Anyone down there in the mess? What is really going on?
I have learned not to believe ANYTHING I hear on the news. Everyone in the area has and will be in my prayers daily.

Numerous members in the mess. There has been a number of threads about it. Looks like another to drop a shower on Florida Wednesday or so.

It is a mess for sure. I'm still without power, but do have a generator. Tons of linemen and tree companies working around the clock. We are albe to get in and out now. There has been a 10pm-8AM curfew. Lots of people are suffer, buts tons of good people have come to help.

I remember well the flood of " 97".
I could not get to my job site for over 2 weeks. Spent almost every day going to complete strangers. Didn't need to ask if they needed help sandbagging. It was obvious.
Myself and 1000s of others just pitched in. The human nature to help when needed helped change my attitude about life.
That 2/3 week period of time was INCREDIBLE watching complete strangers helping each other out.

I live in Asheville. Lot of utility people here working on power lines. Helicopters delivering supplies to isolated communities. All sorts of organizations helping. State and federal help is here of course. Iowa Nat Guard is here. We have 1500 US Army soldiers plus our NG.

Many highways are washed out. The Interstate near the TN line will be out for a year we are told. Help can now come from the south and east. Other major Interstate routes are out.

Radio stations broadcasting the names of missing loved ones, in hopes that someone has taken them in. Dogs searching debris for bodies.

No community has drinkable water. Cell service is slowly returning. Many still without power including my son. Hospital running with water delivered by truck. Some sections are fully repaired. My home has all services except be have to boil our water.

At restaurants there is no coffee or tossed salads.

My daughter in law is a physician. She opened her office today. No running water and generator power. Lost $25k of vaccines to spoilage.

Small business may never recover. Only 1% of people had flood insurance. River level is normally less than 2 feet. Rose to 29 feet.

Water mains are broken everywhere. Trees that fell are large mature hardwoods and white pines.

Most of you know better than we do regarding damages because our TV hasn’t worked.

I figured hardly anyone had flood insurance. Road damage is incredible, no clue how some of them will even get rebuilt. Hopefully they can get utility's back up and going before winter sets in.

Many families must move. Restoration is not alway practical.

What I see on TV makes me want to cry It is sign of the power of nature My thoughts and prayers are with you .

I do see some footage, but still ... can only imagine the actual devastation.
I feel for all the folks affected and the suffering.
God be with you.
Peace

In this day and age of cell phone cameras, drones, and social media, we got a pretty good idea of it and even the general layout of the area. BUT in this age of cell phones and social media, the scuttlebutt is ridiculous on what is or isn't "really" going on.

In one regard, you're better off on the inside, just dealing with putting life back together rather than trying to make heads or tails out of the reporting on it all.

The destruction by that storm was epic. So sad to see the lives of so many lost and/or upended like that. Now here comes another....

The odd thing, or not do off if you think about it, there's almost no reporting on it by the networks. It's either local people or alternative media.

I haven't watched mainstream media in years.

Every channel I listen to has reporting on it also internet and radio even in Wy.

Great having a President reporting on what has been done, what is going to be done and so forth like every president has all my life after a natural disaster. Did someone put him on the beach at Tampa Bay today? lol

Florida best get out uncle Milton is coming its going to be way worse not sure why people stay when they get the order to leave.

Got an Uncle and cousin riding it out in Tampa. He's 81 and on oxygen with limited mobility. She's staying to care for her dad. He's an old hand at hurricanes having lived in the Clearwater/Tampa area since he was six. His house sits 75' above sea level and was built to hurricane code then upgraded to higher levels to include hurricane rated windows and roof. He's not in a mandatory evacuation zone. He bought this one with hurricanes in mind.

He's a survivor having survived 50 years married to my Aunt, lol. You had to know my Aunt Donna.

And the Titanic was unsinkable too. don't be too over confident. good luck, hope it dissipates quickly before landfalll.......jk