NC Helene Disaster News from Governor Cooper, President Biden

[littlemissmartypants]

12. Helene's track forecast was right over WNC. It cannot be separated from the flood any more than you can separate a

Raindrop based on the origin of the clouds.

Even without the rain that was already falling, there were high winds plus the extra rain.

Without the already accumulated rain the amount that Helene dropped on WNC was a significant amount in a short span of time.

Water is one of the major attractions in WNC. Almost every town and village that flooded is water adjacent to a lake, river or reservoir. It doesn't take much to reach flood stage and then for banks to get overrun.

The picture is complex and nuanced.

Hurricane Floyd hit the NC coast and we all thought we'd dodged a bullet. It kept dumping rain as it moved North.

Within a few hours that rain had filled the Cape Fear, Black River and the NE Cape Fear River, they hit flood stage, quickly went over and suddenly people were on their rooftops needing rescue.

I was surrounded like an island and couldn't go anywhere for five days. The National Guard troops were up and down in front of my house going from roof rescues to the shelter in town for five days.

There has never been any doubt or debate about the cause and it was Hurricane Floyd.

Also the Waterville dam isn't in North Carolina. It's in Tennessee.

The big picture is clear and we should all be compassionately supportive of those who are suffering. I think it probably makes small difference to them what gets blamed for their heartaches and losses.

I hope you can find what you're looking for and be satisfied with the outcome.

❤️