Massive Flooding and Dam Spills on the Tennessee River | Hurricane Helene Aftermath Vlog

In this video, I take you on a 100-mile journey along the Tennessee River, starting from Fort Loudon Dam, where the heavy rain from the hurricane caused multiple dams to spill. As I continue upriver, I check on some of my favorite fishing spots near Newport, Tennessee, which have been severely impacted by flooding. The hurricane dropped a huge amount of rain, leading to devastating floods, wiping out towns and bridges in North Carolina and around Newport. I'm not even sure if my fishing spots survived.
If you'd like to support the recovery efforts, check out the GoFundMe linked below. Thanks to ‪@DieterMelhorn‬ for verifying its authenticity. My thoughts are with everyone affected, and if there's anything more I can do to help, please reach out.
GoFundMe for Relief Efforts: gofund.me/a773...

[@turdferguson5300]

I'm 60 years old, lived in SE Tn. all my life and I've never seen anything like this. I live two dams south on Chickamauga Lake. TVA lowered the water 3 feet in preparation for this storm. It moved quickly over this area and the water only rose 2 feet. It didn't come close to covering my boat dock. I'm sure the main river was flowing at the same rate as the northern dams. It's hard for me to imagine that many cubic feet of water per second. Thank you for showing this disaster. We should take note of all the foreign aid we're getting and return the favor the next time they need help. It's only fair !

[@bennetts-revenge_2]

Ya, that means no help at all from them but they expect our help

[@monmixer]

So very sad for sure. All I can do is pray for everyone down there. If I was a lot younger I could be a lot of help but unfortunately I'm pretty old.

[@mikeinch3690]

I live in Asheville NC. It's wild to see where all that water ended up. Thanks for the vid. Donate to the churches they help more.

[@ArleneAdkinsZell]

I live by the Ft Loudon Dam, there was flooding by the creeks and near the river, it is finally receding from the flooded areas, I can't imagine what it is like in Ashville. Praying for all that lost family.

[@CrystalMcCullough-rc1oc]

It is my understanding that TVA opened all the flood gates on all the dams in eastern TN and even some in Middle TN.

[@TNRVG]

The TVA app says they ALL are spilling. I just checked the first 6 dams on the main Tennessee River and every single one is spilling.

[@DraggonCanoe]

Well that WAS your secret fishing spot, lol. That was a good report. Not many people covering the dams and streams down stream. Thank you for covering what no body else has!!

[@TNRVG]

Thank you for watching!

[@DraggonCanoe]

@@TNRVG Thank you for the work.

[@jamesprentice5503]

Thanks for the look at what people are facing and like most they are fixing most things ,neighbors helping! I look forward to the catfishing videos!

[@tedm4932]

Great coverage !!! Thank you for doing this video !!! 👍

[@TNRVG]

You are welcome! I may have more coming. My buddy Ty is giving me all his photos and videos to use if he gets time to do so. He has some pictures of the Waterville dam which for whatever reason are hard to come by.

[@donnaleffler-lh6gl]

Sending prayers and love to you all!

[@davidgarcia9808]

Amazing how much water can come in such a short time. Prays for all of you guys back there.

[@jackkeeble9272]

Unreal brother thanks for sharing

[@TNRVG]

Thanks for watching

[@goodcitizen64]

Hope yall are all safe! Prayer's for all those impacted by the hurricane and related storms! It's amazing how American citizens are coming together to help one another! However, the government is actively deterring citizens helping out. Meanwhile, the government isn't doing much at all! Stay safe and strong my fellow patriots and 2A everyday and everywhere and pray continuously! God bless y'all

[@monmixer]

Water is crazy, I live close to the Ohio river up here in south east Ohio. WE get flooded here from the which is south of us but it's a north flowing river. It's crazy, we have been floooded here with very little rain here because the the Monongahalia and Alegheny come together in Pittsburgh at point state park to form the Ohio

[@theholstonangler]

It's the Nolichucky river and French broad that forms Douglas. Keep up the good videos!

[@cathiwim]

You taught me something new, thanks!

[@Donnach]

Thank you for this video!

[@cathiwim]

We are helping through the Tennessee Baptist Relief fund. We are also brining donations to the church.

[@campagnollo]

I would be impressed if you could see Waterville Dam. It’s already a difficult dam to access on a sunny day.

[@tannercole2673]

Do more videos like this!!! so Detailed and Informative about the Rivers 🏞️

[@TNRVG]

I managed to get two fishing trips in the river dodging some of the debris’s. Will be published on my next two Thursday slots. I am going to attempt to make a podcast tonight talking about some new information. I got about the supply efforts.

[@shawnagrewe8331]

This dude is doing a really great job at filming this whole video! Thank you! I feel like Tennessee is one state that almost seemingly built everything around possible natural disasters! Maybe it's just me, but thank God for hillbillies! 😊

[@TNRVG]

That is pretty much true. The dam system was created not only to give the south east power but its also flood control. What happened upriver was something nobody could really predict and its more of mountain streams than rivers up there. The hurricane dropping 30 inches of rain overnight would flood anywhere it hits (1000 year flood). No control where all that water landed but down here where it drains into the French Broad and Tennessee river TVA has good control.

[@traehaggard]

The Tennessee Valley Authority built the dam systems to control the flooding. The Tennessee River runs from Knoxville south through Chattanooga and into Alabama then turns north to Kentucky. My father who was born in 1932 shows up on a historical list of families that were relocated because of the reservoirs being created and the flooding of farmland when he was just a little boy. When Nickajack Dam was created in the 60s it flooded more farmland to include cemeteries. My great grandfather used to talk about the great flood of 1900 that wiped everyone out.

[@LeighMichelle]

​@@TNRVG Thanks for showing this Where is Lure Dam at higher up from this or lower Prayers for all ❤🙏✝️ Just seen a YT channel saying they have poison the water up where they got hit bad 😭😭

[@James-oj6ck]

Thanks for the update. Great video.

[@waterlevelroute]

Wow, I'm in Asheville and was curious where it all went. Looks like the TVA controls everything pretty well.

[@cathiwim]

We went to Douglas the day after- you would not BELIEVE how many people went there to see all 11 gates open at the same time! It was a Zoo! All the marinas and campgrounds were closed. It’s the first time all gates have been open since 1960. I have the same video.

[@vgee3926]

Best wishes from the west coast🙏

[@shanester8712]

A local Guy ( an ER nurseand advit fisherman/hunter) was using his jet boat to help rescue a stranger in the nolichucky and they finally found his body 4 days later.

[@KennethBurnett-f6y]

Great job 👍 it was a great video

[@TNRVG]

Thanks 👍

[@mikeramsey9747]

Ft. Laudoun is releasing 52,000 cubic feet of water per second, Douglas is releasing 24,000 cubic feet per second, Guntersville is releasing 79,000 cubic feet per second. Dams down river are releasing similar amounts but note this is by no means the highest release rates recorded.

[@jeremylivingston9074]

I am from Greeneville. The Nolichucky River meets the French Broad to form Douglas. The Waterville Dam is on the Pigeon river which feeds the French Broad. Our dam held here despite being told that failure was iminate. We lost a lot of bridges though.

[@tedm4932]

Yea, those jet boats are nice ! Seen many videos on Cleetus McFarland platform riding the jet boats. I just subscribed !

[@TNRVG]

Thanks 👍

[@garycousino]

Have floated and fished from Barnard to Wolf Creek, we would camp halfway down. Didnt eat anything out of the FB then. Have banged down Big Laurel creek and did eat the fish from it

[@ValerieDee123]

Very informative, and helpful video.

[@myd0gr3x]

sooooo, Douglas Lake is now the place to go fishing 👍

[@TNRVG]

I don’t think it’s safe enough. Not only you have so much wood it’s filling up half the lake, at the upper end you have actual homes, cars, buses, and buildings piled up.

[@myd0gr3x]

@@TNRVG I was just thinking that the fish all got washed out the rivers and into the lake...

[@TNRVG]

Including the state record I was chasing...!

[@teresaadams825]

Thanks for the update. Is there any way you could provide visual maps of the flow of rivers devastation from Lake Lure NC dam to Damascus VA?

[@TNRVG]

I don’t know that area sorry. I’m in Tennessee and getting over the mountains is very difficult right now.

[@teresaadams825]

@@TNRVG sorry u misunderstood, boots on the ground was no way implied

[@meldeer6253]

DO NOT TRY TO get in that water with out the rescue team.. thats to dangerous .. thank you for your video.. this is truly heart braking...

[@Larryw-o2k]

thanks lived at the head of the tellico river for awhile moved down river then outa state got friends up there can anybody tell me if they are ok or not there area is not to prone to flooding its to steep except down around the state line apprecieat any info live in east ky now

[@TNRVG]

I am not sure. Most of the damage was in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, starting from Georgia up to that area.

[@davidheine2782]

Update, now tellico dam is releasing water, like I have never seen. Watts bar is flowing !

[@garycousino]

Dont recommend eating any fish out of there for years to come

[@kelvinnunnally2545]

Why?

[@TNRVG]

All the stuff that went into the water from the storm. Which is just about everything imaginable.

[@stopukmarriagefraud4956]

The water is seriously polluted.

[@kentondickerson]

The Episcopal Dioceses of both East Tennessee and Western North Carolina are accepting donations for flood relief.

[@MarkVanTasell]

IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY HELP THOSE WHO CANNOT(YALL KNOW BE A GOOD CHRISTIAN)TY FOR VID

[@Jdalio5]

You could fill the cowboys stadium 51,000 times with the rain that fell from this storm...40 trillion gallons. Edit: 160 billion tons of water in 1 day

[@TNRVG]

It was an incredibly amount of water! I remember seeing the forecast for 30 inches of rain. 1000 year flood for sure!

[@earlinemcgahen3931]

would not fish for a long time ,waters are poisoned by household cleaning supplies ,garage and vechicle toxicins and toxic plastic chemicals from plastic plant

[@michaelball869]

freshwater tsunami

[@stevendaniel8126]

All this water flows into the Mississippi.....

[@TNRVG]

...and into the Gulf where it came from!

[@chrisschaeffer9661]

That Sleepy Joe who can barely Stay Awake, has somehow managed to Change the Weather to only hit Red States. Lmfao. Blue States this Year

[@monmixer]

You know you make phone calls via wifi and you obviously have internet. I would never build a home next to a river. Not that close, no way.

[@davesbainrps6909]

Who was responsible for all this damage

[@TNRVG]

The remnants of hurricane Helene. Nothing can handle 30 inches of rain dropped in less than 24 hours. Someone commented it was 40 trillion gallons of water.

[@hiknfo]

@@TNRVGsomeone said that it was still a hurricane and not remnants when it got there. Is that true?

[@Edward-kk4dl]

❤❤❤ Ohio has food. Harvest. Is in ❤❤❤ theeangle

[@KathySwampQueen]

NE Tennessee here....totally devastating...bridges GONE....roads GONE....do NOT donate to FEMA..keep your $ local....bc FEMA is not helping hardly anyone...especially us 🤬 yeah I'm bitter and upset....I'm disabled and can't make it to any relief sites....nobody came except LOCALS ❤....just got temporary cell service...hopefully life gets better....soon

[@hughjanus5518]

40 trillion gallons fell with Helene.

[@richardlinn5512]

SALVATION ARMY, not red cross

[@bluelava4282]