May Appalachian Update

Broad River Falls debris cleanup after Hurricane Helene

First, thank you again for taking an interest in our recovery here in Western North Carolina and the Appalachian Mountains. (Pronounced ap-uh-LATCH-uhn by locals - just in case you're wondering)

I greatly appreciate you following along on YouTube over the past seven months. Your likes, comments and shares on those videos have helped to reach a wider audience. And not for vanity sake. As time goes by, the interest in our region will naturally wane...and we have a very long road to recovery ahead.

Without further ado - here's a quick peek at upcoming videos, and some behind-the-scenes observations. I'm excited to share this update with you first.

River Arts District

I was down in the River Arts District (RAD) yesterday, filming and speaking with some business owners. RAD is an industrial area right along the French Broad River, down the bluffs from the city of Asheville.

It's in a flat flood plain, where the railroad could be easily laid, with open space for factories and warehouses. Like many U.S. industrial outposts, they've been decommissioned over time as manufacturing was moved offshore.

Marquee at the Foundry in River Arts District

And similar to other areas like this, the warehouses have been transitioned to more modern commercial spaces, embracing the industrial aesthetic. RAD is filled with art studios, woodworking, antique shops, restaurants, coffee shops, breweries (it is Asheville after all), and a host of other vibrant business.

But back to the obvious - it's in a flood plain. And the French Broad River is the primary waterway collecting all of the watersheds in this area of the Appalachian Mountains, and funneling water down-mountain into Tennessee. So water was high here during the storm, and many businesses were impacted.

I look forward to putting this video out in the coming days. In the meantime, check out this 3D model that I created of the Summit Coffee Co building at the Foundry.

3d model photogrammetry summit coffee foundry river arts district asheville nc

Broad River Update

Back on October 20th, I put out the video Helene Impact - Oct 20 Broad River & Flat Creak aerial footage - Hwy 9 Black Mountain NC. I returned earlier this week to film an update, this time hiking down the river to get ground level footage of the waterfalls and landslides.

Braod river waterway cleanup with heavy machinery

Waterway cleanup is underway with some heavy duty equipment pulling debris and trees out the river.

However, the section of the river around Broad River Falls, is going to be more of a display of pure natural beauty - perhaps one of the most stunning around.

And while your waiting for this video to come out, check out a 3D rendering of Toad Rock. There isn't anything particularly special about this enormous rock in the middle of the river - but this may be the first time in history that it's been digitized.

3d model photogrammetry of toad rock in broad river falls, broad river township, near black mountain nc

Please feel free to share this newsletter with friends and family. Point them to the website at http://seetheaffect.com/ if you think they might want to subscribe.

If you're finding this documentation series helpful (or at least entertaining), please consider supporting the project via my GoFundMe campaign at https://www.gofundme.com/f/see-the-affect Thanks so much if you're already supporting me!!

My sincere appreciation and stay tuned....

- Dominic

Unsubscribe | Manage your subscription
Add your postal address here!