The Official Zone Severe Weather Thread

#7,826
#7,826
Question for anyone who might have knowledge:

I am supposed to go up to Blowing Rock NC weekend of October 11 and meet some family there for a few days. I was going to then drive down the Blueridge Pkwy or to Asheville, then to North Georgia and do some looking for possible future residence when I retire, but that portion of the trip is obviously off.

My concern even with going to Blowing Rock a week from now is that there will no real opportunity to do anything or go anywhere beyond that and that instead the town may well still be sort of a staging area for trucks, supplies, repair crews, and the like, headed to Asheville or thereabouts.

So, considering holding off on the trip and just cancelling reservations, flights, etc. for the moment. Any insights on how things are in the Blowing Rock area for general tourists like we would be?
 
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#7,828
#7,828
lawgator1 said:
Question for anyone who might have knowledge:

I am supposed to go up to Blowing Rock NC weekend of October 11 and meet some family there for a few days. I was going to then drive down the Blueridge Pkwy or to Asheville, then to North Georgia and do some looking for possible future residence when I retire, but that portion of the trip is obviously off.

My concern even with going to Blowing Rock a week from now is that there will no real opportunity to do anything or go anywhere beyond that and that instead the town may well still be sort of a staging area for trucks, supplies, repair crews, and the like, headed to Asheville or thereabouts.

So, considering holding off on the trip and just cancelling reservations, flights, etc. for the moment. Any insights on how things are in the Blowing Rock area for general tourists like we would be?
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Don't go. Simple as that. Everything is wrecked.

You may be able to GET to Blowing Rock via 321 but the damage is severe and focused on getting cleaned up.

That's what I gathered yesterday from a builder friend who operates over there
 
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#7,829
#7,829
lawgator1 said:
So, considering holding off on the trip and just cancelling reservations, flights, etc. for the moment. Any insights on how things are in the Blowing Rock area for general tourists like we would be?
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The entire area is going to be a bit of a mess for the forseeable future. I have a feeling it'd be better to cancel. At the same time, they don't need to lose buisiness if it can be helped. My advice is to contact the chamber... see what they say.

Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 406
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828) 295-7851
 
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#7,831
#7,831
lawgator1 said:
Question for anyone who might have knowledge:

I am supposed to go up to Blowing Rock NC weekend of October 11 and meet some family there for a few days. I was going to then drive down the Blueridge Pkwy or to Asheville, then to North Georgia and do some looking for possible future residence when I retire, but that portion of the trip is obviously off.

My concern even with going to Blowing Rock a week from now is that there will no real opportunity to do anything or go anywhere beyond that and that instead the town may well still be sort of a staging area for trucks, supplies, repair crews, and the like, headed to Asheville or thereabouts.

So, considering holding off on the trip and just cancelling reservations, flights, etc. for the moment. Any insights on how things are in the Blowing Rock area for general tourists like we would be?
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They are asking that those who do not live in Western North Carolina to stay away for now. Concerns for extra unnecessary burdens on a fragile infrastructure, possibly getting into trouble and needing help (diverting from residents needing help), possibly inadvertently interfering with some sort of rescue/ repair work going on (restricting roads to emergency vehicles only, etc.)

IMO, the best thing you can do in the immediate future is to donate some of your travel costs to a local relief agency, where it will help the most people right now. Then perhaps toward the end of the month, plan a visit, or better still, bring your family members out to visit you in some place with working systems. They might appreciate the break!

I’m holed up in a hotel 80 miles south of AVL. My husband drove home to deliver water, ice, and other things, and he says nothing has visibly changed since we left Monday morning.

I’m in communication with friends and family there. They’re all stressed and sad and anxious, and while appreciative of any practical help, we really just don’t have the bandwidth for visits by loved ones, however well-intentioned.

I don’t know how bad off Banner Elk is, but it will still be there when things start to head back to normal. Maybe call your family there and ask if you can give them a break somewhere out of the area (toward the east? northwards?) and meet them there.

I hope their situation isn’t too bad now and improves soon! We’re now looking at no running water in AVL until some time in November, maybe.
 
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#7,832
#7,832
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#7,834
#7,834
lawgator1 said:
Thanks for the responses everyone, I really do appreciate it. The point that while our spending locally might be welcome, it also represents a drain, no matter how slight, on their resources up there. Probably better to donate to a reputable charity.
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And if you can find a truly local one, even better. Your relatives might know those that truly send donations directly to on-site relief efforts.

For instance, Asheville has Hearts With Hands - Disaster Relief | Asheville, NC, based in Charlotte with a warehouse in Swannanoa (apparently still there.) I don’t know if they extend to Blowing Rock, although their website mentions something about the Clarksville TN tornados, so maybe they do. They aren’t listed on Charity Ratings and Donor Resources | Charity Navigator though.

If you’re a member of a religious organization, its national-level offices probably have a Hurricane Relief fund going, so that’s another option.

Thanks for being willing to help our beautiful region! Please come back when the dust has settled a bit.
 
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#7,835
#7,835
VolNExile said:
My daughter sent me this link to Reddit/New Orleans, a question for those who recovered from Katrina by someone returning to their rural house near Asheville as to what to expect and what to bring.

It’s worth the read, both for the physical part of cleaning and and restoring, but for the mental as well.

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I like some using humor with the fridge. For the love of God, do not open that fridge! 😄
 
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#7,836
#7,836
volwindy said:
I like some using humor with the fridge. For the love of God, do not open that fridge! 😄
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We’re now probably staying here until Sunday, but making a run up Friday, one week after losing power. We didn’t empty the fridge or freezer, still hoping the power would come back on. 🤢😲 I’m emptying them then! Telling myself that the temps aren’t nearly as high as post-Katrina/ post-Ida NOLA, and it’s only a week, right?

- the mention of Ben-Gay smeared under the nose is sobering. That’s what body recovery and coroner’s office staff use…
 
#7,837
#7,837
lawgator1 said:
Question for anyone who might have knowledge:

I am supposed to go up to Blowing Rock NC weekend of October 11 and meet some family there for a few days. I was going to then drive down the Blueridge Pkwy or to Asheville, then to North Georgia and do some looking for possible future residence when I retire, but that portion of the trip is obviously off.

My concern even with going to Blowing Rock a week from now is that there will no real opportunity to do anything or go anywhere beyond that and that instead the town may well still be sort of a staging area for trucks, supplies, repair crews, and the like, headed to Asheville or thereabouts.

So, considering holding off on the trip and just cancelling reservations, flights, etc. for the moment. Any insights on how things are in the Blowing Rock area for general tourists like we would be?
Click to expand...
I'd cancel. I'm in Charlotte. It's not just Asheville that was hurt. All NC state parks west of I77 are closed. That's including parks in my area. Things are just bad everywhere.
 
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#7,838
#7,838
lawgator1 said:
Question for anyone who might have knowledge:

I am supposed to go up to Blowing Rock NC weekend of October 11 and meet some family there for a few days. I was going to then drive down the Blueridge Pkwy or to Asheville, then to North Georgia and do some looking for possible future residence when I retire, but that portion of the trip is obviously off.

My concern even with going to Blowing Rock a week from now is that there will no real opportunity to do anything or go anywhere beyond that and that instead the town may well still be sort of a staging area for trucks, supplies, repair crews, and the like, headed to Asheville or thereabouts.

So, considering holding off on the trip and just cancelling reservations, flights, etc. for the moment. Any insights on how things are in the Blowing Rock area for general tourists like we would be?
Click to expand...
Stay home
 
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#7,839
#7,839
VolNExile said:
We’re now probably staying here until Sunday, but making a run up Friday, one week after losing power. We didn’t empty the fridge or freezer, still hoping the power would come back on. 🤢😲 I’m emptying them then! Telling myself that the temps aren’t nearly as high as post-Katrina/ post-Ida NOLA, and it’s only a week, right?

- the mention of Ben-Gay smeared under the nose is sobering. That’s what body recovery and coroner’s office staff use…
Click to expand...

For an area that is not used to this, a week sounds pretty impressive. Although, lots of resources are going to the area. People are posting that many stores here in Charlotte are out of paper products, water, etc. Glad everyone is donating, but hopefully the stores can easily restock for us too. 😅
 
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#7,841
#7,841
volwindy said:
For an area that is not used to this, a week sounds pretty impressive. Although, lots of resources are going to the area. People are posting that many stores here in Charlotte are out of paper products, water, etc. Glad everyone is donating, but hopefully the stores can easily restock for us too. 😅
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I know, right?

Our hotel is 5 minutes from G’ville Costco. I went by in hopes of grabbing some gallon jugs of water, since we need refillable empties for water tankers. I figured they’d be sold out, but nope, they’ve all be diverted up our way for distribution.

There’s some humor in there somewhere! 😆

How did the wedding go? It will certainly be unforgettable!
 
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#7,843
#7,843
Go aeiou said:
My sister in Weaverville says the electricity came on a couple of hours ago. Ive been looking at the Duke Energy website.
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The Duke Energy map says we had restored power this morning. Hubs drove up - we don’t. Grrr. (He checked the breaker box.) it’s on five houses away though, so fingers crossed. 🤞🏻
 
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#7,845
#7,845
lawgator1 said:
Thanks for the responses everyone, I really do appreciate it. The point that while our spending locally might be welcome, it also represents a drain, no matter how slight, on their resources up there. Probably better to donate to a reputable charity.
Click to expand...
You wanna move to north Georgia when you retire?! I'll be at your house every time we beat Florida!!😅
 
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#7,846
#7,846
VolNExile said:
The Duke Energy map says we had restored power this morning. Hubs drove up - we don’t. Grrr. (He checked the breaker box.) it’s on five houses away though, so fingers crossed. 🤞🏻
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Well, I can't get her on the phone now. To be clear, her neighbor(2 doors down) texted her, and said their power was back on, and she lives on a short cul de sac. About 6-8 homes So-----
 
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#7,849
#7,849
Go aeiou said:
Well, I can't get her on the phone now. To be clear, her neighbor(2 doors down) texted her, and said their power was back on, and she lives on a short cul de sac. About 6-8 homes So-----
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No, I bet she does have power! I wasn’t disagreeing. Just an example of how difficult it is to find out what’s going on.

Weaverville is in much better shape (to our north), and I figured it would be one of the first to recover. Good luck to her! 🤞🏻
 
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