Hurricane Helene’s 600 Miles of Destruction

from The New York Times I'm michaeloro. this is the. [Music]. daily we start with the deadly aftermath. of hurricane Halen the storm carved a. path of Destruction through Florida the. Carolinas Georgia and Tennessee the. extent of over the past few days. hurricane Helen left a trail of. Devastation across 600 miles you know. when Helen hit it it really didn't. matter if your home was up on pilings or.

stilts because those homes are gone. killing more than 100 people driving. thousands from their homes and leaving. Millions without power there's just no. prepping for this kind of storm there's. no amount of sandbags that could have. been put out but by far the worst damage. occurred where it was least expected far. inland in the mountains of Western North. Carolina.

it's just a horrible situation and a. horrible storm that took a lot from a. lot of people today my colleagues. meteorologist Judson Jones and National. reporter Nicholas Bogle Burrows on the. storm and its. toll it's Tuesday October 1st. [Music].

J I want to start by asking you your. overall reaction to what this hurricane. has done you know I expected it to be a. major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. like the models were apparent it made. landfall right where we expected it to. make landfall what wasn't apparent days. ahead of time was the amount of rainfall. that was going to fall in North Carolina. I think the devastation in North. Carolina is how this storm is going to. be remembered.

well let's talk about how hurricane. Helen gets to North Carolina and becomes. so catastrophic there over the weekend I. mean last week we were already. monitoring Helen full crew here we're. taking off uh. today I actually went up with a. hurricane hunter aircraft and we flew. into the storm of Helen with a group of. scientists trying to locate the center. of the storm think it might to our North.

we might have to CPA it wait just you. went up into hurricane Helen yourself in. a plane yeah I was with the hurricane. Hunters with the National Oceanic and. Atmospheric Administration they fly into. the heart of the storm to try to get a. grasp of how strong the storm is they. went on their mission Tuesday afternoon. and I went with them and for 8 hours in. the Caribbean Sea we flew what's called. a butterfly pattern in and out of the.

center of the storm we were dropping. devices into the center of the storm to. try to figure out just how strong it was. wow when you're riding in one of these. planes you're all of a sudden dropping. like 1,000 ft you know in a second and. then climbing back up and you're making. bank turns they do give you sick bags. and I will say I use mine you threw up. during this fight oh absolutely like it.

it was think of the worst turbulence. you've ever experienced on a plane and. then maybe magnify it a little bit but. you know the most important thing with. that flight is as it was late afternoon. you could see the ocean up ahead of the. storm and you could already see the. White. Caps can you just explain that what that. means to you to see those whirling White. Caps you're used to seeing white caps at. the beach coming ashore and that has to.

do with the land interaction right right. but you're out in the ocean it's because. the wind and the wind was becoming so. strong that you were starting to see. these White Caps out over the Caribbean. Sea it was this indication amongst the. people on this plane that this was. likely going to be an intense storm just. based off of the appearance of the ocean. on Wednesday it became a hurricane and. then what we saw on Thursday was then it.

got over these really warm ocean waters. of the Gulf of Mexico when it got over. the absurdly warm ocean temperatures. kind of near bathtub like. temperatures this storm was able to fuel. itself and get the energy it needed to. rapidly intensify and the Gulf of Mexico. has never been warmer than it was as the. storm came across it right and as you've. told us many times if water is the fuel. for a hurricane warm water is like The.

Supercharged premium jet fuel of fuel. for Hurricane yeah I mean that's how a. storm jumps from a category one to a. category 4 hurricane within 16 hours. which this one did which this one did. and it was moving so fast it didn't. really have a chance to ever. weaken so I landed in Perry Florida. where it made landfall and as it came.

ashore we experienced gust of 99. mph the winds were so Fierce they were. almost breaking a giant metal pole from. a sign wow and in what light was left. you could see the rain almost dancing. like ballerinas moving through the sky. you could see these individual swirls. moving across the parking. lot but what kind of spared Perry where. I was is the these winds were coming.

ashore was the fact that the eye was so. large so we were in the most intense. winds that Northeast part of the eye. wall for only 20 to 30. minutes and then all of a sudden it went. [Music]. calm and you could hear crickets and. frogs just got still and it just got.

quiet and how long did that last until. the backside of the eye came I mean we. were in the eye it's hard to judge the. time but it it felt like 20 to 40. minutes but it almost felt longer in the. eye than it did in the strongest winds. wow that tells you just how big this was. yeah I mean it was a a ginormous eye but. the reason this eye was so large was.

because the storm was so large the storm. was being compared to the size of. Katrina it took up the whole entire. Eastern Gulf of Mexico wow the other. issue was it wasn't just Florida it was. stretching into South Carolina and North. Carolina as it was making landfall and. then it moved so swiftly it was already. in Atlanta by Friday morning but I. followed the storm back towards Atlanta. to my neighborhood that was also flooded.

that morning so you would have. understood that this was merely a. foretaste of what was to come in places. like North Carolina yeah you know North. Carolina was already struggling and. that's because of what's called a. predecessor rainfall event can you. explain that it's just a fancy word for. saying rain that is correlated with the. storm happening before the storm gets. there what happens is there's another.

weather pattern that was happening. across the central. us that weather pattern connected with. the hurricane was allowed to funnel warm. tropical moist air from the Caribbean. Sea all the way up into the mountains of. the Appalachians and that moisture when. it hits the mountains it's just as. forced to rise and then fall back down. as rain the highest rainfall total from. wind Wednesday to Saturday was 30 in 30.

in falling on a mountain creates a. Calamity right 2 and a half ft of rain. doesn't get absorbed into the system no. especially when it's been persistent but. Helen brought so much rain to the. mountains in a place that just can't. take that much rain right the other. issue is one of the strongest wind gusts. was actually in the mountains and so you.

have the wet soil and then you have. these strong winds and the trees come. down mhm this also sounds like a recipe. for a Mudslide absolutely and so the. weather prediction center put out a high. risk it's the highest level you could. put out for flooding but how do you. [Music]. prepare it's one of those you can know. all of this you know we we've seen it. again and again for flooding you don't. really know until you see the river.

rising and that's what the real struggle. is it's hard for people to visualize. something that's normally calm and. tranquil to be a raging. [Music]. River thank you very much really. appreciate it you're. [Music]. welcome after the break what h hurricane. Helen did to North.

[Music]. Carolina we'll be right. back by Saturday morning a fuller. picture emerged of just how much. hurricane Helen had devastated North. Carolina we have biblical Devastation. through the county we've had B with. flooding here and it has been extremely. significant across the state's Western.

Edge Rising Waters washed out roads. capsized buildings and left thousands of. residents without water electricity or a. cell signal to call for help guys just. to give you an understanding of uh the. devastation we're dealing with here. chimney Rock's gone flowering bridge is. gone and the [ __ ] Road's. gone so I don't know what they're going. to do to get us out of here but.

we got to figure it. out cuz this's crazy the water also. swallowed large parts of the town of. swanana NOA leaving only the rooftops of. buildings peeking out with no way in or. out rescue workers resorted to flying in. helicopters and dropping bags of food on. top of a church and a Harley-Davidson. [Music]. shop when the rain was finally over the.

swan NOA river which spans all 22 mies. of buncome County had broken every. modern record for flooding it Rose 19 ft. in just 20 hours peaking at more than 26. ft and submerging the City of Asheville. new drone video shows just how bad the. situation is in Asheville the city's now. isolated after roads leading there. flooded and cell towers were knocked. down when now I want to pan over if we.

can to just see some of these limbs as. well oh wow look at that that is a. dumpster uh that is just being carried. by the water so powerful powerful water. there a video showed neighbors stunned. as a perfectly intact beige house just. floated. by my God crashed into a. tree collapsed in on itself. a whole house and then disappeared Under.

the. [Music]. Water by the end of the weekend local. online message boards lit up with. frantic posts from people looking for. their neighbors and their loved ones one. of them read has anyone heard of or seen. if the lefer family is okay Robin. her two sons Jared and Brandon I'm.

worried and then there's a post from a. woman who says she's looking for her. mother and her stepfather who live along. one of the flooded rivers in the North. Carolina Mountains she concludes by. saying I'm absolutely worried out of my. mind as of Monday Night according to. local officials more than 500 people are. still missing in North.

Carolina my colleague National. correspondent Nicholas Bogle burough. ended up reconstructing the story of. what happened to one of those missing. people. [Music].

Nick tell us about how you ended up in. this town and how you discovered the. story of what happened to this man so we. had been reporting on the devastating. effects that the hurricane had on. Asheville and what we kept hearing from. people and families is that there were. so many people in more isolated towns as. well that were completely off the grid. that could not reach the outside world.

in some cases couldn't even get outside. of where they were and we started. hearing about Marshall it's a very small. beautiful town of about 800 along a big. river the French Broad River we knew. that it had been hit very hard by flood. waters and so we we weren't sure how. close we would be able to get but the. photographer and I decided to drive over. there and talk to people about what. their last few days had been like and I. met with a husband husband and wife and.

their son who were pulling all of their. belongings from a house in trash bags. along this Railroad and one of the first. things that they mentioned was this. harrowing Story down the street about a. 75-year-old man who had clung to a tree. for life as the flood waters came in h. down cross the railroad acoss so the. photographer and I decided to walk down. the railroad towards that house and try. to figure out what had happened you know. it's a it's a dead end road so everybody.

knows everybody and they all some. neighbors pointed out where he lived. down on Rollins Road and we turn down. this little driveway and. see essentially the ruins of his home. you can see part of the briis debris. right there in those trees yep and the. people who live in that neighborhood. tell us that the man who lived there was. Bruce Tipton he was always up and down. the road in his little red pickup truck.

with his dog you know making sure. everything was you know all right and. everything he just was a just a quiet. country guy know and we start to learn. about who he was and what happened on. Friday night during the. storm they said that Bruce was in his. trailer in his trailer so if you can. picture this yeah over where those trees. are right it was on a essentially Bruce. Tipton had lived in this home for a long.

long time and he had decided to stay. while other people were evacuating this. area yeah so and I waved at him he waved. at me and I said you. know and. then one of the neighbors described. feeling a little bit worried about him. and then essentially what happened is. that the water Rose and Rose.

the water from the river went down this. road by his house and it was essentially. like his house was on its own Island in. this Rushing River that was more violent. and higher than anyone remembers it ever. being. before Bruce is standing in the doorway. next to his porch and his family many of. whom live in the area are up on shore. watching him just stand there as the. water's Rising and they're you know all.

hoping that the water will stop rising. and that he will be able to get out. safely once it recedes w instead what. happened is that the trailer broke it. was kind of like. exploded just a mobile home all of a. sudden as he's standing in the doorway. his home just completely crumples and. the river just broke it apart pieces I. mean you see it's just riing it shreds. did you see the entire home was. destroyed and it happened so quick one.

minute he's standing in the front door. and the next minute the trailer's gone. and his dog his German Shepherd that. everyone knew him by ran out and was. able to get to Shore and was rescued but. they thought that Bruce was gone they. thought that he had been swept down the. river and then amazingly somebody after. a while said he's hollering so we run up. there and yelled across the river Bruce. and yeah 30 minutes later an hour later.

they hear him shout wow and it turns out. that he had somehow been swept towards a. tree maybe 40 ft away and was clinging. to life behind this Tree near his home. it's so loud all he could ever do was. yell help yeah and he was in that tree. they just heard him shout help help. again and again and once they heard that. they all started shouting back me and at. least five other men with loud voice. were yell BR we have your dog you ENC.

him to hold or do whatever and was just. I me they were trying to keep him. talking you know they didn't know how. injured he was or what condition he was. in they were trying to keep his spirits. up as much as you can and give him hope. that he would be rescued and that's. essentially the communication that they. had for the next six seven hours wait. for 6 hours the 70 5-year-old man is.

clinging to a tree in fast moving water. all around him exactly and it's hard to. overestimate how strong this River was. moving it's a wide river it's it's. rushing down and he's essentially in the. river he's in this tree that is being. hit by the water constantly and there's. plywood and other debris that's flowing. down and it was very very dangerous Nick. did any of these people attempt to weade.

out into the water and rescue Bruce or. was it just so evident that they. themselves would be washed away if they. did so they absolutely kicked into high. gear one person said there might have. been 25 or 30 people there and they're. all trying to figure out what they can. do to help him and one man is tying. a sorry it's raining here um one man is. tying a cable around his waist and. looking out to see if he thinks he could. go out there and was started to take his.

shirt off and he said I'm just get a. rope on me I'm going out there right and. I told him Jay I. said please don't do that you know. you'll drown and yeah yeah he has kids. and you know but it was his uncle so. yeah yep they basically realized that. this was no match for them and anyone. who went into the water was sure to just. be swept away before having a chance to. get to Bruce so they called for help. help they called the fire department.

there is one River rescue team in the. entire County and it's all. volunteers. and they brought rafts and They Carried. rafts down the bank from this road up. here and they went and put rafts in the. water they took a look at the situation. and said that there was no way that they. could go in safely they didn't have a. motor for the their boat it was too dark. yeah and when they told me they wouldn't. put boats in the water I lost it like. why did you bring them and race the.

resources and all that if you had no. intentions of putting them in the. water that really angered the family but. the the chief of that rescue team has. told me today that it was just. impossible that he felt like if they. went in that water they might. lose basically the County's entire. Rescue Team oh my God as they're trying. to handle other. operations so what ends up happening to. Bruce.

one of Bruce's nieces who was there. Annie Meadows described what happened. next and he come out of the tree at. 10:51 Friday night and he just kind of. went limp and he just fell over and his. head went first in the water and they. still haven't found she says that she. saw his body be swept away down river. towards the town um yeah I I'm so sorry.

just knowing that you couldn't get to. some even if it wasn't him and you're. sitting there and you're hearing. somebody holling for help and nobody's. offering to do. anything like I don't see leaving. somebody to die whether it's my family. you're I just don't see that like my old. man was the first one in the water and. couldn't get to him part of what's so. difficult I mean there's so many things. that are devastating about this but they. don't even know was he injured and did. he pass away and then and then fall or. did he just run out of energy and.

couldn't hang on anymore they're left. with so many questions and among them is. the fact that his body has still not. been recovered they don't know where it. is where it could be Bruce's sister. asked her niece to check through the. rubble near his home just in case his. body was there which she described as. incredibly traumatic to do but she knew. he wasn't there because she saw him be. swept down the river. do they have any hope that he's still.

alive the relatives and neighbors that I. talk to do not they are sure of what. they saw with their own eyes and how. strong this River was that if he was. swept into it that that there's really. no. chance I wonder if you're hearing other. stories like this one in Marshall or. really any of these towns that were so. devastated by this hurricane are people.

angry are they in mourning how would you. describe what people are feeling there. right now absolutely I mean there are so. many stories of loved ones missing in. Eastern Tennessee Western North Carolina. across the states and then there is also. just the destruction of places that mean. so much to people as. [Music]. well people have no idea what the. rebuild is going to look like if it's.

going to happen what's going to come of. this they are trying to process losing a. family member and also not even knowing. if the town that they grew up in or have. known their whole lives is going to be a. town again or what that's going to look. like there's just an incredible amount. of grief throughout the entire region. right. [Music]. now well that thank you we really. appreciate it thanks so.

[Music]. much I want to express condolences to. all the families to all the families. whose loved ones have died or are. missing on Monday President Biden. addressed the devastation in North. Carolina from the White House and put. special emphasis on those who are still. unaccounted for matter of fact uh it's. almost equally as bad missing not. knowing whether or not your brother.

sister husband wife son daughter are. alive Biden said he had dispatched. thousands of Federal Aid workers to the. region but he warned that rebuilding. would be a long and expensive. process the president is scheduled to. travel to North Carolina and Survey the. damage for himself. [Music]. tomorrow we'll be right.

back here's what else you need to. another day on Tuesday Morning Israel. said that its troops had begun Crossing. into Southern Lebanon a major escalation. in its efforts to debilitate Hezbollah. both Israel and the United States said. that the invasion was a narrow operation. consisting of small groups of Israeli. Commandos designed to remove Hezbollah. sites that have threatened Israel's.

northern border over the past year but. the plan could still evolve into a. larger and more prolonged Invasion. Israel has carried out several waves of. attacks against Hezbollah over the past. few weeks including intense air strikes. that according to local officials have. killed hundreds of people in Lebanon. including 95 people on Monday alone.

today's episode was produced by Lindsay. Garrison Mary Wilson Luke Vander plug. Alex Stern Rob zipco and Ricky nety with. help from Michelle bonja it was edited. by Lexi di contains original music by. Marian Lozano Dan Powell and Diane Wong. and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley our. theme music is by Jim brunberg and Ben. lurk of.

[Music]. [Music]. wonderlake that's it for the daily I'm. Michael. Boro see you tomorrow. [Music].