Tuesday, October 8, 2024

First After-Action Report coming out of North Carolina

 

Vox Day has published a lengthy after-action report from someone in North Carolina.  If you have any interest in preparing for disasters great or small, you should click over there and read the whole thing.  I'm going to publish just one short excerpt, because I think it makes an important point.


Right now DoT contractors are trying to reconstruct roads so large recovery teams can get into places like Chimney Rock but have to constantly avoid killing GoPro Bros on 4 wheelers and dirt bikes. One equipment operator at church yesterday said they had to double back to re-repair a stretch of road that was rutted out and left unusable by a group on ATVs, no one knows who they were. There are hundreds of local, able bodied men that know the lay of the land and exactly who they are looking for. Do not bring your lifted jeep to NC to try and save people because TikTok said you should. Its really hard to believe how much disaster rubber necking is happening out there right now.


There's more at the link.  Go read the whole thing.  It's worth your time.

That really is an important point.  I hadn't thought that "disaster rubber necking" would be a thing in the chaos that is North Carolina's hill country right now, but it seems I was wrong.  Such idiots only get in everyone else's way, and frequently require rescue themselves when they try to get into areas that are not safe.  Don't go there to look - only to help.  Voyeurs can watch TV like everyone else!

Peter


15 comments:

  1. That's the trouble with dirt bikes, ATVs, and trikes; they tear the shit out of everything, and the riders don't give a damn. In flooded areas you'll find the same class of individuals on the water in some yahoo's fishing boat with three to five beer swilling buds armed with rifles and two cases of beer. The boat will have a trolling motor and three 500 HP outboards on it. They'll run past homes that are flooded up to the second floor, throwing a two foot wake - right past a hand lettered 'No Wake' sign. The house might survive the water level, but it won't survive the wake thrown by a motor boat like this one.

    I think the ATVs are the worst, followed by the trikes. The men in the ATVs are so fat and out of shape that they can barely waddle one hundred yards over rough terrain without risking a heart attack. Non-fatal, which is a shame.

    Out of every ten, I'm betting that four either break down or get lost and run out of fuel. Does anyone have a compass? How about a map that isn't a AAA Trip Tik? Then, naturally, someone has to stop and pick them up, and by this time the rescuers don't want to hear the story about just how they got lost and broken down and the endless question of why the ATV can't tow the other one out.

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  2. Peter, you can do so much better than using Vox Day as a source.
    There's an emotional video here of a family recording their farm being slowly and then rapidly washed away during the storm: https://youtu.be/18QR-rFWxFI?si=l4s1wluTH1YfxAYF

    Please find sources that are from people in the area!

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    Replies
    1. "the wicked and terrible Vox" (my expression, but it's how y'all act, so it fits) *is* sharing a report from a "[person] in the area" Ms. Sanderson. It was tiresome when the "new" captain America (formerly the Falcon) told white people to "do better" on his Disney+ show, and it's no less repugnant here, where you're telling a good-hearted, thoroughly experienced, grown ass man like Mr. Grant that he should "do better" than associating with someone you and your fellows have declared to be a wicked unperson/untouchable.
      When you "express concern" in a public forum, instead of contacting the person you're "concerned" about privately, it's called virtue signaling and concern trolling. It's performative, not compassionate or edifying. Stop it. If you actually cared, you'd send an email. It'd still be tiresome, but less of a naked attempt to publicly shame someone into compliance.

      Delete
  3. We live in Woodfin, which is just North of Asheville city limits. I read the Vox Day article/comment/email, and it is generally accurate.

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  4. North Carolina. Storm or not those are hillbillies.

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  5. We had the same issue in the wake of Hurricane Charley. The roads were clogged solid with people driving slow, hanging out of the window clutching cell phones. That was 20 years ago, and now that social media is so much larger, the problem is 100 times worse.

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  6. I've read it twice now and have learned a couple of things about my preparedness. And as far as I'm concerned, people tearing up reconstruction efforts should be treated as looters -- shoot on sight.

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  7. I ponder the reality of 4 wheelers DOING DAMAGE to a repaired road.

    Like if a few dozen 500 pound 4 wheelers driving around will damage the "repaired Road" what the HADES is my 4000 pound Ambulance or any decent sized pickup truck going to do.

    So much Ukraine Propaganda level BS here and there.

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    Replies
    1. Your 4000 pound ambulance with street tires on what is basically a dirt road? Minor ruts at most. A dozen or more ATV's with extremely aggressive off-road tires? They'll tear up big ruts and make said road impassible for most standard vehicles, especially those hauling trailers

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    2. Wow, can I assume you've never ridden an ATV?

      Again, a dirt road even a muddy one isn't in grave danger from a bunch of ATV riders playing rough.

      I should know as I've done medical support for several ATV "Mudders" where they really get crazy and muddy.

      They are NOT riding roads but especially "improved" trails with massive mud holes where the "Aggressive Tires" can really "Create Ruts" and splatter mud everywhere.

      My Deer Camp is accessible only by ATV on semi-improved forest dirt roads. We've never seen massive ruts from our many trips over the season.

      IF a "Repaired Road" is that sopping wet and soggy mud then NO Trailers are going to do well on them.

      Rubberneckers are a problem, best solved by a good ass whipping. Thieves are a real problem best solved by worse treatment.

      Power Mad thugs are a real problem. Soon enough we'll see just how bad when the Cheat Occurs again.

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    3. A typical Ambulance is closer to 10,000 pounds. My 4 door 4x4 F350 is over 8,000 pounds.

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    4. tsquared, your CORRECT. My Ambulance is even heavier and MORE DESTRUCTIVE to "repaired roads" that can be torn up by mere ATV's.

      Your Pickup truck is an excellent comment. NOW add a trailer full of supplies.

      THUS, my comment that "Recently Repaired Roads" being torn up by light weight ATV's is GOING to SUPPORT Real Traffic?

      My Deer Camp is ATV accessible over a barely their dirt road. It rains plenty during deer season. Dozens of trips to and from and WE do the maintenance on that road.

      Guess what? It manages not to get "Torn Up" by our ATV's.

      PLEASE.

      Delete
  8. Disaster, accident scene, house fires, crime scenes, etc. are overwelled with rubbernecker's out live streaming with smartphones or creating videos for social media. Not to mention that same social media provides near immediate notice of all of the above and the favorite major car crashes to flock to for immediate gratification. It's a social parable that is indicative of lack of care for those victimized by the incidents.

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  9. The website NC Renegades run by a North Carolinian living a short distance from the worst of it has some very good info on what is going on there.

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  10. GrindstoneMinistries.com is operating out of Jonesburo, Tenn., inc. Cross-border ops into N.C. FEMA has the cohonis to claim Grindstone's operation is one of THEIR drop-off and disbursement sites, on their flyers! NO COMUNICATION, between them, by the way... Grindstone is running chopper recon, mule teams, a field kitchen and supply drops via sling-load back in the hollers, as well as into N.C.... if you wanted to donate, GrindstoneMinistries.com would be my choice...

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