The wasteland rebuilds one settlement at a time. This August, let’s make sure these two come back better.

As a huge fan of the Fallout series, I love that Fallout 76 is set in Appalachia and embraces the real-life cryptids and mysterious happenings that fueled my interest in the unexplained. Now, after devastating flooding in the heart of the region, the area needs all of our help to rebuild, and I am using this platform to help spread the word on an amazing event in one of the hardest-hit areas: Weston, WV. 

After reading the following press release, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. 

[VAULT-TEC PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT]

PRIORITY: SETTLEMENT RECOVERY

Location: Appalachia Sector – Weston & Buckhannon

Date: August 22, 2026. Attention, wastelanders. The July 21 deluge turned quiet West Virginia towns into a temporary Capital Wasteland of mud, debris, and submerged vehicles. Record rainfall (up to 7+ inches in hours) overwhelmed creeks and rivers. Homes, businesses, and roads took heavy hits. Two lives were lost in Upshur County. Hundreds of water rescues pulled people (and pets) from the rising tide.

The waters have receded. The real fight—rebuilding—continues this August.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: Donate caps (real currency works better) to verified local and state relief funds, the Red Cross, or community recovery efforts supporting Lewis and Upshur counties.  

Supply drop: Non-perishable food, cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, and tools still help as families clear mud and rebuild.  

Volunteer: Join cleanup crews or support centers if you’re in the region.  

Spread the signal: Share accurate needs and official donation channels. Rumor control keeps the wasteland efficient.

Brotherhood of Steel (and local responders) note:

Communities are strong. Neighbors pulled neighbors out of attics. Fire departments, National Guard, and mutual-aid teams worked through the night. Now it’s time for the rest of us to pitch in so these settlements rise stronger. Remember the Vault-Tec motto (slightly modified for flood season):

“Prepare for the future… by helping your neighbors today. ”Stay hydrated (preferably with purified water, not irradiated runoff).

And keep an eye on the Pip-Boy (or these pages) for the next community update.

#WastelandStrong for Weston & Buckhannon.

If you need official donation links or current recovery status, search local WV emergency management, county pages, or major relief organizations for “Lewis County / Upshur County flood recovery 2026.”

Creature from Black Lake (1976)

Sometimes I search for some weird stuff while working and this week that has happened a lot. With my side job with Titans Wire keeping me busy, I am finally able to sit back and catch up on some of the movies that caught my eye. This one was one I haven’t watched in decades and was excited to see it streaming on Amazon, the 1976 bigfoot inspired Creature from Black Lake.

Plot: Two men exploring the Louisiana swamps encounter a Bigfoot-type creature.

As much as The Legend of Boggy Creek inspired me to get into researching the unexplained, this one may rank a pretty close second. This is another example of the classic B-Movie creature features that influenced a generation. This low budget film is a more entertaining overall film than Boggy Creek and takes on the subject in an interesting way. The documentary style really works and this one does offer some suspense. While the performances are uneven and some of the cinematography doesn’t hold up, for the low budget and time period this is a decent entry and entertaining. In the end, this one definitely should be viewed in the same way many hold the Legend of Boggy Creek. This one is a drive-in special and an interesting watch. 

UFO History: December 1, 1977

For today, December 1st, I decided to go a little different direction with the historical sighting. While there were a bunch, one report on Think AboutIts caught my eye for many reasons.

While this one didn’t have lights, or an airborne craft, this one hits home for many different reasons. Reported by famed Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, this report has some eerie similarities to a creature that does share some UFO history. 

The report surfaced in Mysterious America and hails from an area near Beason, Illinois. What is strange is no time of day was given, but there was a hospitalization involved. 

A woman on her way to work spotted a tall figure standing on the roadway; it resembled a man with a pair of huge dark wings. The witness reportedly collapsed and had to be hospitalized. No other information was available. 

In fact, a deeper dive into this story yields basically no other information, although it will lead you into accounts of large winged humanoids inside Illinois. 

While this may not be a traditional report, there are many times where a connection between UFO activity and strange creatures can be found. Do you have either type, or both? If so, drop us a line and we will follow up on it.