Emergency Horse Care in flooded NC + Tenn.?

[clanter]

@VodkaRedbullx2

Why are they lying so much about the death count?

I suspect most of the bodies are buried in the sand from the flash floods, under piles of trees and even high up in trees. some will not be found

I saw one video of a search of six miles of a stream, they had 100 marked targets indicating death, none of which they could actually exhume to determine if it was a human or an animal so the target was marked for later recovery,

When whole families and whole settlements are wiped completely off there is no one to report them being missing or unaccounted.

[DMK]

Apply logic to the situation…

There are serious legal ramifications to declaring a person dead and there are legal timelines that apply when one is missing, presumed dead. Without an actual body the government can’t just declare someone dead. You can’t suspend these laws in times of natural disasters.

Is the death toll higher than it is currently? Most likely. Does everyone know that? Absolutely. Will it take time to find, identify, notify kin with those bodies? Will some missing people never be found? Wash rinse repeat throughout numerous small towns, hollers and forgotten corners of Appalachia ? Once I took off my tinfoil hat, I took realized that yes, all of that is not only true, but obvious.

It really doesn’t have to be a conspiracy. It can just be heartbreaking.

[piaffequeen2]

She had one swept away and they rescued the other 22 horses.

[MapleFarm]

Yes, I am guessing it is related to legal aspects of declaring someone dead as well as ensuring family is all notified etc. My aunt received a helicopter in her field this weekend bringing additional body bags because they have run out. So, the number is certainly going to be much, much higher but I don’t think they will be updating it any time soon.

I am surprised the estimates are not higher though, as they do have ways to anonymize the data and estimate with other disasters. Perhaps because it’s over such a large geographical area it’s more complicated? I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s a conspiracy (cui bono???).

[clanter]

@MapleFarm

Perhaps because it’s over such a large geographical area it’s more complicated?

the mountainous area was mostly inaccessible before the flooding, also the area was flooding before this added rainfall occurred, most streams were already beyond flood stage levels

I suspect the only way some will be declared dead is after their bank accounts see no withdrawals activity after five years (there will be the monthly social security automatic deposits until declared dead)

Dormancy periods in North Carolina for common property types include: Wages, Payroll or Salary: One year. Checking and Savings Accounts: Five years . Money Orders: Seven

[rothmpp]

@clanter

When whole families and whole settlements are wiped completely off there is no one to report them being missing or unaccounted.

I would also add that there are likely settlements in the Blue Ridge area that have off the grid groups that there is no real record of in any legal sense. So no one to to report them missing, and no way to look back into town/county/state records to try to get a sense of who they are missing. And even if some of the group survive, they’re not going to report their missing friends.

[mastodon]

I’ve also been hearing by word of mouth that some of these more rural counties in the outskirts of Asheville that have been decimated were already living much simpler lives but now these small fire departments are having to upgrade systems and plans because the scale of recovery outmatches their capabilities. There are most certainly refrigerated trucks in these places with many unidentified bodies because recovery is the number one goal at present, and if you can’t match a name to a body for whatever reason because its unidentifiable, you don’t have a list of missing folks, etc then that can’t officially be turned into a number to be counted. We will absolutely be having reports in the future with many many more names than anyone anticipated.

[GraceLikeRain]

My husband and I spend a lot of time up in this area.

There was one road we took that was a forestry gravel road our last visit. We were 45 minutes deep into the ride of nothing but trees when we came upon a small community of a church and probably ten homes. It was another 35 minutes past that of nothing but trees to a small one stop sign town and our first bit of pavement. It then turned back into gravel roads and we saw another 10 homes over the next five miles or so. For places like that, the next community probably has a rough estimate but may not be able to say that the jones family is next to the smiths and the smiths have 4 kids but 2 have left home. It’s rough estimates at best.

[Mardi1]

From the Mountain Mule Packer FB page:
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"Update: 10/6/24 10pm:

The mule team had a busy day today. They were up saddling early and some of the mules got new shoes for this next trip. Supplies were delivered back in the hollers and several homesteaders were grateful for the visit!

The mules seem to be bringing smiles and joy along with the nourishment and essentials these families are in need of.

Mike found a special fondness for an 85-year-young woman who had been alone all week and could not get off her property due to the condition of her driveway and roads. He said that just hearing her laugh and seeing her smiles as she ate peanut-butter and crackers unloaded from the mule, made every hard mile this week feel worth it, even if they had helped no one else. Crazy how these hard times can make you appreciate the simplest of things."

[skydy]

Cross posted from Off Topic and Eventing forums:

https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/horse-communities-rally-for-hurricane-helene-relief-efforts/?

[Mardi1]

The article didn’t mention veterinary care. Does Fleet of Angels, or another group, assist with the funding and/or supplies the vets may need ?

[skydy]

I don’t think they’re quite that far along in the recovery. They’re still trying to get food to people and animals.

[Knights_Mom]

@Bogey2

Mountain Mule Packer Ranch is also headed in with supplies!

I bought a bunch of supplies for them at the Moorestown, NC Tractor Supply. A lot of hay cubes and grain.

Anyone looking to help the critters can go to their FB page.

[Montanas_Girl]

@Mardi1

The article didn’t mention veterinary care. Does Fleet of Angels, or another group, assist with the funding and/or supplies the vets may need ?

The University of Tennessee vet school was providing veterinary services to affected areas in upper east TN (both large and small animals) for the last week or so:

UTCVM Large Animal Ambulatory Truck Deployed to Help Hurricane Helene's...

UT Veterinary College Mobile Unit Deployed to Help Hurricane Helene's...

I don’t know whether NC State has been doing the same in western NC.