The DEVASTATING Aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Erwin TN!

[@miscnunyabiz]

Thank you for continuing to show this. May we not forget these people.

[@GS-191]

Thanks for posting. Fellow ADV rider and Erwin native here. So much destruction and loss of life in this event.

[@Carolb66]

I've seen drone footage of the devastation in Erwin but this is the first time close up. You have done a fantastic job of filming & your commentary is outstanding, so calm easy listening voice, but it must be so hard to witness all this damage to what you call home. It's so sad. I hope everyone stays strong & rebuilds their life, it will take time but you are all resilient. God bless, ❤ & 🙏🏻from UK.

[@Offroadviking]

Thanks so much 🙏

[@Maya-bu2rf]

You are not far from Flag Pond. A thriving metropolis! My family has an apple orchard there. My Dad was born there and joined the USAF out of high school because of Korea. He figured a young country boy would be drafted so he volunteered to avoid being a foot soldier. Boot camp at the time was in Tampa FL. He met my Mom and stayed. We went to the farm every summer and Dad went back to pick apples in early October. That was when the roads were all two lanes and sure to make a lot of people sick due to curves and dips. Love that old road. The first time my Dad took me with him in later years I cried when I saw the interstate. Yes, it made it easier to get to Flag Pond. But it broke my heart to see the mountains cut out and to think of the wildlife displaced. My Dad said he missed the old road too. I considered it paradise. No city noises or lights. Fireflies and stars.

[@MountaincraftOutdoors]

Great video. I'm glad i got to see this and i appreciate the shout out. Crazy days. It's sad to see all that beauty along the river and people's homes including your Grandma's desimated by the flood. Take care.

[@Offroadviking]

@MountaincraftOutdoors you as well, and keep pumping out the videos. Really enjoying your content.

[@MountaincraftOutdoors]

@@Offroadviking Thank you sir.

[@fireball1518]

Wow! Thanks for sharing! This is the first I've seen of the chestoa area. New sub here!

[@Offroadviking]

@@fireball1518 thanks so much 🙏

[@fireball1518]

BTW, this is my hometown founded by my GGGrandfather. Born on the way to the old hospital. This footage breaks my heart! I don't live there anymore but I come back 5, 6, 10, times a year.

[@RaymondBridwell]

You diid a great job in making this video. I feel for the people who have lost their homes and for the people who have lost love ones.you have a blessed week.

[@richleaves]

I grew up in Erwin in the late 1970s. What great memories! It was a nice little town with friendly people. This is just a shame.

[@TheAmateurPrepper]

We live off of Chestoa. It is so heartbreaking seeing what the river did. I'm thankful your grandma wasn't living in the house at the time. Thank you for the footage.

[@BirdDogg]

It’s unfathomable when I’m out and about. Been in Unaka springs and a river rat for 20 years and would have never, ever predicted the destruction. Kinda in shock

[@MrFretman6]

Many a day I’d ridden my bike over from Jonesborough to that beach area just to sit and watch the river or ride up to the campground often stopping on the bridge for pictures. My heart breaks for the people of Erwin. This area could restore calm to your soul.

[@stephaniebragg3081]

I'm in JC. We used to visit the Chestoa beach campground area last year. It's absolutely unreal seeing this. Also, I went to Google Street view of the houses right past your Grandmother's. That two-story brick house and the barn! It's so hard to fathom it all.

[@Offroadviking]

@stephaniebragg3081 it really is, we're over 5 weeks removed and it still doesn't seem real driving through there. I posted a drone video to my Facebook during the flood. The lady who owned the brick commented asking if the water had came down any around her home. We found out it had washed away about 30 minutes after that.

[@stephaniebragg3081]

@@Offroadviking SO sad. Do you know if those who didn't have flood insurance can claim it as something else? Natural disaster? Act of God?

[@mlwm7]

I've watched a LOT of WNC videos since the storm, and think your drone video was one of the first I saw. I'm in Florida but my daughter and I come up there a lot (those annoying Floridian tourists, right?!). We dodged a bullet here, but my heart has been with everyone up your way, as I absolutely knew before Helene even got there how unexpected this would be for the Appalachian communities. But none of us could have anticipated what happened. Like others here, I so appreciated your commentary and route to town, and to hear about your mamaw's house and that she was safe elsewhere. (I had feet down through that mud, too!) Please know there are multitudes in Florida, as well as people worldwide, holding everyone up there in prayer and blessing. We'll see y'all soon. - Harley gal

[@Offroadviking]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Helene's damage was definitely unexpected and the huge amounts of rain we received before the hurricane got here just made for an unreal situation when combined with Helene. Thanks so much for the prayers for our area, greatly appreciated!

[@AngiesByKim]

That's the day I took back roads into Asheville and got my daughter out. It was hard to see. I was some of the first into Katrina, and it's revived my PTSD from that. Struggling with depression.

[@RonRussell-sj1zf]

Water weighs 8 lbs. per gallon, so when you have 100's of 1000's of gallons roaring through an area there is going to be some damage, as you are witnessing!

[@PisgahGravelProject]

Great video. I haven't made it over that way, but need to. I live on the other side of the damaged area in rural burke county near Linville Gorge.

[@PisgahGravelProject]

Hey, by chance you read this. Hows the condition of Buffalo Mt trail? Iron mountain that starts in Damascus is tore up badly, and i imagine Buffalo Mt is too.have you heard one way or another?

[@Offroadviking]

Buffalo is in good shape from what I've been told....haven't ridden it myself since the storm but have some friends who have. Hoping to get out there myself in the next week or two and shoot some video.

[@PisgahGravelProject]

@Offroadviking ty. All our local stuff is tore up badly. Old NC105 is closed. Before it was barricaded, I snuck up as far as usfs had gotten. Hundreds if not thousands of trees down, mudslides ect. Bridge approach is out on brown mt beach rd. Several other lesser known are gated too. Maple Sally/90/edgemont rd are all open sp at least there's 40miles of continuous uninterrupted gravel opened back up.

[@Offroadviking]

@@PisgahGravelProject yeah it's blew my mind how widespread the damage is. It just feels like everywhere you go in the region you see it everywhere. And the downed trees in North Carolina is insane, going to take a long time to get everything cleaned up and repaired for sure.

[@cumberlandquiltchic1]

I watch at least one person, usually a couple more, each season on KZbin following their hike from GA to ME. They always stop there at Uncle Johnny’s. I think parts of the AT are closed. Did your grandma have flood insurance? I ask because I don’t know what so many are going to do, how it works, because only about 1% they say are getting paid. Not sure if the numbers have changed, but that’s what I hear (I’m in WNC ). Im glad your grandma is safe and the renter as well. I wonder if the house can be moved forward toward the road some. Thanks for the video. It’s good to document this.

[@Offroadviking]

My aunt is looking into some different options one would be moving the house to a different location and building on a new foundation. The house itself is actually still pretty sound but the foundation has received alot of damage. Not sure what will happen at this point though.

[@jeffarnold4791]

What kind of gs you riding I have a 1200 GSA bmw, also enjoyed the video so sorry for what y’all are going through but they’ll be a brighter day down the road

[@Offroadviking]

@jeffarnold4791 thanks, long road ahead for alot of folks and the region in general. I'm on the new 1300, I've had it for about 2 months now. Really liking it 👍

[@ljonesj]

i live in kingsport tn i feel for everyone erwin, unicoi, ashville, greenville and every were else that had damage i was without power for 4 days but the lose of life and property

[@vanessajankovic8807]

I have been watching the guy from uncle Johnnie’s

[@Offroadviking]

His videos are really good

[@greghowell5747]

Wish we could've seen the damage

[@myd0gr3x]

was the river always that wide?

[@empressozlandconduit630]

No.. it was not by a long shot 😔

[@myd0gr3x]

@@empressozlandconduit630I didn't think so, I haven't been there in a long time... trying to find something less than the absurd $10k+ per acre people are demanding... it's insane what the real estate agents and foreigners have done to Tennessee...

[@pattysakowich5828]

With all the damage we have heard nothing about the Nuclear fuel rod company in Erwin. I can't imagine it is in good shape. There is nothing put out on it. It is like it does not exist. We know about it as we used to live in Unicoi. Any information would be good to know