Unsung Heroes & the Untold Story of the Hurricane Helene Aftermath They Don't Want You to Hear: Out of the Chaos, Humanity is Rising

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

A week after the devastating Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern United States, and firsthand reports and accounts of those living through the horror are beginning to pile up. And as they do, a clearer picture of the real story of the aftermath of this storm is beginning to emerge. Both shockingly horrifying and incredibly beautiful, it is a story about the immense power of the human spirit to overcome all odds, a story of how the most unimaginable tragedy causing so much pain and suffering is also uniting and empowering Americans, showing us the unbelievable good we are capable of and the incredible power that lies within us all. A story of all those who, having lost literally everything but their lives and their humanity in this storm, are rising from the ashes of destruction as the peaceful warriors they were born to be - heroes, one and all.

The darkest nights reveal the true number and brightness of the stars within our skies, and the chaotic darkness of this tragic storm is showing us the brightness of the stars among humanity, and just how great the number of these brightly shining beacons of light among us truly are. The darkness of this storm is reflecting back to us the brightness of the light that we truly are, reminding us that the darkness of this crazy world in these chaotic and polarizing times has not in fact extinguished the light of the human spirit, and that there is now more than ever a reason for hope.

Dozens, hundreds, thousands, perhaps even many millions of everyday American heroes have risen from among our ranks to answer the call of our neighbors and fellow countrymen in their time of greatest need and suffering in so very many different ways. And their story needs to be heard by every one of us, because it is our story too, and it is not the story of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene being told by the legacy media and its corporate talking heads or US government officials.

Unprecedented Damage & Destruction

As photo and video footage of the damage continues to be released, a picture of the true scope of the damage of Helene is beginning to emerge, and it isn't a pretty picture.

https://x.com/RastaGuerilla/status/1842375194796503175

https://x.com/GardensR4Health/status/1842520713695047720

By all accounts of those who have witnessed the hurricane aftermath, the true scope of the damage is far, far worse than is being reported by national media outlets; as it seems the Ruling Class, for whatever reason, does not want America to know just how devastating the damage from this storm truly is.

https://x.com/TimRunsHisMouth/status/1841847771885678985 https://www.tiktok.com/@asjr1994/video/7421322011114229023

The worst damage, and certainly the most treacherous areas for survivors, appears to be in the Appalachian Mountains, with western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee most heavily impacted. And it is here, in the remote terrain of the hills and mountains, where survivors are most isolated from rescue or help of any other kind. Between heavy winds and unprecedented flooding, combined with the mudslides and landslides that followed, entire roads have been wiped out - not just damaged, but utterly demolished - with even large swaths of paved roads and Interstate highways severely affected. Most bridges in the heavily impacted areas have also been destroyed, swept away by the raging floodwaters. These conditions, combined with a massive number of downed trees further impeding travel into these areas, are severely hampering rescue and relief efforts.

Entire homes were swept away, along with cars, trucks, heavy equipment, and every other type of property imaginable.

In some areas, flood waters were so deep that they flooded second-story buildings, while others have reported flood waters rising to an impressive 30 feet deep.

https://x.com/RastaGuerilla/status/1842340279833047387

Entire cities have been without power for days, while cellphone towers and telephone lines alike have been destroyed, leaving a massive number of survivors without a means of communication with the outside world, at least at first. Despite active cell service in some areas and Elon Musk donating shipments of Starlinks which are being distributed by volunteers to community hubs to help restore communications, many still remain without any means of communication but word of mouth.

In a video that went viral, on Sunday September 30, a rescue worker volunteering in Mitchell County, NC describes the carnage he has witnessed, explaining that no videos or photos can compare to seeing the devastation with one's own eyes, also stating that this is the worst damage that he and seasoned rescue volunteers have ever witnessed in decades of natural disaster relief work.

https://x.com/GardensR4Health/status/1840703119501500786 https://www.tiktok.com/@heyamerica2/video/7420328106310978862

The Tennessee Department of Transportation called the east Tennessee flooding "truly historic," describing it as a "500-year event" which the state's road and bridge infrastructure was simply not designed to withstand.

Entire towns have been practically wiped off the map, and Chimney Rock in western North Carolina is just one of a number of such examples...

https://x.com/GardensR4Health/status/1841152508535652491 https://www.tiktok.com/@kagan_dunlap/video/7420797375834230062

The city of Asheville, NC is in shambles.

https://x.com/KristyTallman/status/1840793297276866945

The small town of Spruce Pine, NC is "destroyed," with literally all services, including gas stations and water, gone.

https://x.com/codeofvets/status/1840906246683312593

Erwin, TN: "Completely destroyed."

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In Mountain City, TN, an entire church building was washed away, and now lies submerged in the river.

https://x.com/dugger78883/status/1841249748021391617

Swannanoa, NC "just simply doesn't exist anymore," with 85% of the town simply destroyed by the flooding.

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NASCAR photographer Ty Wint hiked into Swannanoa a week post-storm to document the damage and bring in some much needed supplies. No government, no FEMA, no vehicle access, with all supplies coming in by volunteers packing it in on foot. Clearly helping in every way he can, Ty said that "every dollar" that comes in from his TikTok video report is being donated to hurricane relief efforts to help these folks in their time of need.

https://x.com/GardensR4Health/status/1842259021316718625 https://www.tiktok.com/@tywint/video/7421656445856353582

And so the story goes... Suffice it to say that, for over a million Americans living in the affected areas - much of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee - for all these survivors of this incredibly massive and severe storm, their lives will never be the same again.

For those in the most heavily impacted areas, there are no words to describe what they are living through. In a single moment of devastation, countless thousands have lost absolutely everything to their name but the clothes on their backs. Their homes, their vehicles, and all of their personal belongings swept away in an instant, by a storm so intense that no one could have ever been prepared for it. On top of this, many have also lost friends and family members, pets, and farm animals, on top of everything else. Many have lost their lives, and by all witness accounts far more than the media is letting on. Based on the witness testimony of a number of locals, the death toll appears far more likely to be in the thousands than the official number sitting somewhere between 200-300 dead. Just listen to the testimony of enough of the locals who are living through this chaos, and it becomes difficult not to conclude that the government is lying to us about the true scope of damage including the death count.

Just one such example comes through Rebecca McNair, a western North Carolina local who has been, in her own words and as her TikTok video journey demonstrates, "tirelessly working to save members of [her] community since Friday morning (Sept. 27)," coordinating with and helping connect those in need with their needed help. One week post-storm, in a video relaying firsthand information from and including direct quotes from officials with the small country Yancey County fire departments spearheading search and rescue efforts in that area which she had spoken with that day, she describes the carnage being witnessed by rescuers:

"There are four reefer trucks full of bodies...they are pulling, still, dead bodies out of the river. Five bodies were found yesterday in the New Deal area, legs are sticking out of the brush, one body was found on Claremont School Road. It looks like a nuclear bomb went off. Arms are under boulders. There's no places for these people to live because they can't set up temporary houses on mountain sides...Kids are coming out of brush piles and creek beds saying, 'where are my mom and dad?'"

https://x.com/galacticaactual/status/1842304016442864089 https://www.tiktok.com/@glutenfreebreadwinner/video/7421950512544697642

In an interview with Mark Huneycutt on the afternoon of October 5 in her home community of Red Hill, NC, hurricane survivor and search & rescue turned search & recovery volunteer Christy Thrift of NC Outdoor Adventures shares her story, in which she describes that "They [National Guard] have marked over 100 bodies in a six mile stretch of river - possible bodies, just where they think they are," being that many of these bodies are buried in the mud, crushed by sediment, and entangled high within the trees. But, she notes, "you can smell the bodies in certain places along the river," and there is lots of vulture activity in the area.

They have perhaps only positively identified 200 and some dead bodied, Christy surmises, but the truth is that the actual number of dead is far higher than the official death count being widely reported by the establishment.

One of the more detailed firsthand accounts currently available, this interview is well worth the listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag-hb45J6MQ

Particularly in the Appalachians, due to the inaccessibility, entire rural towns and communities of survivors remain isolated and stranded, the only help they saw for days coming from their fellow neighbors who survived. This same story is told again and again and again by locals all across the mountains, and Christy's community was all on their own for the first four days post-flood before the National Guard showed up. Over a week later now, and others still have yet to see any outside or government help apart from local fire departments and civilian volunteers.

Over a week after the storm first hit, and survivors continued to be rescued, or reached with outside aid for the first time, or managed to make their way to fellow survivors, each and every day. Fallen trees are everywhere, blocking roads, fallen on homes and responsible for many deaths, while initially trapping others who have since been rescued.

Those witnessing the horrifying scenes have variously described what they've seen as "apocalyptic," "a war zone," "10 times worse than Katrina," "like a nuclear bomb went off," with some government officials describing it as "biblical devastation." How the national media and US government officials can continue to describe Helene as merely 'the worst storm since Katrina', when it clearly appears to be the most devastating storm that has ravaged this land since the inception of this nation, is mind-blowing to say the least.

There have been several reports of young children walking out of debris piles, crying, and asking where their [dead] parents are. Bodies of those that didn't survive are being found in treetops, in destroyed homes and trailers, washing up on shorelines, and dug out of debris piles. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of bodies will likely never be recovered. A week and counting into the storm, and survivors who hadn't had any food since the storm hit are still wandering out of the woods to reconnect with humanity for the first time.

The level of suffering and trauma that is being endured by so many souls who are surviving the devastation of this storm is beyond comprehension, and yet the unfolding story emerging in the aftermath of this mass destruction reveals an equally beautiful picture of the sheer power of unity and the light of love within the heart of Mankind now shining brightly into the darkness around us. It is a story of the strength and resilience of the human spirit free from the political and other petty differences weaponized against humanity to polarize and divide us, tearing this nation apart.

And coming just a month before Election Day during a highly polarizing presidential election cycle, at a time when America appears to be more divided and polarized than ever before, the message of the power of unity and brotherly love that this tragic story highlights is as I see it needed now more than ever. Perhaps for those with eyes to see, this storm which has ravaged and devastated so much of the southeast is in fact far more of a blessing in disguise than most could possibly imagine. And perhaps all it takes for one to see the incredible beauty of this horrific tragedy is to listen to the story being told by those who, with their lives, are actually writing it.

In the wake of the storm, civilian aid & rescue efforts ensue: Out of the chaos of mass destruction, humanity is rising

In the wake of this unprecedented natural disaster, government 'help' was largely "nowhere to be seen" for days, apart from local fire departments and police. And so concerned civilians stepped up to the plate in droves and began to answer the call for help coming from all those impacted by the storm and in desperate need of aid and rescue.

Private helicopter army to the rescue: Volunteer civilian pilots step up, as Americans unite in support of flood victims

Following story is from a volunteer in eastern Tennessee in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but the same story was playing out all across western North Carolina and other areas impacted by the storm as well...

https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1840574035962351807 https://www.tiktok.com/@cayotecowgirl/video/7419846572227382574

And so, with a very slow and ineffective federal response to the emergency, civilian rescue efforts grew, and expanded, and continued. The unorganized but incredibly efficient and highly effective volunteer civilian army of earth angels that arose in the wake of this disaster continues to dominate the Helene rescue and relief efforts to this day. Apart from local law enforcement and fire departments, Helene is revealing government to be far more irrelevant for our own survival and betterment as a people than many would have imagined prior to Helene.

Civilian pilots began to offer their services by flying supply drop and search & rescue missions, as helicopters are one of the only ways to reach many isolated individuals and communities in the most remote areas, those people who are in most urgent need of help. Retired NASCAR legend Gregg Biffle is just one among hundreds of such pilots and helicopter owners donating their own choppers, time, and money for fuel to rescue and drop aid to those in need, mostly those still stranded in the mountains and entirely cutoff from access by car, truck, and in some cases even ATV.

https://x.com/gbiffle/status/1841637654338650120 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV9ujBRQfHY

Cleetus McFarland, another racer turned helicopter hero who ended up flying rescue missions in western NC in his own chopper, shares his amazing story in an interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dirty Mo Media.

https://youtu.be/NhDwYRul_fI?si=0FzSkQiE3aZnZ7yP

The story of how he found himself called to help, and then unsuspectingly found himself being invited to stay with Biffle for the duration of his volunteer efforts with all fuel costs paid for, is full of synchronicity, as are so many of the inspiring stories of those helping out that I've heard so far. As Cleetus relates, at the start of his first day flying search and rescue missions in North Carolina, there were only three or four helicopters at the location they were operating out of, by the end of his first day the number had grown to ten, and by the end of his second day of flying there were already 40 private helicopters dropping supplies and flying search and rescue missions.

That number quickly grew to 50, and this volunteer "private helicopter army" saved many lives and is largely responsible for getting the people of these mountains the food, water, medicine and supplies needed to survive. Although a number of these pilots showed up entirely of their own volition, the nonprofit Operation Airdrop was one of the prominent private organizations helping to organize this grassroots effort and recruit private pilots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhSTkz7mx8&list=RDNS8hhSTkz7mx8&start_radio=1

From the Cajun Navy to the 'Redneck Marines' - the nickname that volunteer pilot and ex-marine Matt McSwain gave to the search, rescue and supply efforts coordinated by Operation Airdrop - Americans are in the wake of Helene uniting in droves as neighbors helping neighbors like never before. And the life-saving, world-changing, paradigm-shattering power of this unity is really shining through.

For a good many of these rural Appalachian mountain communities, such as Swannanoa, the aid and supplies brought in by these volunteer pilots is the only outside help they've gotten.

https://x.com/DaysofNoahGen6/status/1842938490184421495

Without this massive civilian effort and the countless volunteers who stepped up to make it all happen, many more lives would have been lost. Just two examples of this reality is found in the story of the separate rescues of an 11-day-old prematurely born baby and an 87-year old woman just hours away from running out of oxygen in the mountains of western North Carolina last Monday; both of whom would have soon died without oxygen and medical care. The team responsible for these life-saving rescues consisted of the nonprofit Aerial Rescue's Charlie Keebaugh, civilian helicopter pilot Zeb Hadley with his private chopper, Florida State Guardsman Jonathan Howard and his team,