the flooding chaos occurring below and in surrounding neighborhoods. Wow. We didn’t know until a couple of days later, when we got electricity and cable internet (thanks, Spectrum. Verizon totally failed. 😠). Yikes. We began to see the catastrophe unfolding in NC and SC. OMG. How is this happening? A Gulf hurricane full-force blasting away our beautiful Blue Ridge Appalachia?! My mind just couldn’t take it in, but I couldn’t look away. 😭😭🫣 We still live with it every day. (Cost us $1,000 just to clean up the yard of debris, from very old oaks.) Mostly it’s in the glum atmosphere this Holiday Season around our County and up to NC. Many still staggering in shock. Maybe me too. Our granddaughter watched a new fast-moving river suddenly created on her front yard, in Spruce Pine, NC. She watched as her neighbor’s truck was lifted from its carport and sent down the river (later found up in a tree a few miles away). We couldn’t contact her for 10 days, so we were freaking out. Eventually she found a shovel to dig her car out of the mud, and hightail it to our house. She was clearly shell-shocked. So this video is a gift to all of us who lived through Helene, and for those who didn’t survive. 🥀 May they rest in peace. As a Floridian, born n raised, I’ve been through hurricanes before. But this was like nothing anyone could expect or predict. It still hurts in a visceral way. Thank you guys, for making this video of Helene, documenting vividly what happened, for posterity. 🙏🏽
Absolutely agree. I live in the midwest, but ive followed every video i could find since day 2. It actually sunk me into a pretty deep depression for a good while. Bout 6 wks actually. I still cry, i still watch, ive done what lil bit of donating i can afford. I wish i could help but im just too old, with a disability. My heart breaks for you guys. My brother headin out that way in a week to see his daughter. Shes fine. Thank God. I pray for yall every day. I still cry. But anyway......my thoughts are never far from you all. Take care, and hoping things are looking a tad better out there. THANK YOU AMERICA for caring about your fellow man. Somebody has to........🇺🇸🙏🏼✝️
I agree with you. Before I started to read through the comment section, I was just thinking to myself that I am so thankful that there were those risking their lives to catch these images for the world to see the terrors of these Hurricanes. But, I was also thinking My God! That is one Hell of a risk! All of these poor people, the elderly, the kids, and all of those animals, as well as those with special needs and health issues! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 I’m still praying for all of you!
The best thing this doc does is capture just how multi-faceted this disaster was, which is thanks in large part to your dedication, Aaron. Very few are willing to slog out the WEEKS of imbedding yourself with those that had to endure this tragedy. Bravo, my guy.
This comment means more than I'll be able to describe man. Thanks so much for the kind words! This was the first time too I became so stalled into a story it was literally so hard to eventually leave. I feel like a little part of me will always be up there in the Appalachians and glad I could document it properly from all fronts
@@StormChaserAaronRigsby dude please let us know when you come back!! We would love to meet up with you as well. My wife and I run Camp Unknown in Spruce Pine and live up in Little Switzerland. Seriously, thank you for telling this story.
@TheBenghaziRabbit I'm actually so happy to hear from someone in little Switzerland. I tried so hard to get up there when all this was happening but failed to for obvious reasons. I really hope recovery has been going well. I'm hoping to come down and visit everyone at some point this winter or early spring and I'll absolutely let you know when I do :) and thank you for watching and sharing!
I live in Greenwood, SC. It was horrible, we had no food because no one was prepared and all food had gone bad. Gas stations ran out of gas and many people had damage to homes and dead family members. Trees were down everywhere and power took a week to come back with power trucks parking in schools and everywhere. My heart goes out to our Northern Carolina brothers and sisters
Months later and no storm could wash away the pain and fear we still feel here in Asheville and all of WNC and E. Tennessee. The struggle still continues. Thank you for the beautifully done video. This is history hoperully never to repeat itseldt.
This is a great doc. I'm in a town that was affected by Helene too. How widespread the damage was is absolutely heartbreaking. It was crazy how my life just ground to a halt. I really thought I would be up during the storm, day would break, and everything would be pretty ok, just some branches and small trees down, but no. It was widespread devastation, no power for days to weeks, 3 months later and it feels like our city has made very little progress.
Thank you for showing Spruce Pine and the other small towns. This documentary is excellent and I truly appreciate it when stories from the smaller communities are told.
Without people like yourself, taking the risks you do, most of the world would never know what really happened with this storm or the many others you cover. Big thank you from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤
Here in NC mountains, lived my entire 55yr life here. Seen many major weather events. What happened in our beautiful mountains was absolutely, unfathomably a biblical, geographical point in history. It was terrifying, completely different from what happens at the coast. Still so many missing. Our mountains are forever changed and some, destroyed 😢😢😢😢😢
The most amazing coverage of Helene and the narrative was super. No one can imagine the absolute devastation that happened to Asheville and towns across this region. It’s people helping people that will bring much of it back, but we’re looking at years of hard work.
Good video. I was in the middle of it, in north Asheville, right outside downtown. Was insane. I was here in 1994 for Hugo and Ivan and those didn't come close to the chaos of Helene. People afterwards were saying about the damage " it was like an atomic bomb went off " and that is pretty much spot on. Everybody was just wandering around in shock for a few weeks afterwards, myself included. Stay safe everyone - Isaac, in Asheville
@@love.JESUS.2day Yep, we still cleaning up. Its gonna be years before things get back to 'normal'. I'd have been up there helping but i wound up in the path too! Its not as bad here as it was up above me but it still knocked us without power for over a week and blocked us in on the SC/NC border. There's still tree debris everywhere. At least if we lose power this winter won't be without firewood i guess.
I'm in Tampa. This was amazing, and I can't wait for Milton's video. The Tampa Bay area was hit hard by 2 serious hurricanes just weeks apart. We are still recovering, and send prayers to the Carolinas. It's been a brutal year.
I spent some time volunteering the areas NW, N, and NE of Asheville. I found locations that nobody had been yet that were cut off. Total devastation. Thank you for the video so we can continue to show what's going on and that they still will need help there for a long time.
@@CrazyTedVB Bless you for your volunteer rescue work. You might think about writing about what you saw and experienced through that time. It’s so overwhelming, we pretty much get the total destruction. But the close-up vision is scarce, so far. ❤️🩹🤝🏽
@@RiannaStan11 It is a good idea but so much of what I do and did is through our organization and they have strict privacy concerns so we really don't go into too much detail. They are the ones who release specific information through their info person. Suffice it to say I was in places that NO ONE had been to before me. Roads gone. The bridges that were needed for folks to get out of their houses to the street, gone. Houses gone, all infrastructure gone. Asphalt roads floated and were destroyed by water. I saw people living in RV's and trailers that had been abandoned for years but were the only shelter they could find.
Im from Western NC and from all the tropical storms that hit the area Helene was one of the worst storm we’ve gotten. Our town beat our report of water heights and the main bridge almost gave away to the rapid waters. Thankfully it started receding by the next hour but it was very horrifying watching my town flood. And I’m very grateful that our town missed the full brunt of the storm. From Franklin, Nc, thank you for helping in our neighboring cities it really means a lot since it was one of my favorite cities to go too. I’m very grateful that you helped these communities.
Watching this makes my stomach drop. We never imagined the damage inflicted to our property due to Helene was even possible. The thought that others suffered an even worse fate is the stuff of nightmares. Thank you for sharing!
And even today people are homeless, living in tents, FEMA no help, ….the people up in the mountains were completely cut off. Government has changed rules on rebuilding, only certain structures are permitted. Even if someone donated a mobile home, they want allow it to be placed on their land where their house was. Too much to go into. All I can say it’s winter cold and people living in tents. Pray for them.
Your guys are the next generation of NEWS. Fantastic coverage and editing. This labor of love should win some awards! Blessing for honoring those that are still suffering the effects of #helene.
Awesome Documentary , great Editing ,Naration and Filming. Thanks for Covering the Events and Helping the People in SC. Your and Max Style is very Professional in Weather Coverage. Tuna is adorable you had a lovely Hurricane Buddy to sit out the Storm. Life often tells the best Stories and we find Friends in Life we never would have expected to find. I can talk from experience here.
That comment really means a lot. I've learned a lot with max and really happy we found that we chase together extremely well. Thanks so much for watching and thanks even more for the feedback! You absolutely got that right as far as the stories go.
Im only 17 minutes through the video and had to stop for a brief moment to comment. I live in North central Florida and have been through many hurricanes. Ive waded through water and been without power for weeks and people ask why i still live here, I just tell them that Florida is my home. We stick together in times like this. that's just what you do right.
I’m from Hickory, NC. It was bad enough here, and I had no idea how much worse it was in the mountains until a few days later when Wi-Fi was restored and I began to see footage of the carnage only minutes from here. My brother lives in Asheville and lives uphill from the Swannanoa River where the raging flood waters were wiping out Biltmore village. I’m so grateful he survived. The people out here are still hurting and Asheville remains apocalyptic.
Thank you for riding out the storm in Florida. Florida is devastated still and totally forgotten now by youtubers and the media. On Christmas eve our yard and tree debris was just finally picked up from Hurricane Milton, almost 3 months later. All the construction debris is still here infront of all what remains of homes. Insirance is a nightmare.
I live 20 miles due south of Asheville and we got lots of wind damage but nothing like has happened to my north. They were nailed equal to a coastal town in a strong hurricane or worse while being over 180 miles from the ocean. The remnants of hurricanes come through here sometimes and names like Hugo, Fran, and Ivan are remembered for the massive flooding they brought. Helene was like having all three of those dumped on you all at once. Nobody expected that- how could you expect that when nothing even close has happened in the last 100 years? FEMA response was abysmal and is ending. NC State did what it could but has to focus on the lost infrastructure more than the people by necessity. Most of the help these people got came from private hearts and hands and it's far from over. The damage here is equal to the scale and scope of New Orleans after Katrina but unlike them the national media has mostly moved on leaving these people forgotten. Thank you for keeping our story in the spotlight and thank you for helping.
You should get a Journalism Award for the quality and content of your work. This is by far the best capture of what it looked like, & the aftermath. WHY has the legacy media abandoned this? WHY?😭
Eastern TN here, i live 4 miles from nohichucky river, my highschool is having to be demolished, i was so very fortnute to still have my family and home. This storm was catastrophic for the TN/ NC mountains. Thank you much for documenting, still 80 some days after, theres people who have not received help. Thank you for not forgetting about all these people who have been horribly affected by this one storm. ❤😢
I live in East TN very close to the NC border and we got it bad here too. In my 27 years I’ve never experienced anything like that. The fact that it rained nonstop 3 full days before the brunt of the storm even hit was truly a recipe for disaster. There’s still so much recovery to be done. Asheville has always been one of my favorite places to visit because the drive through the mountains is beautiful and the city itself is wonderful. It breaks my heart that so much of it has been destroyed. Great documentary on such a terrible crisis
It's amazing to see how such an event can bring together a sense of community and have people help each other out and spread joy, always out of trauma we can come come back to our humaity to help each other almost like a reminder...it's great to see even if we haven't experienced it, like a reminder in itself and gives one a sense of faith in humanity
Amazing work. Much needed for people to get a better idea of how much destruction was caused by Helene and how vast an area has been affected. It is going to take continued relief efforts for years. Regardless of what the media and government choose to ignore, WNC needs a ton of assistance.
Amazing job of capturing what so many need to see in order to fully understand the devastating impact this monster storm did. So much isn't being shown in the media, thank you for bringing it to light.
Im a truck driver. I was in North Carolina when Helen hit. It was nuts. Thank goodness I was not on i40 at that time and was sitting out waiting on my trailer to be loaded so I was bobtailed and didn't have to worry about the winds as much.
I'm in Augusta GA, and we were hit by the eye wall around 5am. No one here expected this storm. NO ONE. It was pretty bad damage here, but no where near as bad as NC. Insane.
There are areas here in the mountains where the flood waters had risen, 47 to 50ft. Walls of mud, trees, homes, cars, anything imaginable including people carved entirely new river and creek beds and created some new as well.
I live on the edge of the area most hard hit by this storm. I had a tree split in half that had to come down as it was threatening the house. I was without power for 11 days and without phone or internet for more then 5 weeks. But compared to the damage of people north and west of me, my troubles were trivial. The damage is real. The devastation is life changing. People died, houses fell or flooded. People lost everything. The government is NOT helping. The help is coming from all over the country, from people: people just like you and me and had something they could give. The people helping are selfless, tireless, giving, and the help of heaven in our eyes.. Roads and bridges are being rebuilt, people are being given RV's and tiny homes as a place of refuge, food, water, generators are being delivered to those that need them. If you can: please help us. Winter is here. People are still living in tents, without access to the outside world. The people helping are selfless, tireless, giving, and the help of heaven in our eyes.. Roads and bridges are being rebuilt, people are being given RV's and tiny homes as a place of refuge, food, . But the need is still great, people are still suffering, In this season of giving will you please help North Carolina. Give to the charities that are really helping, NOT FEMA, Not the Red Cross. give to the men on the ground. "Precision Grading" " Beloved Asheville| " Cajian Navy". Groups like that, who are " Boots on the ground" and here helping us. Americans for Americans. Please help my North Carolinians .Thank you
Aweeee kitty :3. But, this storm was big. i like storms. but when it changes people lifes. its much more than a simple storm. i have friend in north Carolina. He has kittens born just before storm by a week or so. i couldn't comprehend loosing those kitties let alone loosing someone in Helene. I hope the best for everyone. Even the cats.
I live here, and am from Lake Lure. I lived next to the Chimney Rock Flowering bridge just a couple months before the storm. I had jus moved a few miles out of town when this storm hit. It took us over a week just to get phone signal back and even longer for power. Its been so cold here the passed few nights... im praying for those who lost their homes
Amazing documentary. Upstate South Carolina here (about 25 minutes north-west of Clemson University). Thank you for your dedication and support to our fellow Appalachian neighbors in WNC and getting this coverage out there. I know this was some grueling, exhausting work (both mentally and physically). Truly, everyone from the Carolinas and surrounding states appreciate this so much. I’m glad you were able to experience a little bit of that classic Appalachian hospitality, too. How kind of them to offer their guest room! I just love everything about the pure humanity you’re showing throughout the video, too. Great stuff, keep it up!💞
Thank you so much for sharing all this. It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation and to know so many people lost everything. I’m glad you and your friends were safe in Florida and thank you for bringing the kitty inside. What happened to him ?
Yall are absolutely amazing! So thankful and grateful that you survived such a terrifying storm. My heart literally pounded in fright while watching this video.
Thank you for a wonderfully done documentary. We appreciate all the work done by you and others to show the devastation of our beautiful mountain home. Pray that the region recovers. It will be different but precious nonetheless.
My grandparents live up there. They lost all cell coverage, with no way of them to talk to us, we expected the worst for 9 terrible days. Soon after they finally got cell service, they were alive, but their neighbors two blocks down had Their house float down the river they survived with minor injuries, Thank you for discussing this topic and helping out the locals! Good bless y’all❤❤❤
You guys are amazing.. i cant imagine the things you witnessed... my heart breaks for North Carolina , and all that were effected by this horrible surge... thank you for what you guys do.. by the way.. what did you do with "tuna"?
While you were in Old fort, I was on the back roads from Alabama driving over the mountains to rescue my daughter out of Asheville. It was raining, dark ....I drove through where mud slides were, destruction, crying hoping my daughter was alive. I reached her, then we lost contact as I got near and I pulled up to a terrified daughter. Our trip out was worse, but I got her out. We went through darkened neighborhoods, scary bridges. It brought back my ptsd from rescue right after Katrina.
You’re a wonderful mom! God Bless you for loving your child so incredibly 🙏
@@IngDep101That's my job! She and her roommate, who we also rescued out and delivered to her parents, was so traumatized. Not something I wanted my baby to go through so young, but they are doing better.
@@IngDep101I ran into two cops blocking the roads into one of the towns on the back roads and he told me "I'm not going to stop you, I can tell youd just find another way in, but please please be careful and go get your baby"
God has Blessed you and the ones you saved. You are remarkable!
@@TheFineLine920 thank you. I'm dealing with extreme issues of PTSD I have from helping after Katrina hit coming back full force. I made my daughter and her roommate close their eyes for some of the trip out. No 20 something needs those kind of memories in their head like I've lived with
Y’all targeted the strongest part of the storm then took in a kitty to protect. The definition of real men 😆 I love it.
What happened to tuna though did you keep him?
Thank you, my thoughts exactly! I came looking for this comment ❤
As someone from the Asheville area, thank you for your time and helping us Appalachians in our time of need. This is footage that people need to see and stories people need to hear.
Yes. I lived through it in NE TN. Was a terrifying night. I was cowering under the covers with my new kitten, as our upstairs bedroom rocked, shook, squealed, moaned and roared, as if the whole upper floor was about to secede from our old farmhouse. 😳😱🙀
Our phones and iPads were screaming out WARNINGS, which we had never heard before. Whaaa? We figured it was warning of flash flooding “somewhere in the County.” Nope. It was for US, at our location! We’re high up on a hill, so above the flooding chaos occurring below and in surrounding neighborhoods. Wow. We didn’t know until a couple of days later, when we got electricity and cable internet (thanks, Spectrum. Verizon totally failed. 😠).
Yikes. We began to see the catastrophe unfolding in NC and SC. OMG. How is this happening? A Gulf hurricane full-force blasting away our beautiful Blue Ridge Appalachia?! My mind just couldn’t take it in, but I couldn’t look away. 😭😭🫣
We still live with it every day. (Cost us $1,000 just to clean up the yard of debris, from very old oaks.) Mostly it’s in the glum atmosphere this Holiday Season around our County and up to NC. Many still staggering in shock. Maybe me too. Our granddaughter watched a new fast-moving river suddenly created on her front yard, in Spruce Pine, NC. She watched as her neighbor’s truck was lifted from its carport and sent down the river (later found up in a tree a few miles away). We couldn’t contact her for 10 days, so we were freaking out. Eventually she found a shovel to dig her car out of the mud, and hightail it to our house. She was clearly shell-shocked.
So this video is a gift to all of us who lived through Helene, and for those who didn’t survive. 🥀 May they rest in peace. As a Floridian, born n raised, I’ve been through hurricanes before. But this was like nothing anyone could expect or predict. It still hurts in a visceral way. Thank you guys, for making this video of Helene, documenting vividly what happened, for posterity. 🙏🏽
Absolutely agree. I live in the midwest, but ive followed every video i could find since day 2. It actually sunk me into a pretty deep depression for a good while. Bout 6 wks actually. I still cry, i still watch, ive done what lil bit of donating i can afford. I wish i could help but im just too old, with a disability. My heart breaks for you guys. My brother headin out that way in a week to see his daughter. Shes fine. Thank God. I pray for yall every day. I still cry. But anyway......my thoughts are never far from you all. Take care, and hoping things are looking a tad better out there. THANK YOU AMERICA for caring about your fellow man. Somebody has to........🇺🇸🙏🏼✝️
@@RiannaStan11God bless you my friend💔🙏🏼🇺🇸
I agree with you. Before I started to read through the comment section, I was just thinking to myself that I am so thankful that there were those risking their lives to catch these images for the world to see the terrors of these Hurricanes. But, I was also thinking My God! That is one Hell of a risk! All of these poor people, the elderly, the kids, and all of those animals, as well as those with special needs and health issues! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 I’m still praying for all of you!
@@RiannaStan11so true 💯
Always be hospitable to strangers for in doing so you may be entertaining an angel.❤
Angel in herbew & greek, means messenger, it can be heavenly or a human. ❤
EXACTLYYYYY ... that's What i've Alwayyyysss said too !! 👍🙏👏😇
Yes! 🙌
Genuinely one of the best Hurricane documentaries I've seen on this platform. What a horrific monster of a storm. Great stuff man.
That truly means a lot, especially coming from you man. Thanks so much for watching and thank you even more for sharing and the advice!
We appreciate so much all y'all did to help us all in Western North Carolina ❤
The best thing this doc does is capture just how multi-faceted this disaster was, which is thanks in large part to your dedication, Aaron. Very few are willing to slog out the WEEKS of imbedding yourself with those that had to endure this tragedy. Bravo, my guy.
This comment means more than I'll be able to describe man. Thanks so much for the kind words! This was the first time too I became so stalled into a story it was literally so hard to eventually leave. I feel like a little part of me will always be up there in the Appalachians and glad I could document it properly from all fronts
@@StormChaserAaronRigsbywe will always welcome you here! We appreciate you! - Fairview, NC
You should absolutely get an award for this documentary. ❤
Thank you for saving the kitty
Yes and that cat probably took out some mice and rodents after the storm so kitty would've helped out later on.
Thank you for saving Tuna, I respect heroes. Where is Tuna now?
@@angeliacambre1553good question
Thanks for hanging out in Spruce Pine and telling the story! We appreciate you
And thank you and your whole town for such hospitality! You made me feel part of the community and can't wait to return and see all of you again!
@@StormChaserAaronRigsby dude please let us know when you come back!! We would love to meet up with you as well. My wife and I run Camp Unknown in Spruce Pine and live up in Little Switzerland. Seriously, thank you for telling this story.
@TheBenghaziRabbit I'm actually so happy to hear from someone in little Switzerland. I tried so hard to get up there when all this was happening but failed to for obvious reasons. I really hope recovery has been going well. I'm hoping to come down and visit everyone at some point this winter or early spring and I'll absolutely let you know when I do :) and thank you for watching and sharing!
🎉
Hopefully more people shed light on this disaster
I live in Greenwood, SC. It was horrible, we had no food because no one was prepared and all food had gone bad. Gas stations ran out of gas and many people had damage to homes and dead family members. Trees were down everywhere and power took a week to come back with power trucks parking in schools and everywhere. My heart goes out to our Northern Carolina brothers and sisters
Asheville here....
Ok...you got my attention!!
New subscriber 😊
WOW..thnk u for your time & talent..unreal 👏
Best Helene documentary on UA-cam. Fantastic work out in the field and putting this together.
With how many chasers were on this event, I truly appreciate those words man! Thanks for all the advice!
Months later and no storm could wash away the pain and fear we still feel here in Asheville and all of WNC and E. Tennessee. The struggle still continues. Thank you for the beautifully done video. This is history hoperully never to repeat itseldt.
Excellent coverage and top-notch production work on a historic event. Great work!
Really means a lot coming from you. Thanks, Dan!
I wouldn’t have wanted to ride it out with anyone else, great job sharing our story!
This is a great doc. I'm in a town that was affected by Helene too. How widespread the damage was is absolutely heartbreaking. It was crazy how my life just ground to a halt. I really thought I would be up during the storm, day would break, and everything would be pretty ok, just some branches and small trees down, but no. It was widespread devastation, no power for days to weeks, 3 months later and it feels like our city has made very little progress.
Incredible footage.
Y’all are some brave young men! Thanks for sharing. God bless you all.
Thank you for showing Spruce Pine and the other small towns. This documentary is excellent and I truly appreciate it when stories from the smaller communities are told.
Without people like yourself, taking the risks you do, most of the world would never know what really happened with this storm or the many others you cover.
Big thank you from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤
Wow 😳 that's a crazy strom thank you for helping the poor kitty 💖 🙏 prayers for everyone that was impacted by this hurricane Helene
Yes crazy
Thank you for caring for our mountain friends. For weeks, I could hear the planes and helicopters going west to Asheville, just an hour from me.
As of right now it still looks like this, and where is the mainstream national media now? ❤ Breaks my heart.
Incredible documentary! You covered this full and full. I hope the kitty is doing ok. Thank you for all the drone shots and video.
Not true 😮
Amazing job through and through, you knocked this out of the park!
Really means a lot coming from you, man! Thank you so much!
Hunter, come out to spruce pine some time. Hit us up! Would love to have you over
I started crying when I saw the kitty you guys saved
Here in NC mountains, lived my entire 55yr life here. Seen many major weather events. What happened in our beautiful mountains was absolutely, unfathomably a biblical, geographical point in history. It was terrifying, completely different from what happens at the coast. Still so many missing. Our mountains are forever changed and some, destroyed 😢😢😢😢😢
@@enuf2402 Yes. All of this. 😥🤯🙏🏽
The most amazing coverage of Helene and the narrative was super. No one can imagine the absolute devastation that happened to Asheville and towns across this region. It’s people helping people that will bring much of it back, but we’re looking at years of hard work.
Good video. I was in the middle of it, in north Asheville, right outside downtown. Was insane. I was here in 1994 for Hugo and Ivan and those didn't come close to the chaos of Helene. People afterwards were saying about the damage " it was like an atomic bomb went off " and that is pretty much spot on. Everybody was just wandering around in shock for a few weeks afterwards, myself included. Stay safe everyone
- Isaac, in Asheville
was just thinking that after watching this.. truly a mealithic storm 😢
@@love.JESUS.2day Yep, we still cleaning up. Its gonna be years before things get back to 'normal'. I'd have been up there helping but i wound up in the path too! Its not as bad here as it was up above me but it still knocked us without power for over a week and blocked us in on the SC/NC border. There's still tree debris everywhere. At least if we lose power this winter won't be without firewood i guess.
There are so many messages for humanity in this video❤
I'm in Tampa. This was amazing, and I can't wait for Milton's video. The Tampa Bay area was hit hard by 2 serious hurricanes just weeks apart. We are still recovering, and send prayers to the Carolinas. It's been a brutal year.
I spent some time volunteering the areas NW, N, and NE of Asheville. I found locations that nobody had been yet that were cut off. Total devastation. Thank you for the video so we can continue to show what's going on and that they still will need help there for a long time.
@@CrazyTedVB Bless you for your volunteer rescue work. You might think about writing about what you saw and experienced through that time. It’s so overwhelming, we pretty much get the total destruction. But the close-up vision is scarce, so far. ❤️🩹🤝🏽
@@RiannaStan11 It is a good idea but so much of what I do and did is through our organization and they have strict privacy concerns so we really don't go into too much detail. They are the ones who release specific information through their info person. Suffice it to say I was in places that NO ONE had been to before me. Roads gone. The bridges that were needed for folks to get out of their houses to the street, gone. Houses gone, all infrastructure gone. Asphalt roads floated and were destroyed by water. I saw people living in RV's and trailers that had been abandoned for years but were the only shelter they could find.
Im from Western NC and from all the tropical storms that hit the area Helene was one of the worst storm we’ve gotten. Our town beat our report of water heights and the main bridge almost gave away to the rapid waters.
Thankfully it started receding by the next hour but it was very horrifying watching my town flood. And I’m very grateful that our town missed the full brunt of the storm. From Franklin, Nc, thank you for helping in our neighboring cities it really means a lot since it was one of my favorite cities to go too. I’m very grateful that you helped these communities.
The house on the mountain at 31 minutes in, the roofer that shingled her house is the best roofer around and I highly recommend him! 💪👊🤙
Watching this makes my stomach drop. We never imagined the damage inflicted to our property due to Helene was even possible. The thought that others suffered an even worse fate is the stuff of nightmares. Thank you for sharing!
And even today people are homeless, living in tents, FEMA no help, ….the people up in the mountains were completely cut off. Government has changed rules on rebuilding, only certain structures are permitted. Even if someone donated a mobile home, they want allow it to be placed on their land where their house was. Too much to go into. All I can say it’s winter cold and people living in tents. Pray for them.
Build anyway. If they try to stop you, defend yourself. If not America is already dead.
Yup! FEMA IA RIDICULOUS!!!
Your guys are the next generation of NEWS. Fantastic coverage and editing. This labor of love should win some awards! Blessing for honoring those that are still suffering the effects of #helene.
Has someone from North Carolina thank you so much for everything you did!!!❤
Awesome Documentary , great Editing ,Naration and Filming. Thanks for Covering the Events and Helping the People in SC. Your and Max Style is very Professional in Weather Coverage.
Tuna is adorable you had a lovely Hurricane Buddy to sit out the Storm.
Life often tells the best Stories and we find Friends in Life we never would have expected to find. I can talk from experience here.
That comment really means a lot. I've learned a lot with max and really happy we found that we chase together extremely well. Thanks so much for watching and thanks even more for the feedback! You absolutely got that right as far as the stories go.
Excellent coverage of Helene - you are a gifted storyteller! Thank you for making this video.
Im only 17 minutes through the video and had to stop for a brief moment to comment. I live in North central Florida and have been through many hurricanes. Ive waded through water and been without power for weeks and people ask why i still live here, I just tell them that Florida is my home. We stick together in times like this. that's just what you do right.
I’m from Hickory, NC. It was bad enough here, and I had no idea how much worse it was in the mountains until a few days later when Wi-Fi was restored and I began to see footage of the carnage only minutes from here. My brother lives in Asheville and lives uphill from the Swannanoa River where the raging flood waters were wiping out Biltmore village. I’m so grateful he survived. The people out here are still hurting and Asheville remains apocalyptic.
Thank You for this outstanding documentary and thank you for saving the little kitty ❤❤❤❤ from MoncksCorner, South Carolina 🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤
Thank you for riding out the storm in Florida. Florida is devastated still and totally forgotten now by youtubers and the media. On Christmas eve our yard and tree debris was just finally picked up from Hurricane Milton, almost 3 months later. All the construction debris is still here infront of all what remains of homes. Insirance is a nightmare.
I live 20 miles due south of Asheville and we got lots of wind damage but nothing like has happened to my north. They were nailed equal to a coastal town in a strong hurricane or worse while being over 180 miles from the ocean. The remnants of hurricanes come through here sometimes and names like Hugo, Fran, and Ivan are remembered for the massive flooding they brought. Helene was like having all three of those dumped on you all at once. Nobody expected that- how could you expect that when nothing even close has happened in the last 100 years? FEMA response was abysmal and is ending. NC State did what it could but has to focus on the lost infrastructure more than the people by necessity. Most of the help these people got came from private hearts and hands and it's far from over. The damage here is equal to the scale and scope of New Orleans after Katrina but unlike them the national media has mostly moved on leaving these people forgotten.
Thank you for keeping our story in the spotlight and thank you for helping.
You should get a Journalism Award for the quality and content of your work.
This is by far the best
capture of what it looked like, & the aftermath.
WHY has the legacy media abandoned this?
WHY?😭
PLEASE, PLEASE 🙏🏻 keep us informed as NEWS MEDIA isn’t covering what’s happening 😢
Fairvew nc boy here .
Thanks for sharing our story . People can never imagine how bad it is until you actually see it in person 💔
So professionally narrated!
My heart is with everyone!
Eastern TN here, i live 4 miles from nohichucky river, my highschool is having to be demolished, i was so very fortnute to still have my family and home. This storm was catastrophic for the TN/ NC mountains. Thank you much for documenting, still 80 some days after, theres people who have not received help. Thank you for not forgetting about all these people who have been horribly affected by this one storm. ❤😢
I live in East TN very close to the NC border and we got it bad here too. In my 27 years I’ve never experienced anything like that. The fact that it rained nonstop 3 full days before the brunt of the storm even hit was truly a recipe for disaster. There’s still so much recovery to be done. Asheville has always been one of my favorite places to visit because the drive through the mountains is beautiful and the city itself is wonderful. It breaks my heart that so much of it has been destroyed. Great documentary on such a terrible crisis
It's amazing to see how such an event can bring together a sense of community and have people help each other out and spread joy, always out of trauma we can come come back to our humaity to help each other almost like a reminder...it's great to see even if we haven't experienced it, like a reminder in itself and gives one a sense of faith in humanity
Amy and Hance are incredible artists
Theyre seriously so talented!
Amazing work. Much needed for people to get a better idea of how much destruction was caused by Helene and how vast an area has been affected. It is going to take continued relief efforts for years. Regardless of what the media and government choose to ignore, WNC needs a ton of assistance.
For years
Amazing job of capturing what so many need to see in order to fully understand the devastating impact this monster storm did. So much isn't being shown in the media, thank you for bringing it to light.
Im a truck driver. I was in North Carolina when Helen hit. It was nuts.
Thank goodness I was not on i40 at that time and was sitting out waiting on my trailer to be loaded so I was bobtailed and didn't have to worry about the winds as much.
Absolutely chilling shots on your video!!😮
I'm a W.N.C. native- this was incredibly well done. Thank you
The cats name is Who Dat. He is a local legend. There is a bar and restaurant named after him.
Great video, you did an incredible job
As someone from McDowell County, thank for for this and for helping WNC.
This is amazing coverage. Heartbreaking, too, of course. The toll of souls that persisted is FAR higher than 200, tragically
One of the best documentary on Helene. I live in WNC & it was interesting seeing it from your perspective.
I'm in Augusta GA, and we were hit by the eye wall around 5am. No one here expected this storm. NO ONE. It was pretty bad damage here, but no where near as bad as NC. Insane.
Lee Powell drones channel shows the debris cleanup.
the best of any coverage I've seen -- thank you!
There are areas here in the mountains where the flood waters had risen, 47 to 50ft. Walls of mud, trees, homes, cars, anything imaginable including people carved entirely new river and creek beds and created some new as well.
Crazy how a freak of nature like this can even happen...
Great job with the recording, no screaming, not freaking out, pure documentary.
Thanks so much for the compliment and thanks so much for watching!
Thank you for telling this story. ❤
Wow… Amazing footage of an epic storm and its aftermath. A story of destruction, resilience and rebirth.
The footage during the storm surge was one of the more interesting Hurricane videos I've seen.
I live on the edge of the area most hard hit by this storm. I had a tree split in half that had to come down as it was threatening the house. I was without power for 11 days and without phone or internet for more then 5 weeks. But compared to the damage of people north and west of me, my troubles were trivial. The damage is real. The devastation is life changing. People died, houses fell or flooded. People lost everything. The government is NOT helping. The help is coming from all over the country, from people: people just like you and me and had something they could give. The people helping are selfless, tireless, giving, and the help of heaven in our eyes.. Roads and bridges are being rebuilt, people are being given RV's and tiny homes as a place of refuge, food, water, generators are being delivered to those that need them. If you can: please help us. Winter is here. People are still living in tents, without access to the outside world. The people helping are selfless, tireless, giving, and the help of heaven in our eyes.. Roads and bridges are being rebuilt, people are being given RV's and tiny homes as a place of refuge, food, . But the need is still great, people are still suffering, In this season of giving will you please help North Carolina. Give to the charities that are really helping, NOT FEMA, Not the Red Cross. give to the men on the ground. "Precision Grading" " Beloved Asheville| " Cajian Navy". Groups like that, who are " Boots on the ground" and here helping us. Americans for Americans. Please help my North Carolinians .Thank you
Aweeee kitty :3. But, this storm was big. i like storms. but when it changes people lifes. its much more than a simple storm. i have friend in north Carolina. He has kittens born just before storm by a week or so. i couldn't comprehend loosing those kitties let alone loosing someone in Helene. I hope the best for everyone. Even the cats.
This was an incredible video! Thank you!!! ❤️🇺🇸
I live here, and am from Lake Lure. I lived next to the Chimney Rock Flowering bridge just a couple months before the storm. I had jus moved a few miles out of town when this storm hit. It took us over a week just to get phone signal back and even longer for power. Its been so cold here the passed few nights... im praying for those who lost their homes
@@robyndconner Wow. By moving away from that bridge in Chimney Rock, you really dodged a bullet! Buy a lottery ticket. 👍🏽
Amazing documentary. Upstate South Carolina here (about 25 minutes north-west of Clemson University). Thank you for your dedication and support to our fellow Appalachian neighbors in WNC and getting this coverage out there. I know this was some grueling, exhausting work (both mentally and physically). Truly, everyone from the Carolinas and surrounding states appreciate this so much. I’m glad you were able to experience a little bit of that classic Appalachian hospitality, too. How kind of them to offer their guest room! I just love everything about the pure humanity you’re showing throughout the video, too. Great stuff, keep it up!💞
Very well done
🎉 Congratulations 🎉
Thank you so much for sharing all this. It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation and to know so many people lost everything. I’m glad you and your friends were safe in Florida and thank you for bringing the kitty inside. What happened to him ?
This is incredible
Thank you so much!
excellent reporting...some devastating shots! you n you friend were very brave..thank you😢
Few times there we were sweating. But glad our structure held strong. Thanks for watching and the kind words!
And here i am.....😢😢😢AGAIN. THIS HAS WRECKED ME. I dont even live around there.....midwest
Yall are absolutely amazing! So thankful and grateful that you survived such a terrifying storm. My heart literally pounded in fright while watching this video.
Incredible work, my friends. Thank you.✝️🙏💯
Excellent movie. Much respect.
Great video. I have watched all your videos on Helene. Yours are the best out there. Stay safe.
Wow, that's amazing!
Thank you!
Thank you for a wonderfully done documentary. We appreciate all the work done by you and others to show the devastation of our beautiful mountain home. Pray that the region recovers. It will be different but precious nonetheless.
Great footage
This is one of the very few videos I’ve seen of Mount Holly…. Thank you….it doesn’t even come close to what happened in the mountains tho
Great footage. Very brave!
My grandparents live up there. They lost all cell coverage, with no way of them to talk to us, we expected the worst for 9 terrible days. Soon after they finally got cell service, they were alive, but their neighbors two blocks down had Their house float down the river they survived with minor injuries, Thank you for discussing this topic and helping out the locals! Good bless y’all❤❤❤
This is so devastating! Really puts things into perspective, very well done documentary! ❤
This is the best coverage by far!!
Ita just imaginable how many families were misplaced and having to start over ❤😢 my heart goes them as the rest of the world goes about their day.
Thank You Young Men!!!
Absolutely many need to see your work @Netflix should too. The people stories 😢❤
Superb documentary. Thank you 🤍
You guys are amazing.. i cant imagine the things you witnessed... my heart breaks for North Carolina , and all that were effected by this horrible surge... thank you for what you guys do.. by the way.. what did you do with "tuna"?
Amazing work dude. Top notch!
Thanks so much, Jerod!
This was such a terrifying and yet inspirational video. Thank you
thank you for helping little Tuna survive!!
As an upstate south Carolinian, this brought tears to my eyes.
This same one came through in 1958 my mom told me about it and she said it was so very hard to get back to life
And she also said that winter was without lights no food 😢
definitely a trauma 😢 those poor people 😢