HORRIFIC Hurricane Helene Aftermath - Swannanoa to Black Mountain, North Carolina

The tragic scenes out of North Carolina continue today. A majority of downtown Swannanoa has been completely wiped out beyond believe. Closer to Black Mountain roads have been washed out and Lake Tomahawk has drained due to a dam failure and all that remains is a muddy mess.

[@loriwitmer6596]

Thank you so much for showing the Black Mtn area. You and I commented about that area last evening. Just this evening I was able to talk with my Aunt and Uncle, for the first time since the 27th. We are praising the Lord, that they are safe. Their new home was built in the Blk Mtns a few years ago. Their home is okay. Being without power and water, they have went to Charlotte to a hotel. You said last night, you would try to film this area. And you did. We are very Thankfull. We appreciate what you are doing. My aunt mentioned that they will be volunteering help. They are both pastors. Be safe out there! And, God Bless you.

[@JACKTOTTER]

Praising the lord? for what? him sendin a hurricane? what a fu ckin idiot

[@justarepublicandog2505]

My 71 year old sister who is a widow lives in Swannanoa way up high on Buckeye cove.Every time I would travel from SC to visit her I would ask her “ why in the world do you want to live way up here on this mountain?” She’s safe and sound with hardly any property damage through all this and now I’m so glad she lives way up that mountain. I’ll never bitch about driving up her steep driveway again!

[@LegioXIVGemina]

This Citizen Journalism is far better than the hyperventilating news anchors and reporters. Well done.

[@darispolston4421]

Amen!

[@doreennichols3881]

I live in Australia and can't believe what I am seeing, I just can't get my head around it. I am so sorry for all your heartbreak. It will take years for you all to recover and for some, there will be no recovery. I am an 82 year old lady and the tears are pouring down my face, seeing all the devastation. My thoughts and Prayers are with you all.

[@jamesprice6381]

Thank you..

[@whimandaprayer]

I'm right there with ya, sister. Cryin and prayin, cryin and prayin. 🙏🙏🙏 no need closing in "Amen" In these last days....more like "brb", Lord. The bible tells us He saves our tears in a bottle and pray ceaselessly. Thank you for adding your prayers with ours here in SC. Jesus is my hope and rest.

[@ericmarie2089]

You can cry and pray. That is going to help for sure. Don't forget USA is destroying the planet with climate change, they will pay very little price for that. Wait... Australia ?? CO2 emissions are far worse in Australia... So you did it too, May be you can do something usefull ? Don't cry and calculate your own carbon footprint and get a plan to cut it by 5. Better than praying.

[@karenj.5910]

​@@whimandaprayerGod counts the tears of women.

[@JACKTOTTER]

Why do idiots always send thought and prayers? do you think they help? no! they only make you feel better thinking you are sending help through a fairy in the sky

[@janethinojosa7519]

My heart is broken for all the communities that are suffering such devastation and loss. May GOD give you strength and courage to face the challenges ahead. I donated supplies to a local effort sending a loaded tractor trailer to WNC. We are just 2 1/2 hrs east. Sending prayers and big hugs.

[@SandyVG]

The last part of the video shows that even if a home was not touched by the raging water, the infrastructures that support that home are gone. These videos you have made tell the stories of/for so many. I think about the sound the raging water must have made & then the silence while we watch the devastation of so many communities. Thank you for your time showing the massive power of a storm.

[@coltshooter5603]

Different town and location, same unbelievable destruction. A nightmare that keeps repeating itself.

[@jr-xs9tf]

From Greenville SC to eastern Tennessee.

[@markdunigan805]

Good video,helps one understand the magnitude of the destruction when you see mile after mile of it.

[@mackenzieb97]

I saw my precious aunt's house in this footage and I hope and pray she is with her friends, shelter in place. I haven't heard from her but I hope and pray she is okay. This devastation is so heartbreaking. I'm crying for all the people whose loved ones are gone and displaced and lost everything. It is so sad. Praying.

[@loriwitmer6596]

Sending prayers from PA!

[@Tammy121111]

😮 PRAYING FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TOO

[@barbaradw9969]

I will pray for her too. Sending prayers to all devastated from Helene.

[@Suzanne-f4x]

If you saw the spray paint markings on the doors of homes and other places, it means that search and rescue has been there and the house is cleared. I could not see the markings clearly enough to interpret.

[@Alios_World]

......... that you are guided, surrounded, protected with the peace, love and grace of God within and without.

[@sharondoust5002]

I'm sending love and prayers from Australia to all that has been effected by this disaster

[@markwhitman860]

Excellent job on the video showing the extent of the devastation. So sorry for all the loss of life and property.

[@ModLil6520]

Thank you for posting this! We will rebuild and make WNC and Black Mountain great again. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth!

[@Emelina-w1l]

Don't let anybody take your land because that is what the govermen is looking for❤❤❤❤❤

[@jeanetteredden24]

Im in Texas. The apocalyptic catastrophic extent of this Helene disaster affecting so many states & so many towns is almost incomprehensible. shocking. The extensive damage to critical infrastructure will complicate recovery so severely, that it leaves one speechless. 😢😢😢

[@conniepayne591]

It's very hard to imagine, even with all of the video.

[@karifredrikson-lr1mm]

You aren’t alone. Your Brothers & Sisters in CHRIST are praying constantly for you! “ That I may know HIM & the Power of the RESURRECTION, IN FELLOWSHIP with HIS SUFFERING.”Paul said that.

[@bennetts-revenge_2]

Very well said

[@robbiephillips5827]

💔

[@karenj.5910]

Although it is so hard to see the mountains and towns I love destroyed, thank you for sharing this video. Amazing dronework!

[@williamcap2236]

This is made twice as bad by the fact this hit our country in it's poorest regions. Praying for all effected 🙏🙏❤️

[@FrankGlover-k9b]

Asheville has alot of ritch assholes too, don't let it fool you

[@itwasaliens]

The poor part of Appalachia is In the northern parts.

[@jr-xs9tf]

​​@@PlutogalaxyTourism is definitely huge in this area. I live about 30 minutes from Asheville and I guarantee that the tourist money will be devastated by this event. All the major tourist sites in this area have been severely damaged or wiped out. According to NC DOT, I-40 from Tennessee will take at least a year to repair and I-26 north of Asheville is looking at six months minimum to fix. Difficult access and decimated tourist sites don't bode well for tourism bucks for the immediate future.

[@janefrommel]

@@Plutogalaxy anyone wealthy from tourism dollars probably wasn't living in a trailer by the creek.

[@Catnyp2828]

To be fair, Mississippi and W. Virginia, hold those titles! Guessing you have never been to this part of N.C..

[@pandorasullivan777]

Incredible footage of the devastation. This is heartbreaking. Prayers for all of the families. Tears flowing.

[@Shelly72042]

Thank you for sharing this, we are all so worried about you all!

[@roberttaylor598]

So sad to see this. Definitely puts how bad this really was into perspective. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone effected.

[@elliotolsen8412]

sending out thoughts and prayers to the few who aren't white supremacists.

[@junecoulthard8942]

Sending our Prayers and Love to Everyone Devastated by the Flood. This has got to be one of the most devastating videos I've seen yet! 😭 Thankyou for taking your time out to show this tragedy. 😥 so much is gone Just gone! Prayers to Everyone helping these Beautiful People 💕🙏🏼

[@TheRange7]

Spectacular footage of what has to be one of the most devastating tragedies in my lifetime. I'm old and have seen a lot. This really punches me right in the gut. The raw look at the catastrophic damage hurts the heart. T's&P's to all who were affected by this massive tragedy. Thank you for sharing this footage. 🙏🙏🙏💪💪💪

[@juanelbueno6078]

Tu no vi nada todavía, Karma

[@Naturestheway]

​@@juanelbueno6078Juan, what have these people done to you to make you celebrate this??? And do you think no karma will come to you for this?

[@teresabrown6767]

I lived in Asheville and have such fond memories but it is unrecognizable. Praying for all❤

[@ashleylovepace1941]

Wow. Thanks for a good perspective. Heartbreaking

[@THopkins7]

I use to live in the area. I loved to visit the ducks at Lake Tomahawk & Lake Susan. I would walk around those lakes pratically every day. This is tragic! 😢

[@terrihartbarger]

Thank you for this. My husband and I live in Black Mountain, NC. I'm devastated about this. My home town is decimated 😢

[@MesaBoogieman82]

I'm in the Blue Ridge as well, 3 hours by road, but actually closer in miles. This hits home and it's hard to imagine what happened. 🙏

[@theferretgalfeatures4394]

I live in Southern Louisiana about 40 mins from where Katrina hit hardest. This is truly devastating & so heartbreaking. Growing up I didn't have the fear of Hurricanes that I do now. So scary.

[@walterdewald267]

Happy Hug from Austria. We experience weather warfare. Unfortunately our various governments are just departments of one worldwide operating criminal cabal.

[@dreen7911]

My word. Heartbreaking footage. Thanks for doing this. Praying for all those affected.

[@Loretta318]

Continued prayers for everyone 🙏🙏 God Almighty please we need you

[@Tammy121111]

😮 I'M PRAYING FOR EVERYONE THAT WAS EFFECTED BY THIS HURRICANE

[@brendagarrigan2161]

Thank you! Strange that lakes Tomahawk and Susan are below average water levels. Near and dear to my heart. Lived in Blk Mtn 6 years. And Asheville just heartbreaking!

[@Jeffinthemiddle]

The standing water in the lakes was probably washed/carried out or the dams that hold it in destroyed

[@JMicheleS33]

Wow, just wow, my heart is truly hurting for everyone that’s been impacted by this horrific, devastating natural disaster. Praying for you all so often. 🙏🏻❤️

[@JMicheleS33]

So much damage and destruction everywhere the eye can see, looks like an atomic bomb went off, and then you see the bright sunshine in the background.

[@AnnaCheak-sq5ow]

Great job on recording the aftermath. My heart breaks. Unbelievable sympathy for these communities and people.

[@debsmith7025]

Good job the residents appreciate the storm chasers and the help they were given. They said you guys showed up right after the storm DAYS before their own government. The stormchasing community saved people from flash flooding or even if it was just a bottle of water and a piece of mind that someone cared about them.

[@daviddunlap5602]

What always blows my mind is how some stuff doesn't look like it even moved while the house right next to another one can be completely gone? It's insane

[@jkeelsnc]

I grew up in Black Mtn off of blue ridge road and of course I am also very familiar with Swannanoa. It is incredible to see the extent of the damage in the area. Unbelievable.

[@brewsandbass5572]

This has to be the most expensive storm ever. The damage is so widespread.

[@timtravels116]

The economic costs of these storms is greatly underestimated. Using what insurance companies say plus the cost to rebuild infrastructure never takes into account all the ancillary and lost opportunity costs. It also doesn’t account for charity.

[@GeraldineGutteridge-qm4xr]

Oh my God it is unbelievable the amount of damage . I grieve with you all . 😢 my thoughts are with you all

[@allen123636]

The fact that this video still doesn't fully show just how catastrophic and devastating this event was is beyond belief.

[@user-rw718]

Truly incredible footage. It looks like a warzone 😢

[@littlemuffin943]

its sad that 120 people are dead but seeing this damage you would thing 1000s died its mind blowing

[@obsidianwing]

Great Drone Work Aaron !

[@candywegner6752]

Just heartbreaking 💔 😢

[@SimoneNC]

Been here 41 years, it hurts!

[@lionheart4529]

Oh well! 😂🤷‍♂️

[@SimoneNC]

@@lionheart4529 FU troll karmas a bitch

[@pameladee]

I’m in tears. I had to stop watching for awhile…. Thanks for sharing this with the world

[@holisticinarizona9961]

This is just heartbreaking. I was just there a couple weeks ago and fell in love with the area. To see it now, and wonder about all those affected. 😢 I can’t wrap my head around it. I’m so sorry for all the loss and devastation to home and lives.

[@MetaGuideMedia]

I really wish I had the money to just take off work and go help. It's upsetting that I can't be there. This is horrible.

[@chrispflug8567]

Looks like a combination of Mt. Saint Helens and the recent Japanese tsunamis. Heartbreaking and troubling.

[@Colinmcdougall6996]

I remember when we had Mount Saint Helens explode and it flew ash across the Pacific Northwest but this is horrific.🙇🏻‍♂️

[@GatorRican]

When nature speaks let's make sure we listen.

[@jeremys5904]

Research Operation Popeye.

[@charliematt4808]

Great job Aaron.

[@MsCassieCrowe]

God help us. We'll get through this WNC!! 🙏

[@hopegalloway5560]

What a disaster!I hope that all these people get the help they need. I pray for you.

[@valerieprice1745]

These scenes are unbelievable! I am praying they can recover from this. So sad.

[@ruthnash8486]

It's like sheet of rain coming down atmospheric

[@don.cotton2678]

So sad. Great work here sir. A VO or text of where we are would be awesome. But very nice job.

[@cambizkhosravi]

Thank you for your great work documenting this catastrophe. Just do people know. In 1916 the same thing happened along the French Broad River. These towns need to get away from these rivers.

[@jeaniechampagne8831]

The horror they must have experienced.

[@metaltiger5091]

This Hurricane event is so horrible 😢I am glad to see that houses and cars have been checked and marked for the survivors and the deceased.

[@christinaphillips5933]

Prayers 🙏 for all of the people and their families ❤️ keep believing never give up !!

[@meltecal]

Surprised to see the dam at Lake Tomahawk survived.

[@bartgomez4872]

I'm near the Hickory airport and private Choppers have been flying over my home every 15 minutes for days. The help IS coming. This disaster is just SO big😢 NOTE - Bring supplies to the Crawdad Stadium NOT to the airport!

[@jeremys5904]

Colleges should cut the year short and send their students to help.

[@angiepangie989]

If we had government funded education they actually could do something like that, however I doubt any kid will be willing to waste their semester after going into debt for it.

[@lemardyc]

Send their students?

[@dalelangila9274]

Looks like they should stop the foreign aid and start American aid 🤔

[@paulinepardue678]

Oh lord.this is the worst destruction ive ever seen.im praying and donating all i can to help out😢😢😢

[@karifredrikson-lr1mm]

Praying for you from Phoenix. Donating. Remember what Paul said, “ That I may Know HIM and the Power of the Resurrection, in Fellowship WITH HIS SUFFERING.”

[@roylabella2434]

Praying for the good people in NC 😢!

[@ericmarie2089]

So praying instead of acting ? No climate change ? What is your personnal carbon footprint ?

[@SmokinLizzos]

The red X's on the doors and the numbers below them represent that the building has been searched, and how many people were found inside. The X's with a box around them are structures considered not safe

[@bornfree509]

I saw green X's. Do you know what those represent?

[@SmokinLizzos]

@@bornfree509 I'm not sure about the green x's - maybe they're from a local search group. The FEMA X's also aren't always red, but I think it's the preferred color when available

[@bornfree509]

@@SmokinLizzos Gotcha. I know the 1st search and rescue right after the Smokies Wildfires in 2016, they used 2 colors. One was for bodies found there. The other color was no bodies found. They came through a 2nd and 3rd time eventually.

[@bywaterbeatsproduction]

No one survived here. There's no way. 😳

[@JohnJones-yh7rv]

imagine that none of these people had flood insurance

[@whimandaprayer]

Imagine a big land grab. And research what's in them thar hills...lithium. sorry to throw out the theory card at a time like this, but you'd hear about it soon enough. I just heard it myself today.

[@ziziroberts8041]

FEMA doesn't cover ground water from hurricanes. Only wind damage. Preposterous. TAX THE RICH.

[@Handfulofhandsomeness]

@@whimandaprayerDam it all makes sense now!

[@UnknownPascal-sc2nk]

​@whimandaprayer are you positing that mining conglomerates somehow convinced insurance companies to stop selling policies?

[@CBBC435]

​@@UnknownPascal-sc2nk Eminent domain is a real thing. I wouldn't be surprised if these areas were displaced by national energy concerns. By hook or by crook...

[@angelcoleman6017]

I'm curious if anyone thought about looking in the tractor trailers to see if there's anything in there that can be used

[@SmokinLizzos]

@@Plutogalaxy yup, looting is their next big concern there.

[@jamesschmehl5972]

What bothers me worst is not knowing about my relatives. Simply no word 4days afterward and still waiting. They say it's still search and rescue..not even close to recovery. It would be epic if the news people would work together on a straight story and not just promote their own reporters.

[@Turk_2023]

Looks like an EF5 tornado ripped through

[@estusflask982]

EF5 would mean all the structures are flattened

[@nippynf4l831]

Samaritans Purse and Operation Air Drops are good places to donate to help the victims if you can. We really need help. God Bless!

[@nermalsturf]

I'm guessing the spray-painted X's are where the vehicle/building has been checked for people & pets?

[@DMIwriter]

I was thinking the same thing. I'm from the area, up in Buncombe county, and from what I've heard Swannanoa was the worst hit area with the highest fatalities. No one here on the ground believes the official death count. I've heard from a buddy who is helping with the rescue efforts that they've found 200 bodies in Swannanoa alone, some of them up in trees.

[@angiepangie989]

Yep that's exactly what it is, I'm in Florida I've seen it plenty of times.

[@whimandaprayer]

​@@DMIwriterI heard that too.

[@kcsunshine777]

Montreat!! 😢

[@dianeoliver3078]

Great footage thanks for sharing and for slow panning. It would be nice to know where these are

[@claudiavonkroge3604]

That is unbelievable. Are there any homes left? Without damages?

[@donkey3187]

Oh sure. My mom's is one of them.

[@claudiavonkroge3604]

@@donkey3187 Hope your mom is doing well. This all looks like a movie, I can’t believe that this is all for real…

[@donkey3187]

@@claudiavonkroge3604 She is. She lives in NE Asheville. After no power, water, cell phone service for five days, her and a friend drove to Branson, MO to stay with relatives for a while. It will take weeks to get the water system functioning again.

[@timothykirkman7097]

I was there yesterday dellivered 2 truck loads of food and water its terrible.

[@virginiawaters3220]

The military have large pop-up bridges. Couldn’t they use these in place of some of the washed out bridges? We seem to be able to supply anything that Ukraine needs for its war machine so why not help the folks suffering from Helene.

[@zhardin3652]

FL DOT is bringing their temporary bridges up

[@Suzanne-f4x]

Yep. The Seabees do too. They can put a bridge together faster than anybody.

[@TakeTheRide]

As Lindsey Graham of South Carolina stated, they're giving us dollars away to Ukraine for their mineral rights. They don't give a shit about us and it's our money.

[@KsAdventures]

Military contractors paid by US taxpayers supply equipment to Ukraine. Our US military does have everything that would make all this accessible, and it would be provided as needed.

[@garyventurino756]

It seems as though they need more searchers for survivors and account for everyone missing.

[@margelittleboy]

It would be nice to see the military in there. But the a large number of Tennessee National Guard were just sent to Kuwait, I believe 9/30/24. Apparently this area has substantial underground minerals and such, so just how fast will FEMA respond. This destruction is devastating and the loss of life is being underreported. Prayers that those that survived the storm can get the help they need to survive and start over, along with the emotional & spiritual support to deals with this horrific trauma. Prayers to the first responders, this is not something anyone wants to see and smell. May those that have passed be in the hands of God. Thank you for showing what is happening, be safe, God Bless.

[@karlawoodruff4280]

like a horror movie

[@martinvandeveer9595]

I feel so sorry. 😢

[@nikkilovesrocks]

The spray paint are markers first responder reserve teams use to show the structure or auto was checked for deceased and no. of deceased found.

[@frankblangeard8865]

4:00 That yellow tape across the door lets people know that the store is not open for business. And at 13:30 that little bridge came through without even a scratch!

[@ghrtt7]

How did you get all this great footage? I thought the roads were all torn up and blocked off.

[@patrickhowell5382]

Condolences to the families who lost love ones. Please take hurricane warning serious. Remember most heroes die young. Can you imagine the damaging effect it would be if these bridges were made of wood like the houses? Most bridges which are made of steel and concrete stood the test while the houses made of boards are mostly washed away or smashed. The building code needs to be revisit. I implore upon the people of North Carolina and affected states not to rebuild your houses using board but concrete and steel because this will not be the last hurricane to hit your states. It's a strong possibility that you can get a hurricane with wind speed of 150 mph as those which hit countries in the Caribbean and sections of the USA. The Bible said that in the last days places which haven't been hit with hurricanes, floods, earthquakes will start to experience these disasters. People of the USA please be wise and build to experience greater hurricanes and floods.

[@jeromethibodeau4378]

Well, maybe the climate is different. I'm not saying it's changed or anything like that, but maybe it's different...

[@victorvandyke9898]

Wow!

[@atinwoodsman]

Okay,.so the drained lake @ 12:21

[@schex9]

IKR? Why haven't we heard about this on the news?

[@NewWaveArch90]

apparently it had already been drained for some other work, so its not related to the hurricane

[@atinwoodsman]

​​@@NewWaveArch90according to the town's website, that work was completed in June.

[@whimandaprayer]

​@@NewWaveArch90 there are so many unanswered questions for us that are not there. Prayers for all.

[@atinwoodsman]

​@@NewWaveArch90according to the towns website, that work was completed in June.

[@Colinmcdougall6996]

I could be wrong but I think they said we had the hottest season in the world 🌍 ever in 2024.

[@karenj.5910]

Remember the reports that the waters off southern Florida were at 95°' warmer than bathwater.

[@UnknownPascal-sc2nk]

That's correct. The previous hottest year was 2023. Hot air can hold more moisture so when the rain fell it was measured in feet, not inches. It was like dumping a bucket full on a sand castle.

[@ksm9109]

What does the ILWR mean on the homes or the “X” with the “0/o”?

[@michaelchownyk5255]

Very sad. Clear evidence of why you should not build near a creek or in a floodplain. The power of raging water is unbelievable. Also houses with permanent footings seem to do better. There will be a lot of lessons learned from this. I live off grid with solar panels and batteries on high ground and I drive an electric car that doesn’t need fuel from a gas station, so I am living with more resilience than most.

[@MrBoxer1200]

I would help mortuary affairs if I could be there.

[@bywaterbeatsproduction]

I can build caskets 😳⚰️

[@Suzanne-f4x]

That will be a tough one especially as more time passes. They need refrigerated mortuary trucks and forensics.

[@canu2-dk6lw]

Very kind offering.

[@pattylevasseur4041]

sorry for being ignorant....but im up in northern maine...... what do the spray paint markings mean? ppl that have been recovered?????????

[@marcusvalenti7653]

Typically there is an X placed on the house or car door Look at the X as for sections One will have date searched No. of occupants if any What type of hazard may exist be it fuel chemicals or other Hope that helps you some

[@pattylevasseur4041]

@@marcusvalenti7653 thank you i deeply appreciate that...GOD LOVE EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN EVERY STATE AFFECTED!!!!!! we did send our electric company trucks also to help you all!!!!

[@gaeilgesinger1]

Whenever anyone questions the power of water, all they need do is look at flood damage. Water is powerful and merciless.

[@jordanseay216]

My friend in Virginia was ok but barely. Everything around him was deviated and hes just about the only person in his area right now with running water and electricity.

[@FalconXE302]

Some of the scenes look like overly dramatic movie setups... and that shows how bad the situation was when all this happened. it must have been frightening.

[@vicman4170]

I would prefer that all the lookieloos traveling through making "content" would get to work helping rather than getting in way of those doing work.

[@talkin56]

I'd love to see jacks creek road up 197 in burnsville. I lived there 30 yrs until a yr ago

[@FoxieGrandma]

Are you the Aaron Rigsby whose Grpa. had a church in St. Cloud, FL???

[@Prime501]

It's insane to me how one storm can render a whole stretch of the nation into something you're only think you'd see in the worst Fallout game. Literally, looks like a fictional post nuclear wasteland. Best of luck to everyone in recovery.