Live Updates: Recovery efforts begin after Helene decimates western North Carolina

Asheville leaders say they've completed an important step in water system repairs. The city has been burning midnight oil to fix its mangled water system.

Water has been out for the majority of Asheville residents for two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic damage to the region.

At 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, work crews reconnected a 36-inch bypass line at the North Fork Reservoir — a crucial step in the repair process. This bypass connects the reservoir to the distribution system. The North Fork Reservoir is responsible for providing more than 70% of the city’s water.

Water restoration is still potentially weeks away, but fixing the central distribution mechanism is an important milestone, Assistant City Manager Ben Woody said on Thursday.

In a normal construction cycle, the bypass installation would take around two years, Woody said at a briefing earlier this week.

“We are moving at lightspeed,” he said. “But this is also being done safely.”

To complete this phase of the project, T&K Utilities, the contractors on the project, had to dam sections of a newly formed creek in 20-foot parcels to reach parts of the distribution system.

The next hurdle for restoring water is two-fold: the water in the North Fork Reservoir needs treatment and other breaks in the water line must be mended.

The flooding from Helene shook the water in the reservoir from one of the cleanest in the country into a sediment-soaked mess. Woody said the city is working on creating a treatment system that helps the millions of suspended clay particles settle.

Once the water is treated and the breaks are mended, it will take additional time to refill the thousands of miles worth of water lines in the city’s system.

City of Asheville/Water

EPA talks climate change, local collaboration

Also Thursday, local leaders explained how they are collaborating with state and federal officials in the recovery process, including water restoration.

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Gov. Roy Cooper, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, and others joined together in a news conference in Black Mountain.

They were gathered at the North Fork Reservoir Dam to highlight the city’s collaborative efforts to bring back water service. The dam was nationally recognized in 2021 for its recently upgraded spillway, a $37 million project that hardened it against major storm events and, officials said at the conference, may have blunted even worse outcomes of flooding from Hurricane Helene.

EPA officials said they were working together with the city to bring quality, safe, clean drinking water back to Asheville, though they still did not give an exact timeline for water restoration.

“Many water systems across the country are 100 plus years old, so they're not only weathered, but some of them are dilapidated,” Regan said.

The EPA has $50 billion from the Biden administration to invest in water infrastructure around the country, which Regan said the agency plans to use to harden water lines against climate change, which may continue to bring intense storms and high levels of rainfall to western North Carolina.

“It matters that you have a thoughtful group of leaders, like in Asheville, that understand climate change is real,” Regan said. “We're going to see more intense storms. So they made some early investments that have paid off.”

Some parts of the Nantahala National Forest will open Friday, October 11.

In the Cheoah Ranger District, Nantahala Ranger District, Tusquitee Ranger District all developed recreation sites, trails and roads are open.

There are exceptions that are not open:

• Appletree Group Campground
• Balsam Lake Lodge
• Wayehutta OHV Trail System
• Wine Springs Horse Camp
• Rainbow Springs Road, FSR 437
• Van Hook Campground
• Cliffside recreation area

The Pisgah National Forest is still closed. Here is the full list of closures.

Some parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are still closed. U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road is open. Here is the full list of closures.

A 72-year-old woman in Haywood County was killed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Haywood County, North Carolina authorities reported on Thursday. State officials say she died on Sept. 29 "as a result of lack of basic necessities."

The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was included as the latest confirmed victim in a report from the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday. A total of five people in Haywood County died due to Helene, public data show.

Search and rescue efforts and recovery continue across the region.

The latest information available shows 121 people died in North Carolina during the floods, landslides, and aftermath of the disaster. Of those deaths reported so far, 114 of the victims were in 14 counties across WNC, including 72 victims in Buncombe County.

Buncombe County courts are operating on a very reduced schedule, Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams told BPR.

"Do not fret about missing a court date if you have one coming up in this period," Williams said.

The courts remain open for "essential constitutionally mandated" matters, such as domestic violence protection orders, probable cause hearings and pleas, he said.

"We are not doing jury trials," he said. People called for jury duty can ignore those notices until services resume.

Defendants with attorneys should reach out to them to get the latest information.

Criminal defendants in custody who want to request release or reduced bond, they should do so through their attorney, he said.

"We are more than happy to review any bond, any bond motion that's made by a defense attorney or by the defendant case-by-case and determine whether or not that case is an appropriate risk and advocate yes or no," he said.

The district attorney's office may consent or request something that the judge will not grant, he said.

Williams distinguished this situation from the pandemic in that during COVID-19, defendants could not be transferred to other facilities and brought back for court proceedings.

In a statement, the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office said they transferred 162 incarcerated people to other facilities.

For the Family Justice Center assistance in a domestic violence situation, individuals can call (828) 250-6900. The Public Defender can be reached at (828) 259-2423.

The state's official fatality count generally has been lower than the number of deaths reported by BPR and other sources. That's because Buncombe County officials have shared publicly that they have recovered storm victims whose deaths are still under investigation by North Carolina pathologists.

From the earliest point of government and law enforcement leaders sharing information about Helene's death toll in Western North Carolina, there have been two main caveats in terms of determining accuracy:

1. A prolonged search and rescue period (due to terrain and other challenges) may mean that people who died in the storm have not yet been accounted for.
2. Authorities at the county level may share updates on the number of victims locally before state officials complete the usual process of determining the exact cause of death.

Below, you'll find regular updates from BPR on the number of fatalities reported — both by the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office and county authorities.

As the majority of Asheville residents continue to struggle without water, some car wash facilities in South Asheville are open and operating … counter to the requests of local officials

On Wednesday afternoon, more than a dozen cars lined up at Heroes Car Wash on Hendersonville Road to use some of the city’s limited water.

The car wash uses primarily recycled water to remove dried sewage and potentially other biohazards from customer vehicles , according to an email to BPR from the spokesperson for Heroes Car Wash, Josh Moore.

Moore noted one of the company’s team members lost their apartment and vehicle, which were swept away during the storm, adding, “We are rallying around our friends, family and neighbors to support in every way we can.”

“Approximately 85% of the water we use is our own recycled and treated water. We use oil/water separators and an ozone treatment system to treat the water. We use less than 2 gallons of "new" water per vehicle, approximately the same as flushing a toilet. This is the benefit of using a professional tunnel car wash as compared to washing a car in the driveway, which typically uses 50-100 gallons per vehicle.”

A Buncombe County Sheriff vehicle was also in line to get a car wash.

BPR reached out to the Buncombe County Sheriffs’ office but did not receive a response before publication.

"We lost many vehicles in the storm so there is not much to wash. I do not have a total number of vehicles lost at this time," Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus said.

Heroes Car Wash has also raised and donated money to different disaster relief organizations like the US Disaster Relief fund of Samaritan's Purse.

“We live in this community and are living through it along with our neighbors. The entire situation still seems surreal and there are some incredibly difficult stories and a lot of rebuilding ahead,” he wrote.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services reported one additional fatality today.

Hurricane Helene killed 120 people in North Carolina to date.

Local emergency management, EMS, the NC Medical Examiner System, and Office of Chief Medical Examiner staff are working cooperatively with FEMA to respond to fatalities related to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

The state count is delayed as some local sheriff’s offices are reporting search and rescue efforts before being additionally confirmed at the state level.

For example, the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office confirmed 72 fatalities in the county as of Oct. 3. In the official state numbers at 4 p.m., Oct. 9, there were 41 fatalities confirmed in the county.

Sprinklers running at a local luxury hotel upset some observers as the city of Asheville (and beyond) are without municipal water service close to two weeks after Hurricane Helene.

Posts circulating on social media showed the sprinklers on the Omni Grove Park Inn golf course running on Tuesday.

The golf course is using non-potable water from the property's on-site ponds to water the greens, according to an email to BPR from Grove Park Director of Marketing and Communications Isabel Miller.

“The water is never sourced from the city supply, allowing us to maintain the greens as needed without impacting local water resources,” Miller said.

Like much of the area, the hotel remains without running water, Miller said.

The golf course maintenance team manages the depressurization of the water system to reduce sediment and have a smooth restoration process, she said.

Local schools will start digging their own well water systems in order to bring school services back online.

“We can’t wait until the [municipal water system] is fully repaired to open our schools,” Asheville City Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said at Buncombe County’s daily briefing.

No timeline has been announced for when Asheville's city water service will be up and running across all communities.

Asheville city school leaders say classrooms may be able to bring children back starting by early November - but that the timeline is tentative for now.

For more details on the school system's response, read the full story here.

Laura Hackett/BPR News

Water service will connect between Black Mountain and Asheville for the purpose of starting repairs - do not drink the water, officials warn.

Starting Thursday, Oct. 10, the Black Mountain system will connect to the Asheville water supply.

This is not drinkable water, even if you boil it.

This water should not be used for anything other than flushing toilets.

This water has high sediment and will be discolored.

If you have not been receiving Code Red notifications, sign up for Code Red at www.TownOfBlackMountain.org to get immediate updates from the town.

The United States Postal Service is resuming service to many routes in Western North Carolina, according to a statement released by the agency late Tuesday.

"Significant work" remains in order to "deliver a backlog of mail and packages and reopen routes in the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Helene," the statement said.

Locations with ZIP Codes beginning in 286, 287, and 288 saw the most impact to service from the storm.

The Postal Service operates 838 facilities across the state. As of Monday, all USPS North Carolina processing facilities were operating.

Most retail and delivery units are also running but for those that remain inaccessible, USPS relocated operations to nearby units. Forty-four retail offices are operating on a cash only basis.

Thirty-five routes remain inoperable.

Mail sent to inaccessible addresses is being held at local post offices office until it is safe to deliver.

"We remain committed to delivering mail wherever it's feasible and safe, constantly adjusting our operations for a swift restoration of services," the statement said.

Find service alert updates here.

Individuals displaced by the storm should complete a change of address form.

Postal service employees will be on site to assist residents of temporary shelters with change of address forms and alternative mailing locations.

The following chart outlines retail and delivery points across the three most impacted ZIP codes in North Carolina:

Residents without home service can send and receive mail and packages to the following 21 mobile operations units:

Buncombe County Board of Elections announced modifications to the early election sites because of Hurricane Helene.

An emergency resolution of the State Board of Elections gave the local authorities some flexibility to adapt to the post-storm conditions.

Early voting in Buncombe County will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Oct. 17 through Nov. 1 at the following locations:

• Black Mountain Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain
• East Asheville Library, 3 Avon Road, Asheville
• Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sand Hill Road, Candler
• Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview
• Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy., Leicester
• South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road, Asheville
• UNCA Health & Counseling Center, 118 W.T Weaver Blvd., Asheville (new location)
• Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville
• Dr. Wesley Grant Southside Center, 285 Livingston St., Asheville (in lieu of Board of Elections location)

• West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road, Asheville

Among the 120 people killed in North Carolina during Hurricane Helene, one more person has been confirmed dead in Avery County.

State officials issued an additional update on fatalities to remove one death from the official count in Rowan County. Authorities clarified on Oct. 9 that they are continuing to investigate the cause of death regarding one of the two people initially reported as killed in Rowan County. Until the death investigation is complete, officials said, the decedent will not be included in state fatality statistics.

The report from the NC Department of Health and Human Services brings the number of fatalities in Avery County up to four total including a 58-year-old man who may have been involved in a house collapse.

Local emergency management, EMS, the NC Medical Examiner System, and Office of Chief Medical Examiner staff are working cooperatively with FEMA to respond to fatalities related to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

The state count is delayed as some local sheriff’s offices are reporting search and rescue efforts before being additionally confirmed at the state level.

For example, the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office has confirmed 72 fatalities in the county as of Oct. 3. In the official state numbers at 4 p.m., Oct. 8, there were 40 fatalities confirmed in the county.

“We are aware there are additional reports of decedents, and our team is working to verify that these are storm related deaths. Life-saving activities will always take priority, and we will continue to work to update this information as appropriately as possible,” NC DHHS spokesperson said in an email.

The names of victims of Hurricane Helene have not been publicly shared by state or local leaders.

Anyone seeking assistance locating a loved one who is missing or unaccounted for can call 2-1-1.

“Every death related to a hurricane is a tragedy. If a family or individual is seeking assistance with a loved one who has died, emergency responders are available in every impacted county to provide help and ensure their loved one is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and that information gets reported back through the appropriate channels as needed,” NCDHHS spokesperson said in an email.

Deaths in  Western North Carolina

In the mountains, the youngest victim confirmed killed in the storm was a 7-year-old boy who drowned.

In Western North Carolina counties alone, 113 people have been found dead. Sparse details in the official reports on deaths provide some information about the last moments of the victims:

• Three people, a 60-year-old female, a 50-year-old female and a 60-year-old male were killed in Henderson County on Sept. 29 after a home was overcome with flood waters. There are seven confirmed fatalities in the county. 
• A 37-year-old female died in Madison County on Sept. 27. Officials say she was evacuating her home due to rising flood waters and her car was swept away by floodwaters a short distance from her home. There are four confirmed fatalities in the county. 

To report on updates as accurately as possible, BPR News checks information on fatalities from across available counties and in twice-daily updates from state officials. With the exception of Buncombe County's report on deaths, the total number of 120 deaths reflects official data from the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office.

Macon County Emergency Management announced Tuesday that it has finished the damage assessment in the county following Helene.

The county fared better than many further east in the region but some residents are now without homes.

The reports says that two residential structures were damaged to the extent that they are uninhabitable. Twenty-four structures will require extensive repairs, 28 structures will require at least some repair, and three other structures experienced at least some issue that requires some minor attention.

There may be more reports of damage as time allows residents and property owners to survey their remote or second home locations.

A supply distribution center has been established at Holly Springs Plaza at the vacant Ingles location to collect donations and distribute items to people in need both inside and outside of Macon County.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a representative on the ground in Macon County to make site visits and answer questions. They are in the process of setting up Disaster Recovery Center locations where the public can meet face-to-face to discuss and apply for recovery options. The locations and hours of those locations will be announced as soon as they are available and their support staff arrive. There is a link on our webpage at www.maconnc.org as well as a contact number where assistance can be requested as well.

An email has been established for residents to submit unmet needs and other requests. Send information to Heleneneeds@maconnc.org.

US 441/Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is open 24 hours a day.

The park was forced to close overnight due to illegal, large commercial vehicles attempting to travel the road. GSMNP officials said that the park has turned away 173 commercial vehicles over five days.

Officials explained that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Government and Sevier County including the Cities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville and the Sevier County Government are assisting with resources to turning around commercial vehicles at checkpoints on both sides of US 441/Newfound Gap Road overnight.

"While the National Park Service recognizes that major routes outside the park are currently closed, Newfound Gap Road is not safe for large, commercial vehicles. Newfound Gap Road is a two-lane road with steep, continuous grades and tight curves. There are no truck lanes, runaway truck ramps or places for a large commercial vehicle to slow down and pull over," a press release said.

Commercial vehicles are always prohibited on US 441/Newfound Gap Road and in all of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (with the exception of the Spur).

Commercial vehicles will be stopped, turned around at checkpoints and may be subject to a federal misdemeanor violation notice and fine.

Most of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open. Visitors are always encouraged to check current conditions in the park before visiting.

Mountain Bizworks, a regional nonprofit that provides loans and training to small businesses, is launching a rapid recovery loan program to assist Western North Carolina small businesses in recovering from the devastating impacts of Helene.

On Monday, The WNC Strong: Helene Business Recovery Fund launched with an initial $7.5 million in support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

“Even in this darkest hour, we believe the path forward lies in unity and our common good. Together, we can rebuild our community. We're honored to contribute our resources to this initial wave of emergency funds, a crucial step towards a more resilient future for our region,” Mountain BizWorks Board Chair, Zane Adams said in a press release.

Impacted small businesses will be able to apply for loans up to $100,000 to help meet immediate needs and bridge to longer term relief resources from SBA disaster loans, FEMA assistance, insurance, and other sources. The loans will have a one-percent (1%) interest rate and interest-only payments for twelve months. If not repaid in the first year, the loans will automatically convert to a term loan, according to Mountain Bizworks.

“Small businesses in Western North Carolina are essential to their communities and this help from Golden LEAF can give them a start to building back,” Governor Roy Cooper said in a press release.

Mountain BizWorks and program partners hope to secure additional funding capacity in the coming days and weeks.

“The Golden LEAF Foundation’s $7.5 million in bridge loans through Mountain BizWorks will provide critical relief to small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. Small businesses are the backbone of North Carolina's economy, and this funding ensures that entrepreneurs can continue their operations during this challenging time,” North Carolina Speaker of the House, Tim Moore said in a press release.

The nonprofit’s website also has information about how to apply for state and federal support.

"Recovering from Hurricane Helene will be a difficult journey, but if there's anyone that can come back stronger than before it's the people of Western North Carolina. The Golden LEAF Foundation's small business loans will be a good step in helping Hurricane victims get their shops up and running," North Carolina Senate Leader, Phil Berger said in a press release.

Here are more details on the program, as well as FAQs in English and Spanish.

After multiple viral posts on social media concerning potential chemical exposure, volunteers and residents engaged in Helene cleanup have begun to worry that a PVC pipe manufacturer in Asheville may have spilled volatile compounds into the water.

Though it was difficult to tell where the source of this information was, many residents of Marshall, Hot Springs, and other communities became concerned about the potential for chemical burns or damage to their clothing and boots.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality received these concerning reports of potential contamination stemming from Silver Line Plastics. According to DEQ public information officer Katherine Lucas, inspectors visited the location. "No injuries were confirmed related to potential exposure in the area," she said.

Silver Line is not listed as a hazardous waste generator with the DEQ, which means they have an air permit with the local air program in Buncombe County and did not have significant quantities of hazardous chemicals, so were operating within their regulatory limits.

However, Lucas said, this does not rule out other hazards, as flood mud in general can be quite toxic.

Both the DEQ and Buncombe County have advised taking care and wearing personal protective equipment when coming into contact with river mud, as the storm damaged multiple sewage plants. Water infiltrated gas stations, and may contain other chemicals that were spilled such as paint and pesticides.

North Carolina-based organization MountainTrue and another, independent group are also testing soil around the French Broad for signs of industrial contamination.

Chris Carlson/AP

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AP

Many Duke customers are still without power. As of midday Monday, 96% of customers in Madison County were still without electricity, along with

• 65% in Mitchell
• 45% in Buncombe
• 39% in Avery
• 26% in Yancey
• 13% in McDowell

Duke spokesman Bill Norton said a new substation is being brought into Madison County that will restore power to 1,000 customers.

In Buncombe County, the majority of outages are in Black Mountain and Swannanoa, the latter of which has two new substations.

"One has already been powered up, the other one should receive power very shortly. So you'll begin to see chunks of customers, not just, you know, tens and hundreds, but thousands at a time come back on as critical transmission infrastructure is restored," Norton said.

Originally, Duke estimated 90% of reachable customers would be restored by last Friday, which Norton asserts is true.

"After reassessing late last week, we told customers on Friday that we expected to have about 105,000 customers remaining as of Sunday night, and we hit that target," Norton said. "But for our last, you know, 100,000 or so, many will be restored within a week.

Norton said that Duke would try to be flexible with customers are the power comes back on.

"You know, there's not a formal policy in place in terms of a certain amount of time," Norton said. "This is an ongoing situation. It's still developing, and we will be flexible with our customers who have bill-paying needs."

Norton said that power restoration is collaborative, relying on government agencies to rebuild infrastructure, which is part of why the pace from here on in is difficult to predict.

"We cannot do it ourselves, so we're going to keep commuting with communicating with our customers by email, text, phone as soon as their individual details become available, there's really not one size fits all solutions for what's left."

The North Carolina Board of Elections Board approved additional support and solutions to ensure voting accessibility in 13 counties in Western North Carolina deeply impacted by Helene.

The unanimous adoption of an elections board resolution allows for certain adaptions or changes, directed at the local level, only by bipartisan decision-making in the following counties: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey.

Multipartisan Assistance Teams will be available to assist with absentee ballot requests and absentee voting at disaster shelters and other places such as assisted living facilities.

Stacy “Four” Eggers IV, a Republican from Boone was appointed in 2023, spoke about the need for these changes.

“I think ultimately is a necessary step and that this is an unprecedented amount of damage and destruction that's been caused by this storm. Not only has it resulted in loss of life and personal property but it has severely damaged the road systems water systems and communications systems up here in the High Country,” Eggers said.

These counties will be able to change early voting locations by adding sites, or removing sites that are unusable as well as updating days and hours those locations are open. This could include moving sites to neighboring counties for those places that have been devastated by the storm.

To read the full story from BPR News, go here.

Photo by Gerard Albert III

On Monday, Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards - whose congressional district encompasses most of Western North Carolina - provided an update on disaster response, resources for residents, and more.

In the newsletter to constituents, Edwards wrote:

"More than 4,000 first responders, national guardsmen, and active-duty military are in Western North Carolina looking for your friends, your family, or if you’re still stranded waiting for help - they’re looking for you. And they won’t stop until every missing person is accounted for."

Many have criticized FEMA's response to the historic floods and widespread devastation that Hurricane Helene unleashed on the mountains. Across social media, that scrutiny has turned to conspiracy, with some sharing debunked or fake reports about government actions or presence.

In his email newsletter, Edwards writes:

"FEMA has shipped 13 million meals and 13 million liters of water utilizing the $20 billion in funds that I helped to draft and pass for disaster relief just two days before Hurricane Helene hit. Of the shipped food and water, more than 6 million liters of water and 4 million individual meals have already been delivered to Western NC communities."

The congressman also pointed out the importance of coordinating disaster response, especially in air operations, saying:

"The state of North Carolina is NOT turning away civil aviation support so long as it has been coordinated through the proper channels with NC Emergency Management. If you or someone you know is interested in providing civil aviation support and don’t know where to coordinate your efforts, please call my office and we will help you get in touch with the right folks."

The entirety of the correspondence from Edwards - which includes a long list of resources for support and supplies - can be found here on the congressman's website.

Among the 119 people killed in North Carolina during Hurricane Helene are at least two people who were found dead after recovery from the floods commenced in Buncombe County. Officials attribute their deaths to a "lack of basic necessities."

In an update from the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office, officials say two women - an 84-year-old and a 72-year-old - were found on Sept. 29. They died, officials wrote, "as a result of lack of basic necessities."

The names of victims of Hurricane Helene have not been publicly shared by state or local leaders.

In the mountains, the youngest victim confirmed to have been killed in the storm was a 7-year-old boy who drowned. Further east, in Catawba County, a 4-year-old girl died in a car accident on a flooded road, which first responders had closed due to safety concerns.

Deaths in Asheville, Buncombe

The latest report from Buncombe County Sheriff's Office indicates 72 deaths have been confirmed locally. In addition, state leaders report 47 other fatalities across 19 counties.

In Western North Carolina counties alone, 111 people have been found dead. Sparse details in the official reports on deaths provide some information about the last moments of the victims:

• One woman in Madison County was killed on Sept. 27 as she tried to evacuate her home during flooding. Her car was swept away in floodwaters a short distance from her house, officials say.
• Two people killed in Rutherford County died due to a tree falling on them. Six other similar deaths were reported in other counties.
• Days after widespread flooding and landslides, the body of a woman in McDowell County was recovered from a collapsed home. Officials note at least 11 deaths were caused by landslides.
• At least 27 of those who lost their lives are believed to have drowned or have been found in waterways or along the side of rivers. More, however, died from causes that haven't been specified or concluded.

How many people have died?

While the grim statistic of the number of people killed has been rising, search and rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing across the region. In some cases, local emergency responder reports on fatalities are higher or different than the state's report.

"We are aware there are additional reports of decedents, and our team is working to verify that these are storm-related deaths. Life-saving activities will always take priority, and we will continue to work to update this information as appropriately as possible," state officials have said.

To report on updates as accurately as possible, BPR News has checked information on fatalities from across available counties and in twice-daily updates from state officials. With the exception of Buncombe County's report on deaths, the total number of 119 deaths reflects official data from the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office.

Highlighting the ongoing search and rescue effort in Helene's aftermath, Western North Carolina's Republican congressman shared an update Monday, saying:

"Here’s to hope: 6,586 people have been rescued, evacuated or assisted by search and rescue teams since Hurricane Helene hit, including 39 survivors being rescued on Saturday, October 5, over eight full days into rescue efforts."

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards noted that FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) has been on the ground and has pledged to deliver 120 truckloads a day of food and water into WNC - with no current end-date in mind.

"FEMA has shipped 13 million meals and 13 million liters of water utilizing the $20 billion in funds that I helped to draft and pass for disaster relief just two days before Hurricane Helene hit," Edwards wrote.

"Of the shipped food and water, more than 6 million liters of water and 4 million individual meals have already been delivered to Western NC communities."

Photo by Gerard Albert III

Government response; search and rescue

Air search and rescue teams continue to rescue people across Western North Carolina, Gov. Cooper said in a statement late Sunday.

The crews flew 48 additional missions on Saturday, locating 39 survivors stranded by the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene.

“Continuing search and rescue missions in rough terrain, better communications and more resources on the ground are helping as we race to find missing people, reunite families and coordinate the delivery of supplies," Cooper said in a statement.

About 1,700 North Carolina National Guard and 1,000 active-duty military personnel are assisting the 50 search and rescue teams in the region.

Waste Pro collection service, the provider for Buncombe County, is resuming pick up for regular Monday route customers that are accessible.

Residents can also drop off household bagged trash on Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Leicester Elementary at 31 Gilbert Road, Leicester.

There is no recycling collection at this time. Residents may use their Waste Pro recycling cart for additional trash space if needed.

Storm debris is not included in any collection at this time.

Black Mountain authorities have moved their work from search and rescue to recovery.

Some people in Black Mountain continue to shelter in place, with authorities providing supplies and resources as needed.

About 90 percent of roads are open for accessibility for emergency vehicles, Black Mountain Fire Chief John Coffey said.

In Swannanoa, the landscape has changed, Swannanoa Fire Department Chief Anthony Penland said.

He said crews are actively searching for the missing in the Bee Tree area.

"Our citizens are hurting," he said.

He described the warning residents received to evacuate in advance of the storm, including campers at the KOA campground.

The City of Asheville announced a road closure effect through October 13, 2024.

Hendersonville Road/Biltmore Avenue will be closed from All Souls Crescent to Meadow Road between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

All lanes will be closed to all vehicular traffic except for emergency vehicles.

Traffic will be rerouted to the McDowell Street bridge.

According to the city, the detour is required to maintain safety while cleanup activities take place in the Biltmore Village area.

Asheville's food and water distribution locations now have nonpotable water, or grey water, which can be used for flushing toilets. 

The water is in addition to drinking and cooking water. People should bring their own containers for grey water.

The City of Asheville food and water distribution site locations are:

• Pack Square Park, 70 Court Plaza 
• Asheville Middle School, 211 S. French Broad Ave
• Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
• Lucy Herring Elementary, 98 Sulphur Springs Rd
• Oakley Elementary School, 753 Fairview Rd

Resources are available until 7p.m. or until supplies run out.

The Buncombe County briefings will no longer be twice a day.

Since the storm, county officials provided information at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day.

The government and community operations partners hold daily updates to let the community know about a range of topics from environmental health to water restoration to educational institutional updates.

The Sunday afternoon briefing will be held at 4 p.m. in Black Mountain.

A week after Hurricane Helene overwhelmed the Southeastern U.S., homeowners hit the hardest are grappling with how they could possibly pay for the flood damage from one of the deadliest storms to hit the mainland in recent history.

The Category 4 storm that first struck Florida's Gulf Coast on September 26 has dumped trillions of gallons of water across several states, leaving a catastrophic trail of destruction that spans hundreds of miles inland. More than 200 people have died in what is now the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina, according to statistics from the National Hurricane Center.

Western North Carolina and the Asheville area were hit especially hard, with flooding that wiped out buildings, roads, utilities and land in a way that nobody expected, let alone prepared for. Inland areas in parts of Georgia and Tennessee were also washed out.

The Oak Forest neighborhood in south Asheville lives up to its name, with trees towering over 1960s era ranch-style houses on large lots. But on Sept. 27, as Helene's remnants swept through western north Carolina, many of those trees came crashing down, sometimes landing on houses.

Julianne Johnson said she was coming upstairs from the basement to help her 5-year-old son pick out clothes that day when her husband began to yell that a giant oak was falling diagonally across the yard. The tree mostly missed the house, but still crumpled part of a metal porch and damaged the roof. Then, Johnson said, her basement flooded.

On Friday, there was a blue tarp being held on the roof with a brick. Sodden carpet that the family torn out lay on the side of the house, waiting to go to the landfill. With no cell phone service or internet access, Johnson said she couldn't file a home insurance claim until four days after the storm.

"It took me a while to make that call," she said. "I don't have an adjuster yet."

Roof and tree damage are likely to be covered by the average home insurance policy. But Johnson, like many homeowners, doesn't have flood insurance and she's not certain how she'll pay for that part of the damage.

Mike Stewart

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AP

Those recovering from the storm may be surprised to learn flood damage is a completely separate thing. Insurance professionals and experts have long warned that home insurance typically does not cover flood damage to the home, even as they espouse that flooding can happen anywhere that rains. That's because flooding isn't just sea water seeping into the land – it's also water from banks, as well as mudflow and torrential rains.

But most private insurance companies don't carry flood insurance, leaving the National Flood Insurance Program run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the primary provider for that coverage for residential homes. Congress created the federal flood insurance program more than 50 years ago when many private insurers stopped offering policies in high-risk areas.

North Carolina has 129,933 such policies in force, according to FEMA's latest data, though most of that protection will likely be concentrated on the coast rather than in the Blue Ridge Mountains area where Helene caused the most damage. Florida, in comparison, has about 1.7 million flood policies in place statewide.

Charlotte Hicks, a flood insurance expert in North Carolina who has led flood risk training and educational outreach for the state's Department of Insurance, said the reality is that many Helene survivors will never be made whole. Without flood insurance, some people may be able to rebuild with the help of charities but most others will be left to fend for themselves.

"There will absolutely be people who will be financially devasted by this event," Hicks said. "It's heartbreaking."

Some may go into foreclosure or bankruptcy. Entire neighborhoods will likely never be rebuilt. There's been water damage across the board, Hicks said, and for some, mudslides have even taken the land upon which their house once stood.

Meanwhile, Helene is turning out to be a fairly manageable disaster for the private home insurance market because those plans generally only serve to cover wind damage from hurricanes.

That's a relief for the industry, which has been under increasing strain from other intensifying climate disasters such as wildfires and tornadoes. Nowhere is the shrinking private market due to climate instability more evident than in Florida, where many companies have already stopped selling policies — leaving the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation now the largest home insurer in the state.

Mark Friedlander, spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group, said Helene is a "very manageable loss event," and estimates insurer losses will range from about $5 billion to $8 billion. That's compared to the insured losses from the Category 4 Hurricane Ian in September 2022 that was estimated in excess of $50 billion.

Friedlander and other experts point out that less than 1% of the inland areas that sustained the most catastrophic flood damage were protected with flood insurance.

"This is very common in inland communities across the country," Friedlander said. " Lack of flood insurance is a major insurance gap in the U.S., as only about 6% of homeowners carry the coverage, mostly in coastal counties."

Amy Bach, executive director of the consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, said the images of the flood destruction in North Carolina shook her despite decades of seeing challenging recovery faced by victims of natural disasters.

"This is a pretty serious situation here in terms of people disappointed. They are going to be disappointed in their insurers and they are going to be disappointed in FEMA," Bach said. "FEMA cannot match the kind of dollars private insurers are supposed to be contributing to the recovery."

This week, FEMA announced it could meet the immediate needs of Helene but warned it doesn't have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30 though most hurricanes typically occur in September and October.

Even if a homeowner does have it, FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program only covers up to $250,000 for single-family homes and $100,000 for contents.

Bach said that along with homeowners educating themselves about what their policies do and don't cover, the solution is a national disaster insurance program that does for property insurance what the Affordable Care Act did for health insurance.

After Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the state of North Carolina started requiring insurance agents to take a flood insurance class so they could properly advise their clients of the risk and policies available, Hicks said. The state also requires home insurance policies to clearly disclose that it does not cover flood.

"You can't stop nature from doing what nature is going to do," Hicks said. "For us to think it's never going to be this bad again would be a dangerous assumption. A lot of people underestimate their risk of flooding."

___

Associated Press Staff Writers Jeff Amy in Asheville, North Carolina, Lisa Leff in London and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris pledged ongoing federal support and praised the "heroes among us" as she visited North Carolina on Saturday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, her second trip in four days to the disaster zone.

The vice president was in Charlotte one day after a visit to the state by Republican Donald Trump, who is spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster.

Harris opened her visit by attending a briefing with state and local officials, where she thanked "those who are in the room and those who are out there right now working around the clock."

She promised federal assistance would continue to flow and added praise for the "strangers who are helping each other out, giving people shelter and food and friendship and fellowship."

Despite Trump's claims that the federal response in the state has been "lousy," Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said the state was "deeply grateful for the federal resources that we have. FEMA has been on the ground with us since the very beginning," he said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

After her briefing, Harris helped pack toiletries into aid kits at a distribution center, where she met Angelica Wind from hard-hit Asheville, who was there to volunteer with her daughter and a friend even though Wind said her own family was still without power and people were "just surviving."

"There's a lot of resilience," Wind told Harris, adding that, "We want to make sure people don't forget about us."

Harris assured her the federal government was "here for the long haul."

Melissa Funderbunk told Harris about driving a truck carrying assistance to people in remote Morganton, "where people weren't coming."

"You are the heroes among us," Harris said.

Chris Carlson

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AP

Earlier in the week, Harris was in Georgia, where she helped distribute meals, toured the damage and consoled families hard-hit by the storm. President Joe Biden, too, visited the disaster zone. During stops over two days in the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, Biden surveyed the damage and met with farmers whose crops have been destroyed.

The two have been vocal and visible about the government's willingness to help, and the administration's efforts so far include covering costs for all of the rescue and recovery efforts across the Southeast for several months as states struggle under the weight of the mass damage.

In a letter late Friday to congressional leaders, Biden wrote that while FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund "has the resources it requires right now to meet immediate needs, the fund does face a shortfall at the end of the year." He also called on lawmakers to act quickly to restore funding to the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program.

More than 200 people have died. It's the worst storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005, and scientists have warned such storms will only worsen in the face of climate change.

But in this overheated election year, even natural disasters have become deeply politicized as the candidates crisscross the disaster area and in some cases visit the same venues to win over voters in battleground states.

Trump has falsely claimed the Biden administration isn't doing enough to help impacted people in Republican areas and has harshly criticized the response. He has, in Helene's aftermath, espoused falsehoods about climate change, calling it "one of the great scams of all time."

During a stop in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Thursday, Trump renewed his complaints about the federal response and cited "lousy treatment to North Carolina in particular." In fact, Cooper said this week that more than 50,000 people have registered for FEMA assistance and about $6 million has been paid out.

Biden has suggested that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is withholding money for disaster relief needs.

___

Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Makiya Seminera in Boone, North Carolina, and Meg Kinnard in Fayetteville, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

Volunteers from near and far were all over the roads of Yancey and Mitchell Counties Saturday.

In the town of Spruce Pine, the roads have become crowded with volunteers on all sorts of vehicles. On ATVs, motorcycles, and tactical trucks, people are lining up to drop off pallets of water and other goods, or loading them into trunks to speed off. They’re on the relatively clear roads downtown by the closed-off Blue Ridge Parkway, and they’re down by the still-muddy Ingles parking lot and the even more remote mountain roads, many of which have been cleared by ordinary people with chainsaws and hatchets.

At the Skyline Village Inn, Lisette Buckner of Lizzy’s Glizzies, a Charlotte-based mobile hot dog operation, had 800 hot dogs to hand out before the end of the day. She described the harrowing journey taken by her little hot dog cart, which had never traveled more than forty-five minutes before.

“There was, you know, poles down. There was roads gone. There was a lot of obstacles to get here, but we did it,” Buckner said, patting her hot dog cart. “It's the farthest that she has ever traveled, the craziest terrain, but she did it. She's a trooper.”

In the Walmart parking lot, the Cajun Navy was also giving away food and water. The volunteer search-and-rescue group is named for volunteers who helped navigate relief and rescues in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And there were supplies available by the Spruce Pine Taco Bell, and the Mitchell County Shepherd’s Staff.

In Burnsville, behind the McDonald’s off Highway 19, farmer Henry Payne set up his produce as an impromptu farmer’s market. Payne runs a half-acre no-till farm called Five Pine Farm, which survived the flood, unlike many other farms in the area.

“I've been donating to the neighbors around me up in Green Mountain,” Payne said. “And I have so much produce, thousands of pounds to harvest. So it's, I'm still trying to figure that out. It's a good problem to have.”

Payne plans to set up in the same spot every day for as long as he can.

“I didn't become a farmer to make money,” Payne said. “I became a farmer because it brought a sense of community.”

On Saturday, the town of Canton announced they will remain on a boil water advisory until tomorrow morning due to a 6” inch water line break.

This does not affect Clyde as they have switched water sources.

The Town of Black Mountain is providing, food, water, and public restrooms. The locations are open daily and is as follows:

Food and Water

• Ingles 550 NC-9 Black Mountain, NC 9am - 7pm
• Ashley’s Kitchen and Bath 2950 US-70 Black Mountain, NC 9am -6pm

Health Services

• Ingles 550 NC-9 Black Mountain, NC 9am -7pm (Basic medical care and ability to fill prescriptions at Ingles Pharmacy)
• First Baptist Church 130 Montreat Rd Black Mountain, NC 9am - 6pm (Basic medical care and mental health support.)

Several courts in the region are closed.

In McDowell County, all Sessions of court this coming week are cancelled. The Courthouse and the Clerks office will open at 10:00 A.M. and close at 2:00 P.M.

District court sessions in Madison County are cancelled for the week. Emergency hearings should contact Evan Redmond at 828-434-0721.

In Madison County, there's a note on the courthouse door, according to the NC Courts website.

All Superior Court sessions in Madison County are also cancelled this coming week.

The Yancey County Courthouse will be closed until further notice including all court sessions.

All Superior Court Sessions for Judicial District 35, which includes Madison county are canceled the week of October 7, 2024.

All courts are closed this week in Avery county.

Rebuilding roadways remains a difficult challenge for local, state and federal officials throughout the region.

Today, the NC Department of Transportation offered a glimpse of road repairs efforts in the community of Bat Cave near Chimney Rock.

Road reconstruction is expected to take weeks to restore throughout the region.

Jacquelyn Martin

/

AP

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is heading to North Carolina on Saturday as the state recovers from Hurricane Helene, arriving there one day after a visit by Republican Donald Trump, who is spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster.

Earlier in the week, Harris was in Georgia, where she helped distribute meals, toured the damage and consoled families hard-hit by the storm. President Joe Biden, too, visited the disaster zone. During stops over two days in the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, Biden surveyed the damage and met with farmers whose crops have been destroyed.

The two have been vocal and visible about the government's willingness to help, and the administration's efforts so far include covering costs for all of the rescue and recovery efforts across the Southeast for several months as states struggle under the weight of the mass damage.

In a letter late Friday to congressional leaders, Biden wrote that while the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund "has the resources it requires right now to meet immediate needs, the fund does face a shortfall at the end of the year." He also called on lawmakers to act quickly to restore funding to the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program.

More than 200 people have died. It's the worst storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005, and scientists have warned such storms will only worsen in the face of climate change.

The facts emerging from Hurricane Helene's destruction are heartrending: Businesses and homes destroyed, whole communities nearly wiped out, hundreds of lives lost, hundreds of people missing.

Yet this devastation and despair is not enough for the extremist groups, disinformation agents, hucksters and politicians who are exploiting the disaster to spread false claims and conspiracy theories about it and the government's response.

According to former President Donald Trump, the federal government is intentionally withholding aid to Republican disaster victims. Far-right extremist groups warn on social media that officials plan to bulldoze affected communities and seize the land from residents. A tale straight from science fiction asserts that Washington used weather control technology to steer Helene toward Republican voters in order to tilt the presidential election toward Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

The claims, according to experts and local officials dealing with disaster response, say less about the reality of the widespread damage from Helene than they do about America's fractured politics and the fear and distrust shadowing an election year marked by assassination attempts and escalating global tension.

Read the full story from the Associated Press here

Buncombe County officials provided updates on a few items on Saturday morning. They include:

Burn notice

Open burning of leaves, brush, and yard trimmings is permitted on burning days between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Check abairquality.org or call 828-250-6767 to find out if it is a burn day.

Burning is not allowed in the City of Asheville, and the Towns of Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville or Woodfin.

Buncombe tracking damages

Buncombe County has launched an online tool for residents to report storm-related issues by uploading geotagged photos. These can include blocked roads, landslides, and urgent needs for evacuation, supplies, or medicine. The photos will help emergency services respond faster and more accurately to specific locations. The website is live now at report.buncombecounty.org. Please use this to report for emergency services only.

FEMA

FEMA teams will be at WNC Ag Center, AB Tech , and Black Mountain at 310 East State St. to help survivors to register for disaster assistance. There are more than 3,000 federal responders in NC

Fleets of law enforcement officers from 45 state and federal agencies have descended on Asheville to help out with various safety and recovery efforts.

"We asked them what they needed, and obviously they needed manpower," Kernersville Police Chief Jason Tilley told BPR.

In addition to ongoing search and rescue efforts, officers also guard food and water distribution sites and critical infrastructure, according to a press release from the City of Asheville.

Tilley said his officers have done a variety of tasks including providing roadblocks for washout roadways and keeping residents out of unsafe areas.

According to the city, officers also work to protect medical facilities and pharmacies from theft.

Officers are housed in a variety of locations including tents, hotels and recreational centers.

"Each time that we see other cities or counties that need us, we try to help in any way we can," Tilley said.

The National Park Service has temporarily closed US 441/Newfound Gap Road on from 10 p.m. Friday to 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

The Park Service said the measure was in response to an influx of illegal, large commercial vehicles through the park.

Park Service Facebook

Officials said there were two significant accidents overnight—one involving a car hauler that crashed into a wall and down an embankment, and one in which a semi-truck’s brakes caught on fire.

Commercial vehicles are always prohibited on Newfound Gap Road and in all of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (with the exception of the Spur), a post from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park said.

Newfound Gap Road, a curvy two-lane road with steep continuous grades, is not safe for large commercial vehicles.

The City of Asheville announced a new site for water distribution today.

Bulk water is available at Lucy Herring Elementary (98 Sulphur Springs Rd).

While some containers are available, local officials ask people to bring their own if they have them.

Assistant City Manager Ben Woody gave a detailed breakdown of where the majority of the damage was sustained. While there is no timeline for when everything will be fixed, the 160 public works employees are all working 12-hour shifts to get the system up and running again.

Once repairs at North Fork are made, the water system should be capable of providing water to the entire city. But the storm knocked away more than 25 feet of infrastructure at the plant, according to Woody.

VA Hospital

The medical center at 1100 Tunnel Road in Asheville is operating under both emergency generator and traditional power 24/7 for both emergencies and inpatient services.

It is able to do limited surgical internet on an emergency basis. Routine appointments have been canceled, but those with acute needs have been scheduled.

Veterans who need medications can come to the VA pharmacy or call 855-679-0074 and press 1.

The VA is accepting donations, call: 828-299-2514. Currently not accepting volunteers.

City of Asheville Updates

A small business assistance center is being set up at the city’s Chamber of Commerce and will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Solid Waste: Trash pickup will resume in targeted areas on Monday. Routes are based on road accessibility.

Download the AVL Collects app if you can to receive notifications about trash pickup. There will be no recycling pick-up, it will be collected as trash at this time. The city cannot collect mud or destruction debris.

Transit: The City of Asheville’s transit will provide limited fare-free transit starting on Monday to accessible routes. More information to come.

Mission Updates: Throughout the week nearly 200 patients have been treated at the decompression tent facility set up by federal disaster medical assistance teams.

The facility has been able to alleviate the emergency room capacity – which at one point was at 200%, according to HCA officials who spoke at a press conference this afternoon.

The medical professionals at the hospital have delivered more than 50 babies and have cared for more than 1,800 patients since the storm made landfall, CEO of Mission Health.

“We've been able to bring water tankers to bypass the water system. The facility just behind you is fully operational for all trauma care, cardiac care, stroke care and routine care of our facility. That's our number one priority,” Michael Wargo, Enterprise Vice President for Preparedness & Emergency Operations said.

MountainTrue says its French Broad Riverkeeper has reached out to environmental regulators amid concerns that possible runoff of harmful chemicals - like those typically used in the production of plastics - pose a threat to flood victims, first responders, and volunteers in some WNC communities.

Some citizens have reported that lingering flood waters and sludge possess chemical smells or have had caustic reactions with clothes, shoes, or their skin.

BPR has been unable to confirm any chemical testing or HAZMAT response but has reached out to MountainTrue. There's been no confirmation that dangerous runoff or chemical leaks occurred from specific plants or facilities in the area. Still, all local officials involved in flood response in WNC have urged residents and workers to use caution during cleanup.

MountainTrue officials say they've tried to contact the EPA and state environmental regulators in North Carolina.

On Friday afternoon, MountainTrue posted on Instagram:

"We want to address the recent reports and rumors regarding river sediment and sludge toxicity ... Our French Broad Riverkeeper is actively investigating these concerns. He has reached out to the EPA and DEQ and we will let you know as soon as we hear back from them."

MountainTrue is a non-profit organization based in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, that focuses on environmental threats to land, air, and water resources.

"Your health and the integrity of our river are our top priorities," the group wrote on Instagram on Friday.

"In the meantime, we urge people to avoid contact with river sediment and sludge. If you need to clean your home or business, please use Personal Protective Equipment (N95 mask or better, gloves, safety glasses, and rubber boots) and make sure to wash thoroughly afterward."

One of the largest climate and weather data archives in the world, which resides in a basement warehouse in Asheville, has been severely impacted by Helene.

The National Centers for Environmental Information, a federal agency that manages the archive, reported that their data holdings, which include paper and film records, are currently safe. However, all archived data are inaccessible and limited new data is being ingested.

NCEI's monthly State of the Climate reports and data will be delayed until services are restored, the agency said. That means its September 2024 U.S. and global climate reports will miss their deadlines next week.

The NCEI preserves more than 37,000 archival materials. At its headquarters in Asheville, the oldest record is from 1735 from Charleston, South Carolina, a NCEI archivist told WUNC's The Broadside in 2023.

The NC Department of Transportation plans to reopen a dozen drivers license offices in western North Carolina next week.

The state agency plans on Monday to reopen nine out of 16 drivers license offices that have been closed in the western part of the state, said DMV communications manager Marty Homan in an email. Three more will open on Wednesday.

As for license plate agencies, 11 were closed today. Two offices attempted to reopen today, but lost internet service. Five offices plan to reopen Monday, depending on internet service availability.

NCDOT updates information on which DMV offices are open here.

Flooding from Helene has shut down a factory outside of Asheville that makes intravenous fluids that many hospitals around the country depend on.

NPR reported that the Baxter International factory in Marion, North Carolina is closed and that the storm damaged bridges leading to the facility.

Baxter International is one of the largest suppliers of IV fluids in the U.S., according to the Food and Drug Administration. The company does not have a timeline yet for when operations will be back up and running.

In the meantime, hospitals will be facing a shortage of IV fluids.

"Our teams have been working to assess inventory, deploy conservation strategies, and triage future distribution in an equitable manner across the health system," said an emailed statement from Gregory Pauly, group president of Acute Care Services for Duke University Health System and president of Duke University Hospital.

"At this time, we are making case-by-case assessments of our ability to safely perform certain surgeries and procedures going into the weekend and next week," Pauly continued. "We continue to monitor this very important impact to our patients and determine the best path forward to continue providing quality care.”

Federal, state, and local agencies are working in western North Carolina to increase medical support for those impacted by Helene.

A disaster medical assistance team is in Asheville and a second team is in Spruce Pine. During a press conference Friday, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dawn O’Connell, gave that update. She also said the department recently launched the emergency prescription access program for those that are uninsured.

"They are entitled to receive free 30 day supply of the prescriptions that they need," she said.

She says people who qualify can sign up online for the prescriptions on the U-S Health and Human Services website.

At the morning Buncombe County briefing, Duke Energy spokesperson said about 27,000 households in Buncombe County should see their power restored today and another 69,000 households will get power by Sunday.

About 100,000 households across the area will still be without power at the start of next week.

Several substations were completely destroyed, Norton said, including the substation serving Biltmore Village. Duke Energy brought in a 200,000-pound mobile substation from Garner to help get power back up and running.

Norton said he anticipates rebuilding substations in a way that would be more resistant to storm damage.

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit North Carolina to survey Helene damage Saturday.

The visit will include a briefing about the continued recovery efforts that are occurring in communities across the state. Harris is also expected to provide updates on federal actions that are being taken to support emergency response and recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, former President Trump will be Fayetteville Friday at 7 p.m. for a town hall.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the agency tasked with helping communities recover from Hurricane Helene and other natural disasters, does not have enough money to make it through the hurricane season.

Mayorkas says FEMA can meet immediate needs but would need Congress to provide additional funds. Mayorkas was not specific about how much additional money the agency may need.

A company that makes high-purity quartz for semiconductors says its Western North Carolina plant suffered minor damage from Helene.

Sibelco says all of its employees in Spruce Pine are accounted for.

The plant is still without power.

Sibelco announced last year that it would invest 200 million dollars to double capacity at Spruce Pine to meet surging global demand for semiconductors.

With a quavering voice, Sheriff Quentin Miller shared that another 11 people have perished in Buncombe County from Hurricane Helene.

At the afternoon briefing, Sheriff Miller said that latest fatality count has risen to 72.

There are also still 200 people unaccounted for in Buncombe County.

Spokesperson Lillian Govus said there will be no "finite number" on those unaccounted for until search and rescue missions end. This is the 7th consecutive day of search and rescue missions.

The search and rescue will continue until "all resources have been exhausted." Those resources include drones, canines, trucks and high water vehicles.

Tractor trailers and big rigs hauling essentials such as food, water, supplies, and fuel are able to resume deliveries in some parts of Western North Carolina, officials say. Some roads are not open due to lingering standing water or damage.

NCDOT officials on Thursday told BPR — in response to some rumor as well as some confusion over an earlier emergency alert sent to phones — that authorities have opened access for lawful deliveries to grocery stores or other locations where resources are much needed.

Part of what sparked concern was an emergency alert sent to phones in the area saying, "Tractor trailers must stay on the interstate, otherwise you will get stuck."

A spokesperson interviewed on BPR News as well as a spokesperson from NCDOT connected to the state's joint information center based in Raleigh confirmed: Commercial truck drivers heading into the mountains to deliver food, supplies, and more, are cleared to travel off the interstate — provided the roads they plan to use are open and deemed safe by law enforcement.

"The damage is so severe in the region, we are telling drivers access is limited to local and hurricane response traffic. Any other traffic is hindering emergency response," an NCDOT official told BPR via email.

"We are getting several reports of trucks getting stuck on secondary roads. We are advising that trucks not critical to the emergency response effort stay on interstates."

NCDOT officials reiterated the need for volunteers not to "self-deploy" as the roads that are open need to be clear for first responders and authorized workers. Plus, unnecessary travel can further burden already-strained resources across the region.

Instead, the majority of local governments along with transportation officials have stressed the need to coordinate delivery of relief resources and deployment of volunteers. In a couple of small towns across the region, too, local leaders have said increased traffic and unsolicited volunteer groups have slowed local recovery efforts.

State corrections officials this week have evacuated 2,190 people from five prisons in areas of western North Carolina impacted by Helene.

According to a press release, Helene did not flood these facilities, but caused damage to electrical and water utilities serving the prisons. On Wednesday and Thursday, NCDAC relocated 399 men from Craggy Correctional Center in Asheville. They also relocated on Wednesday 557 men from Mountain View Correctional Institution to six prisons in central and eastern North Carolina.

Earlier this week, NCDAC moved 405 women on Monday from Western Correctional Center for Women in Swannanoa and from Black Mountain Substance Abuse Treatment Center for Women. On Tuesday, they also relocated 841 men from Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution in Spruce Pine. State corrections officials on Thursday said do not expect to make any more transfers.

NCDAC plans to update its Offender Locator to indicate which facilities people have been relocated to. Officials have asked family and friends not to call prisons to check on loved ones.

It could be months at a minimum before Interstate 40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee state line is fully restored after Helene, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told WCNC Charlotte.

As of Wednesday, Buttigieg said more than 400 roads remain closed in western North Carolina. He added that the NC Department Transportation plans to file for emergency relief to receive federal funding for repairs.

NCDOT recommends taking Interstates 81 and 77 to travel between North Carolina and Tennessee.

Some Hendersonville residents received a welcomed robocall today, informing them that their water is safe to consume.

Not all parts of the area have safe water. Residents must call (828) 697-3052 or check their address on the county safety water map.

Western Carolina University's football team will continue playing this Saturday in Cullowhee, hosting a game against the Wofford Terriers.

However, no fans will be permitted to attend the Catamounts' contest. In a statement, the university said that due to Jackson County's continued State of Emergency, the game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. without spectators in attendance.

"There are still rescue and recovery efforts happening around our region and the NC Department of Transportation has requested everyone in the area keep roads clear for emergency and disaster relief vehicles to get to the hardest hit areas," the university said in a statement. "The university understands that our fans will be disappointed, but we encourage our fans to channel their Catamount spirit in helping those who have been impacted by this historic storm."

Live audio of the game can be heard on the Catamount Sports Network, and fans can also watch on the paid streaming service ESPN+.

Western Carolina is 1-3 this season.

In Boone, App State's football team plays on the road this weekend at Marshall in Huntington, West Virginia.

App State athletic director Doug Gillin said in a statement that "Varsity Gym and the Holmes Convocation Center" sustained some damage from Helene.

"Damage assessment and cleanup began immediately and are ongoing," Gillin said.

The latest reporting from official government data sources indicates 100 people in North Carolina died during Hurricane Helene - with 94 of those being residents of Western North Carolina specifically.

In some areas, search and rescue and recovery efforts continue and an unknown number of people are unaccounted for or missing.

BPR gathered information from the North Carolina Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday as well as Buncombe County leaders on Wednesday evening.

According to state data, the youngest known victim to have died in WNC was a 7-year-old boy who drowned in Buncombe County. Further east, a 4-year-old girl died in a car crash on a flooded road in Catawba County.

Totals reported by local officials have been higher than those provided by state leaders over the last week. Not all of the 61 fatalities confirmed by Buncombe officials have been verified by state representatives - which is part of why the numbers are different.

Local leaders reported 61 people died from flooding, vehicle accidents, or landslides in Buncombe County.

Additionally, the North Carolina Medical Examiner's Office reports 41 deaths across the region and in places outside the mountains, like Mecklenburg and Gaston counties.

A total of 12 counties in Western North Carolina have confirmed Helene-related deaths, including: Buncombe (61); Ashe (1); Avery (3); Burke (1); Haywood (4); Henderson (6); Macon (1); Madison (3); Polk (1); Rutherford (2); Watauga (2); Yancey (9).

The water system in Asheville is sprawling and most water lines need to be completely rebuilt after the damage from Hurricane Helene, according to city staff who spoke with BPR this morning.

Large sections of the pipe washed down the river in some areas and debris from the floods has made water harder to treat.

The road to the treatment plant at Bee Tree road is “totally gone” and is actively being rebuilt. The North Fork plant which serves 75% of city is also inaccessible.

The Mills River plant is producing 3.5 million gallons currently – more than 1 million gallons than it usually does. City staff are cautiously optimistic they can increase that to 5 million by the end of the day. With that expansion, those in south Asheville should keep the running water they have. The city may also expand service in south Asheville but said it was “not a promise…but a wish and a hope.”

The water is still not potable and needs to be boiled.

As of Thursday morning, city leaders had not given a specific estimate of when running water will be widely available in Asheville, other than saying in recent days that municipal water service will take "weeks" to bring back.

Haywood County officials have opened a new supply center, which will offer both a shower facility and food for local residents.

The new Canton supply distribution center, located at the IP Sports Complex at 305 Silkwood Drive, will be open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 6 pm.

Please bring your own reusable bags or boxes to carry items.

Volunteers will be directed here to bring supplies and hand out resources.

For updates, go here.

Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) will be available for pickup at Macon County Department of Social Services at 1832 Lakeside Drive in Franklin and Macon County Senior Services at 108 Wayah Street in Franklin.

Pickup time is Thursday, October 3, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at either location.

Megan Thurman

Across Western North Carolina, local communities are coming together to support those who are still unreachable after Helene.

Sylva native Lance Buskey and friends have partnered with the French Broad River Academy to distribute supplies. The team is working with local volunteers to reach those in need or those who haven’t been able to communicate.

Megan Thurman

Megan Thurman, who lives in Sylva, is one of those volunteers.

“We ended up checking on about five different residences that were so blocked in that they hadn’t even seen anybody. They didn’t know that the road was cleared that much. It was just so much relief speaking with someone in person,” Thurman said.

Thurman went to Town Mountain Road with a team including her husband Bryan. She says during the storm the area was hit by a tornado - whose path was clearly visible through the forest.

Megan Thurman

While going up the road in their vehicle they met a crew that had been slowly clearing trees on the five-mile road. They ended up having to hike the last 1.5 miles with backpacks full of supplies.

“They just couldn’t believe that someone made an effort to hike in and check on them in person and how crazy things were around them ... they still had no power and water and things like that,” Thurman said.

“Just seeing the posts that they were making about needing help of any kind and just feeling so useless here in Sylva because we really got so lucky and didn’t get hit so hard.”

The pair recently trained for a 362-mile bicycle race across the state of Georgia. Thurman said she had no idea that the training would come in handy for volunteer missions.

They plan to continue for the rest of the week.

Lilly Knoepp

Donations are being sent through French Broad River Academy’s non-profit arm the Salamander Fund.

For info and to give online, visit hurricanehelenewnc.com. Click on the “Donate” button and then “Salamander Fund.” Select the “dedicate this gift” checkbox and type in “Hurricane Helene WNC” as the description for your donation.

Mission Health hospitals have remained open with the help of hundreds of additional workers and supplies brought in from across the country.

Mission spokesperson Nancy Lindell says Mission Hospital - like the rest of Asheville - still does not have pressurized water. The hospital has brought in bottle water and water tank trucks.

“We're doing the best we can with all of those items but we need pressurized water. I can't speak to the timeline on that. That would be the city of Asheville,” Lindell said.

HCA Healthcare, the for-profit health system that owns Mission Health, has also sent additional supplies for staff, Lindell said.

Mission Health System has set up a website to share facility updates, community resources and the status of each hospital and office in the system. Here is the website.

The emergency rooms at all six regional hospitals are open, according to the website.

The Mission Hospital Cancer Center and Hope Women's Cancer Center are currently closed. If you have an upcoming appointment or need care at any Mission Health clinic, please call (855) 815-3783 to check clinic status.

The death toll in Buncombe County is now 61, Sheriff Quentin Miller announced late Wednesday afternoon.

That number rose by four after the county’s 10 a.m. press conference.

Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb said that 45 additional local agencies from around the state are here to assist his department.

He also cautioned drivers from going into restricted areas because it endangers the driver’s life and that of first responders who are busy at work with rescues.

The police chief also warned of scams around the county in which people knock on doors and pretend to be accepting donations for charity.

Asheville city officials said in their daily 4 p.m. press briefing that they have been getting water from private vendors and estimated they only have enough to last until Friday.

They also announced another distribution center at the Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center. The site is in addition to the other two centers at Asheville Middle School and Pack Square.

The Jewish Community Center at 236 Charlotte St. will allow residents to fill containers with water from the center’s pool on Thursday and Friday starting at 10 a.m. This water can be used to flush toilets.

The city’s water infrastructure has seen “measurable progress” toward rebuilding, according to city officials, but was "catastrophically damaged" and is still weeks away from being fully repaired.

The William Debruhl water plant in Swannanoa is not accessible. North Carolina Department of Transportation crews are working on repairs to the road to the facility, commonly referred to as Bee Tree.

Repairs to roads to the North Fork plant- the county's largest- are underway, though electrical transmission lines are severely damaged.

The system's Mills River plant is the most operational as much-needed pumps have arrived.

Henderson County Resource Hub locations will be open today beginning at 9:00 a.m. for water distribution and other supplies as they become available.

The Resource Hub locations are:

• Etowah Elementary, 320 Etowah School Road Etowah, NC 28729
• Rugby Middle, 3345 Haywood Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28791
• East Henderson High, 150 Eagle Pride Dr, East Flat Rock, NC 28726
• North Henderson High, 35 Fruitland Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28792
• Mills River Town Hall, 124 Town Center Drive. Mills River, NC 28759
• Fletcher Town Hall, 300 Old Cane Creek Rd Fletcher, NC 28732

Free hot meals to go are served twice daily around noon and 5 p.m. at four of the resource hubs:

• Etowah Elementary, 320 Etowah School Road Etowah, NC 28729
• East Henderson High, 150 Eagle Pride Dr, East Flat Rock, NC 28726
• North Henderson High, 35 Fruitland Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28792
• Mills River Town Hall, 124 Town Center Drive. Mills River, NC 28759

Today, more than 50 AdventHealth physicians will be seeing patients at the Medical Office Building at 50 Hospital Drive in Hendersonville.

This location will also have a Walk-In Clinic for Primary Care open from 9 am to 4 pm. This clinic is available for people who are already patients of AdventHealth as well as people who are not current patients but need to see a primary care provider, according to the hospital.

AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Biltmore Park will also be open today.

Water and food was delivered to Transylvania County Tuesday by helicopter. Meal distributions in the community are listed below:

• Daily, 9am-11am, 12pm-2pm, 4pm-6pm – hot meals at Cedar Mountain Community Center (10635 Greenville Hwy)
• Daily until power is restored, 11am-4pm – Balsam Grove Community Center (8732 Parkway Rd)
• Daily, 12pm-2pm – meals at Bread of Life (238 S Caldwell St)
• Monday, Sept. 30 – Friday, Oct. 4, 1pm-4pm – hot meal from Smoke On at Champion Park parking lot (38 Main St Rosman)
• Monday, Sept. 30 – Saturday, Oct. 5, 12pm-4pm – hot food, water, and supplies at Destiny Church (48 Tiptop Rd)
• Friday, Oct. 4, 5:30pm and Saturday, Oct. 5, 8am and 12pm – meal and supplies at Rosman High School Old Gym (749 Pickens Hwy)
• Saturday, Oct. 5, 12pm-5pm – hot food at Bethel A Church (290 Oakdale St)

Water Filling Stations: Residents are asked to bring their own containers.

• 10am-2pm - City Sports Complex off Ecusta Road
• Cedar Mountain Canteen (10771 Greenville Hwy)
• Territory Brevard (43 S Broad St)
• DD Bullwinkles (60 E Main St)
• First Baptist Church Brevard Open 9-4

Mountain Bizworks, a regional nonprofit that provides loans and training to small businesses, is working to help local businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Executive Director Matt Raker, based in Asheville, points folks to the nonprofit’s website for information about how to apply for state and federal support.

“Firstly we want to make sure that their people, their friends and family are accounted for," Raker said. "We know that is everyone’s priority," he added, along with getting essential services back.

“Once they are able to do that, (then) really take stock of what was impacted at their business, get a sense of what that is," he said.

The nonprofit serves North Carolina's 26 westernmost counties. Raker says the businesses they work with were hit hard and are still trying to understand the impact. He recommends they start with organizing the documents they will need to apply for relief.

The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved a disaster declaration which opens up SBA disaster loans, Raker says.

Homeowners, renters, nonprofits, and businesses of all sizes impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for assistance.

Here are more details on the program, as well as FAQs in English and Spanish.

Mountain Bizworks ofrece servicios especializados en Español.

Employees and self-employed individuals who are unable to work due to the disaster may be eligible for disaster unemployment assistance even if they are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance. Apply here. 

Mountain Bizworks is also working on setting up a local emergency fund. Raker says the fund should be available early next week.

North Carolina community group Rural Organizing and Resilience has begun aid distributions at 1685 Hwy. 213 in Marshall. ROAR is open from 2 to 6 p.m. every day.

ROAR typically organizes against racism in Madison County through education and outreach. Since Hurricane Helene swept through the region, it’s responded to need for emergency supplies in the community.

Matt Wallace, the organization’s co-founder, said despite state and federal efforts, many people haven’t been able to access aid.

Wallace was headed out Wednesday to deliver supplies to an isolated nursing home in Burnsville. He recounted the previous day.

“Yesterday, I hiked through the woods to a spot on the Ivy River that was cut off. They have no way to drive out to check on some people, so that's definitely still happening right now,” Wallace said.

Authorities have asked residents who want to help to stay off the roads as much as possible, so they don’t hamper search and rescue efforts. But Wallace said that because of poor cell service, many needs — including needs like medical supplies and water — are only being communicated via word of mouth.

ROAR’s mutual aid hub in Marshall also offers clean needles, NARCAN and other harm-reduction supplies. The group is soliciting donations for basic items like gasoline, baby supplies and medical supplies. ROAR is also coordinating volunteers to sort supplies and drive them to people in need.

There was already a housing crisis in western North Carolina. After Tropical Storm Helene, it’s likely that huge numbers of tenants will experience difficulty paying their rent and fixing their homes.

David Bartholomew, an attorney with Pisgah Legal Services, says special rules apply right after a storm like this, particularly as lack of electricity has interrupted residents’ access to their bank accounts.

“Tenants are going to have the option of canceling their lease if they need to, but they also have a right to stay there in the property and require the landlord to fix it,” Bartholomew said.

In North Carolina, evictions can only happen through the court system. And if your county court is closed, you can’t get evicted.

Until Oct. 14, Bartholomew said, “Legally, you can't be kicked out. You can't be locked out. And if landlords are trying to tell tenants that they have to leave, tenants should respond that they have to go through the court system.”

The best thing to do is get requests for repairs in writing, whether via text, email or letter. From that point, it becomes the landlord’s responsibility to take care of the issue, even if current circumstances may make the process longer.

FEMA also helps tenants, not just homeowners. Tenants can apply for individual assistance on disasterassistance.gov. Individual assistance doesn’t just cover housing repairs, but also gas, food, utility bills, hotel stays and other disaster-associated costs.

If tenants are confused about their rights or suspect that a landlord may be taking illegal actions against them, Pisgah Legal Services can be contacted online@pisgahlegal.org or 828-253-0406.

Tuckaseigee Water & Sewer Authority in Jackson County has rescinded it's boil advisory. Based on the laboratory analysis of water samples collected from Sept. 29 and 30, 2024. It is no longer necessary to boil water used for human consumption.

Basado en el los análisis de laboratorio de las muestras de agua recolectadas de la Autoridad de Agua y Alcantarillado de Tuckaseigee los días 29 y 30 de septiembre de 2024, se notifica a los usuarios del agua que ya no es necesario hervir el agua utilizada para el consumo humano.

On Wednesday, Duke Energy installed a new mobile substation to replace the New Salem substation lost in Swannanoa. Much of the local electricity transmission infrastructure washed away or was underwater. The new substation will function for three to four months, allowing the utility to reconnect 4,900 customers in the area.

About 570,000 customers are still without power in the Carolinas, with 247,000 in North Carolina. Bill Norton, Duke’s principal communications manager, said they’re still on track to connect about 90% of reachable customers by Friday, but that number excludes those whose homes are too damaged or inaccessible.

Norton said that customers struggling to pay their utility bills should call Duke’s customer service line at 800-777-9898 for residential service, and 800-653-5307 for businesses, or go to duke-energy.com/assistance. He said the utility will not disconnect customers during storm restoration. Norton said a date had not yet been given on when utility bill payments would return to normal.

First responders in a western North Carolina County are in need of EpiPens to help people who are allergic to wasp and bee stings.

Avery County EMS officials say people whose homes are washed out and have nowhere to go have been getting stung by yellow jackets, in particular. So, they're asking people to bring EpiPens to their Newland location.

Avery EMS had originally also asked for help with Benadryl, but they say they now have enough, thanks to people bringing in that item.

Chief Michell Hicks announced on Facebook that due to the current state of emergency, the Eastern Band of Cherokee (EBCI) Tribal Government is waiving all late fees on payments such as water and sewer, levy, housing and rent through Oct. 31. Additionally, no water shutoffs will take place during this time.

The EBCI is still under a state of emergency, but Hicks announced on Monday, Sept. 30, that the 112th Cherokee Indian Fair would move forward this weekend as planned despite the storm.

The fair kicked off on Tuesday with the annual parade.

“The energy and enthusiasm from everyone was undeniable. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, with so many still recovering, this year’s fair feels even more meaningful,” Hicks wrote on Facebook. “It’s about family, neighbors, and friends coming together, sharing our traditions, and lifting one another up. As we continue the fair, let’s carry this spirit forward—celebrating our resilience and supporting those still in need.”

There is a bin for donations at the fair entrance.

Cherokee Central Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

“We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we navigate these difficulties together,” Superintendent Consie Girty said on Facebook.

Hwy 441 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near the Qualla Boundary has reopened to regular traffic. However, it remains closed to all commercial traffic.

Like much of western North Carolina, resources like power, cell service, Wi-Fi and fuel remain spotty but available in some locations.

For residents without power or water on the Qualla Boundary, the Painttown, Big Y, Birdtown, Big Cove and Rough Branch gyms will be open for showers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2 through Friday, Oct. 4.

No new deaths were reported in Buncombe County overnight.

County Manager Avril Pinder said 57 people have died in the county from Hurricane Helene.

Notification of next-of-kin continues to be a challenge because of lack of communications in the region, Pinder said.

She said she anticipates having more updates from Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller at the 4pm briefing.

At the Wednesday morning briefing by Buncombe County officials, local education leaders said the area's schools suffered "minimal damage" from Hurricane Helene.

Maggie Fehrman, superintendent of Asheville City Schools, and Rob Jackson, superintendent of the Buncombe County Schools, said their facilities sustained minimal damages.

The functional school buildings are being used to house emergency personnel and first responders.

There is no estimated date for schools to resume.

AB Tech President John Gossett also spoke at the briefing, noting that reopening would not happen for several weeks.

"The Executive Committee of the A-B Tech Board of Trustees have agreed that classes will be suspended until at least October 14," Gossett said.

The community college opened three buildings for disaster relief, he said.

The U.S. Postal Service issued a statement in response to Hurricane Helene:

"The safety of our customers and employees is the Postal Service’s top priority in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. At this time, we are still assessing damage and impacts. We are dispatching recovery teams to affected areas. The status of operations is being continually evaluated and adjustments made to ensure safe and swift restoration of delivery and retail services in locations as soon as possible. Efforts will continue as long as needed until full services are restored."

Cell service has been restored to most areas in Brevard, according to a post from the city’s Instagram page.

To request a welfare check from within the state of North Carolina, call 211. Callers from out of state can make those requests by calling (888) 892-1162.

Information about applying for Helene disaster assistance is on the FEMA homepage.

Wi-Fi signal is available from outside county buildings on the TCpublic network.

To dispose of spoiled food, residents can visit one of the dumpsters set out by the County. The closest location for most city residents is between the library and the county tax office.

Residents can take other household refuse to the county facility in Pisgah Forest. The landfill is also open as of October 1.

The National Forest Service issued a statement on social media asking the public to stay away from both the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests until assessments can be made and recreation sites can be reopened safely.

“Regardless of whether you're an experienced hiker, camper or off-roader, conditions on both forests remain hazardous, and if something were to happen, forest rangers and emergency services won't be able to reach you,” the statement read.

A new shelter is open in Buncombe County located at 1815 Hendersonville Road in Asheville. The shelter will provide power, water, food, and a place to sleep.

The shelter is being operated by Novant Health and the local Red Cross.

“The impact here is unimaginable, and our hope is that this building can offer vital resources to the people of this region,” said Dr. C.J. Atkinson, system physician executive, Novant Health.

For shelter details, visit RedCross.org/Shelters.

The town of Black Mountain was one of the hardest hit by flooding from Helene.

The Twn of Black Mountain provided the following information:

A distribution site for food, water, and public restrooms will open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ingles in Black Mountain at 550 NC-9.

Hot meals will be served for lunch and dinner at the food and water distribution site.

There are many community organizations also distributing hot meals including area churches, restaurants and non-profit organizations.

Public restrooms are also available at the Visitor Center/Chamber of Commerce parking lot at 201 East State Street.

On Tuesday evening, Transylvania County reported no storm related deaths and no missing persons reports pending.

“There were over 150 specialty rescues including structural failures and swift water. Communications staff fielded 3 times the volume at the height of the storm and are seeing a sharp increase in calls as phone service is being restored,” a press release stated.

Shelters remain open at the Transylvania County Parks and Recreation Center and the Ag Center at the Asheville Airport. Shelters do not have supplies and do not have food, fuel, medical supplies or water to distribute.

Gordon’s pharmacy is willing to fill prescriptions, according to the press release. Residents are asked to bring prescriptions or labeled bottles to the pharmacy and cash or check.

Smoke On will be providing free meals from 1-4 p.m. at Rosman Town Hall on Tuesday.

The Hunger Coalition is doing a food distribution at the Family Place on Tuesday until 2 p.m. These distributions will continue at Family Place all week from 1-2 p.m.

There is not a general shortage of fuel or food. Citizens are encouraged not to hoard fuel or food to prevent localized shortages from occurring.

Some towns in western North Carolina, like Hot Springs and Marshall, shifted Tuesday from rescue mode to recovery mode.

Community members came together to shovel mud and haul chunks of soaked drywall out of businesses in the hardest hit parts of town.

Gerard Albert III

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BPR News

Other volunteers organized food and drinks in downtown and at Hot Springs elementary.

Community organizers handed out hundreds of packs of bottled water, hygiene supplies and a warm meal to residents who stopped by the elementary school’s gym.

Town leaders in Hot Springs are holding daily in-person meetings to inform residents at 11 a.m. downtown because cell network coverage has been so unreliable.

In the nearby town of Marshall, firefighters and other volunteers handed out supplies to residents at AB Tech's Madison location. The effort will continue on a daily basis until the area is re-established.

Gerard Albert III

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BPR News

Marshall also hosts a daily in-person meeting in front of the courthouse in downtown at 5 p.m.

Crews of volunteers are working daily to remove massive amounts of mud from businesses and homes in downtown.

Highlands Mayor Pat Taylor says that power has been restored in the downtown business district and some neighborhoods. The Macon County town sits on a plateau with an elevation of 4,000 feet and was hit hard by strong winds and heavy rains. Crews are continuing to work to restore power to other areas in the region.

“Highlands is bringing in additional electric crews to erect destroyed utility poles, which is a timely and detailed process,” Taylor said in his newsletter update.

Highlands Resources

• Supplies available: First Baptist Church at 220 Main Street in Highlands is operating an emergency aid station with essential supplies and support services. It is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Crews will restore power to other areas throughout the day and week. Highlands is bringing in additional electric crews to erect destroyed utility poles, which is a timely and detailed process. 
• Welfare Checks: Highlands Police continue to do welfare and damage checks throughout the town. 
• Welcome Center: Town Hall is open and staff continue to answer phones, questions and record outages. 
• Wi-Fi Access: Hotwire has some spot outages but most of their network is operational. Other communication providers are working to restore their networks. 
• Water Access: Sewer and water departments in the town of Highlands have operated throughout the emergency and continue to do so. 
• Garbage Access: The garbage service will run regular route schedules. 
• Road access: WNC state road closures are posted on the NC DOT website. 

Macon County Emergency Management Director Warren Cabe shared in a press release that damage assessments are continuing today in the county.

A few minor slope movements and one small dam failure have been confirmed.

“More damages may become apparent throughout the week as isolated areas especially in the Highlands areas become more accessible,” Cabe said in a press release.

The roads in and out of both Highlands and Franklin are now open but residents are encouraged to avoid Highlands unless absolutely necessary to allow utility crews to work in the roadways. Highway 106 between Scaly Mountain and Franklin is limited in one lane of travel in one section, Cabe explained.

HCA Healthcare, which owns Mission Hospital System, announced Tuesday afternoon that it will contribute $250,000 to the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County to support people affected by Hurricane Helene. HCA will also give $250,000 to the American Red Cross of North Carolina to support its shelter locations. An additional $500,000 will be donated to other community partners that provide direct support for hurricane-related issues.

“Caring for those in their time of need is our greatest calling at HCA Healthcare, and I am deeply moved by the resilience and compassion of our colleagues,” CEO of HCA Healthcare Sam Hazen said. “It is our honor to support organizations like United Way and the American Red Cross to help our western North Carolina communities through Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.”

HCA Healthcare says that before the storm it activated its Nashville-based Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC), which includes nearly 200 leaders, including community liaisons, clinical experts and specialists in supply chain, patient logistics, and air and ground transport. The EEOC is working alongside hospital leadership to distribute key resources to care teams in the Southeastern U.S.. HCA Healthcare colleagues from across the country, including more than 100 nurses, as well as physicians and HCA Healthcare’s incident support team, are continuing to arrive to provide support to local caregivers.

“Though the level of destruction is immense, I am proud of the dedication of our colleagues, who have continued to support our patients, our community and one another,” President and CEO of Mission Health Greg Lowe said. “We remain dedicated to helping our colleagues through this time, just as they have selflessly served their community and supported patients without hesitation.”

Haywood County Schools said that employees will likely be paid during the state of emergency.

Earlier this week, the county said staff had the option to work during the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene “so that staff can manage their own leave and earn pay, if it is safe to do so.”

Today the school system posted on Facebook that the state superintendent today told them that “it seems probable that employees will be able to be paid during this state of emergency.”

Haywood County Schools will be closed for both staff and students for the remainder of the week. A 48-hour notice will be given prior to reopening of school for students and staff.

Haywood County Resources 

• Community resource centers: Centers will be open at both Jonathan Valley Elementary at 410 Hall Dr. in Waynesville and Bethel Elementary at 4700 Old River Road in Canton beginning Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. These centers will have nonperishable food and water. Hot meals will be available at no cost through curbside pickup for children 18 and under from 9-6 at these two locations (weekdays only). Supplies can also be picked up at Woodland Baptist Church at 545 Crabtree Road. 
• Donations: Woodland Baptist Church is accepting donations at 545 Crabtree Road, Waynesville, including nonperishable food items, bottled water and other essential supplies. For a complete list of needed items and information on individual and organization volunteer opportunities, visit theorchardnc.com/relief.  
• Water is available: Water tankers are available at Jukebox Junction, 6306 Pigeon Road in Canton and Crabtree Ironduff VFD, 99 Susie Noland Roadin Clyde from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Each person is limited to 1 gallon per day, and you must bring your own containers. 
• Medical Care: The First Aid Bus, located at Jukebox Junction, 6306 Pigeon Road, Canton, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering services such as first aid for cuts, scrapes and burns, as well as blood pressure checks, blood sugar monitoring and basic medical assistance. 
• Landfill access: The White Oak Landfill is open, along with the Materials Recovery Facility. Convenience centers will be open at Jonathan Creek, Beaverdam, Bethel, Hazelwood, Mauney Cove, Jones Cove, and Highway 110. 
• Emergency Shelter: An emergency shelter is available at 235 Armory Drive, Clyde. 
• Welcome Center Open: The Pigeon Community Center, located at 450 Pigeon St. in Waynesville, is now open as a welcome center. The center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food will be served daily at 2 p.m. The center has water, power, charging stations, shovels, trash bags and pet food available.  
• Welcome Center Open: First United Methodist Church in Waynesville, at 566 S. Haywood St., has opened a welcome center to assist community members in need. The center is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and offers food, clothing and shower access. 
• Welcome Center Open: Fines Creek Community Center, located at 190 Fines Creek Road, Clyde, is available to assist community members in need as a welcome center as well.   
• Meals available in Canton: Springdale Golf and Country Club, 190 Golfwatch Road, Canton, is offering free lunch from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Haywood County Curfew: A curfew is in effect from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.. Please stay off the roads unless necessary.

ABCCM Medical Clinic at 155 Livingston St.in Asheville is offering medical care to anyone in need.

The facility is also accepting donations of medicine from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. For pharmacy information, emergency refill rules and general health recommendations in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, click here.

The drugs must be sealed manufacturer bottles that are unexpired and do not require refrigeration. No controlled substances or cancer medications will be accepted.

The North Carolina Board of Pharmacy is maintaining a list of pharmacies in western NC that are open. The list is being updated by the Board of Pharmacy every 30 minutes.

In a disaster scenario, there are different laws around prescriptions. Someone other than a patient may pick up medications. Insurance companies are required to pay for prescriptions that are filled early because of the disaster.

The death toll has risen to 57 people in Buncombe County, according to Sheriff Quentin Miller.

Fatalities are expected to increase as search and rescue teams continue to search for people who are trapped throughout the county.

The terrain has been difficult to traverse, involving “miles and miles of devastation,” said Scott Dean, of the National Urban Search and Rescue organization.

“We have gone to as many places as possible,” he said. But fallen trees, power lines, washed out roads and bridges, and “complete infrastructural failure” have made that work “extremely difficult.”

Dean urged residents to check on their neighbors whenever possible. “Do not rely just on first responders,” he said. “We all need to work together.”

Search and rescue missions have occurred on foot, in trucks, through air operations and boats, Dean said.

There are 600 people currently unaccounted for in the county.

Those interested in knocking on doors and assisting with wellness checks can visit the Register of Deeds at 205 College St. in downtown Asheville.

Sylva's Economic Development Director Bernadette Peters checked in on businesses downtown to find resources for the community. Peters shared this list with the Main Street Association. There is SkyFi available downtown and Wi-Fi at a number of local businesses including White Moon Cafe and City Lights Books Store.

Here are more resources and donation drop-off locations:

• Jackson County Emergency Management was working on a warehouse location on Tuesday morning for volunteers and supplies.. 
• Jackson County Shelter: The emergency shelter is now closed. 
• Volunteer Sign-up: Jackson County is asking for volunteers. You can sign up here. 
• Jackson County Emergency Line: You can still call 828-631-HELP.  
• Jackson County Schools: School is cancelled Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this week. Each of these days will be an optional teacher workday. The JCPS scheduled workdays on Thursday and Friday, October 17th and 18th will now be student days.
• Meals available: Jackson County Public Schools served more than 1100 meals to the community today. Meals will continue to be served daily through Friday, Oct. 4 from 11:30-12:30 at Blue Ridge School, Smokey Mountain Elementary, and Smoky Mountain High School.
• Code Red Sign-up: Register for future Code Red emergency notifications here. These include evacuation notices.
• Birthstone Breastfeeding & Wellness Center is serving as a donation site for infant feeding supplies as well as other baby supplies, food, water, Clorox, propane and other resources. They have some people who can make deliveries locally. They can also store breast milk for anyone at risk of losing it and if anyone needs breast milk, they can contact her. They are located at 494 W. Main Street in Sylva. 
• The Community Table is accepting shelf-stable foods and water. They are located at 23 Central Street next to the Sylva Community  Pool for folks in need of resources. The organization says that it has limited outgoing calls, and internet, but is receiving incoming calls.
• Pray with Your Community: St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Sylva at 18 Jackson Street is holding a daily prayer at 5 p.m. through Oct. 4.
• Boil-Water Advisory: Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority customers are still under a boil-water advisory. 
  

  

The head of North Carolina’s Board of Elections said it is working with all 25 western counties in the FEMA-designated disaster area to ensure the state is ready to vote in the November election.

Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell said Tuesday that the state is confident it will be able to move forward with the election.

“This storm is like nothing we've seen in our lifetime in Western North Carolina. The destruction is unprecedented and this level of uncertainty this close to Election Day is daunting,” Brinson Bell said.

The state BOE has set up a website for voters who are impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.. The site contains information about U.S. Postal Service disruptions, resources and more.

As of Oct. 1, there are 12 election offices closed across the region; the elections office in Jackson County is open but has no internet service.

“This will be an ongoing process now until Election Day and even after Election Day. We do not have all the answers right now, but we are diligently working to figure them out,” Brinson Bell said.

Find out more about how to request a new absentee ballot or check your voter registration here.

With an unspecified number of people either unaccounted for or for whom loved ones have requested welfare checks, the county has asked volunteers to step forward.

Buncombe County activated a public welfare check request option over the weekend. Friends and family members sent in names and addresses of people in the area who they had not heard from.

Those interested in knocking on doors and assisting with welfare checks can visit the Register of Deeds in downtown Asheville (205 College St.)

Volunteers should be familiar with the area and have a vehicle with plenty of gas and a cell phone. Interested volunteers should come to the Register of Deeds between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Mike Stewart

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AP

FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams are currently bringing law enforcement and military partners together to comb the terrain of Western North Carolina for people who may be trapped.

During a briefing Tuesday, agencies acknowledged they're having difficulty with search and rescue operations. They said the mountainous terrain - and the wide geographic spread and scale of destruction (an estimated 500 miles) is unprecedented.

"It has really slowed our pace to be able to get in there and get our assigned job done," said Captain Brian Beguet of the United States Coast Guard.

Across the region, there are more than 3500 federal responders on the ground, over 1,000 of these from FEMA.

Search and rescue missions are still underway, with 588 additional responders anticipated to arrive in the coming days. Agencies have shipped over:

• 1.9 million instant meals
• More than 1 million liters of water
• 30 generators

"In addition to that support, we registered over 150,000 households for assistance and already provided over $2 million directly to disaster survivors. We expect these numbers to rapidly increase over the coming days," FEMA Director Frank Matranga said Tuesday during a briefing with reporters.

Matranga urged everyone impacted by the storm to apply for assistance via disasterassistance.gov.

Since Hurricane Helene made landfall last Friday, President Biden has initiated major disaster declarations for 17 counties in Florida, 25 counties in North Carolina, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, 13 counties in South Carolina, and last night, 11 counties in Georgia. An additional major disaster declaration is in the works for east Tennessee.

The American Red Cross has also touched down in Helene-affected areas.

Denise Everheart, the organization's division disaster executive, reported more than 2,400 disaster survivors in 75 shelters from Florida to North Carolina. Populations are still increasing in North Carolina, with over 3,000 new requests in the past 24 hours.

Anyone with cell service who needs emergency supplies from the Red Cross can call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Counties may continue to be added to the federal disaster declaration over the coming weeks, and will become for individual assistance, especially as counties report their damages to the states. Officials said it's crucial for counties to hear from survivors about what they're going through so that assistance is made available to every impacted area.

Gerard Albert III/BPR News

Montreat has no water, Town Manager Savannah Parrish shared at a press conference this morning.

Montreat – much like Asheville, Woodfin and Black Mountain – does not have a clear timeline for when water will return.

Three bridges were damaged during the storm, including Shenandoah Bridge and Lookout Road Bridge.

Montreat College has been evacuated and Parrish recommended that folks with gas who are able to leave should also evacuate.

Parrish also took a moment to dispel a rumor that the Lake Susan Dam breached.

“There is no water coming over the spillway,” she said. “It remains structurally sound.”

Bottled water is being distributed daily at the Montreat Gate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Black Mountain, a town that closely neighbors Montreat, has seen some power restored.

There are currently 640,000 customers without electricity in the Carolinas, with the most outages in parts of upstate South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina.

This includes 55,000 in Henderson County, 79,000 in Buncombe County, and all 8,600 customers in Polk County, among others, said Duke Energy communications manager Bill Norton.

Customers no longer need to report outages, as Duke is aware of them.

Norton said Duke is working rapidly to fix the problem but is currently focused on critical service hubs like the Asheville Airport and area hospitals. Norton was emphatic that almost all power that could be restored to homes would be restored by this coming Friday.

However, some customers, he said, particularly in remote areas, may be impossible to restore for now. Not everyone is in a position to receive power.

"I mean, we know that houses are gone, obviously that power is not coming back," Norton said.

"Roads are gone. And you think about the energy infrastructure that you always see, our right of ways are right along roads. If the road is gone, good bet that our poles are gone with it too. So that's going to be an extensive rebuild, but we are working on it right now."

Substations, which are essential for electric transmission - sort of like an interstate off-ramp for electricity - are also out.

Duke is bringing in portable substations as a temporary fix, but ultimately, many of these will need to be replaced.

360 substations in North Carolina were knocked out by Hurricane Helene in total.

As the climate has warmed, Duke has upgraded substations in floodplain areas, building flood walls in response to previous incidents. However, Norton said, this flood was unprecedented, with usual pathways to power restoration obstructed.

"Really our biggest challenge right now is twofold. It's communications and roads," Norton said.

You can track outages on Duke's customer outage map.

Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) on Tuesday urged those who are pregnant (36+ weeks) and families with newborns to evacuate Western North Carolina. The region is distressed post-flood by a myriad of major infrastructure issues, water outages or shortages, a lack of power in some areas, and extreme strains on local resources, including first responders.

Officials said MAHEC remains temporarily closed at all locations until further notice, due to lack of power and water.

The center recommends that pregnant patients at 36+ weeks now should evacuate away from WNC and parts of Tennessee so that they can safely deliver their babies outside the disaster zone.

The MAHEC Maternal-Fetal Medicine team said it is contacting patients with scheduled ultrasounds or known high-risk conditions to arrange urgent ultrasounds at Mission Hospital or to coordinate transfers to neighboring regions for further care.

Families with newborns are also strongly urged to evacuate due to the unsafe water situation, according to a press release Tuesday.

MAHEC pharmacists also recommend Healthcare Ready’s RxOpen to find locations where medications are available. The mapping tool highlights open pharmacies in areas impacted by natural disasters and public health emergencies like Tropical Storm Helene. It is recommended to bring your medication bottle for an emergency supply if the medication is in stock.

MAHEC will continue to provide updates.

Officials gave an update on conditions across Yancey County, saying extensive road and infrastructure damage is challenging first responders. Citizens with loved ones in the Burnsville area, in particular, have reported fearing loved ones are trapped and have not been reached.

In Tuesday's announcement, officials said: The Yancey County Sheriff’s Office is operating at full capacity, having implemented a statewide mutual aid plan to bolster local resources. Assistance has already been received from neighboring counties, including Stanly, Catawba, Chatham, Alamance, Wayne, and the Stanfield Police Department.

Burnsville Police and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol are fully staffed working tirelessly to ensure public safety and support recovery efforts.

Fire stations across the county are operating as points of distribution to provide residents food, water, and tarps as supplies last. Resupply efforts take place daily. Additionally, a shelter has been set up at Blue Ridge Elementary School, staffed by the Red Cross to provide support for those in need.

The Yancey County EMS Director has ordered an ambulance strike team, successfully securing five additional Advanced Life Support (ALS) units.

"We are currently facing extensive roadway and infrastructure damage, which is creating significant challenges for both responders and citizens. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is conducting assessments of bridges and roadways to evaluate the extent of the damage and plan for repairs. NCDOT and your Emergency Managers urge you to stay off the roadways except for emergency traffic," officials wrote.

Public Works staff have developed a restoration plan for a heavily damaged water system and are actively pushing forward with immediate repairs to ensure residents have access to clean water.

Specialized resources on the way include:

• Type 2 Swiftwater Rescue Team from New York (16 persons)
• Type 3 Swiftwater Rescue Team from Charlotte Fire Department (9 persons)
• All Hazards Incident Management Team – NC based (4 persons)
• Urban Search & Rescue Team from Charlotte Fire Department (17 persons)
• Communications Unit Leader/Technicians – NC based (2 persons)
• FEMA – Type 1 USAR Team from Texas (78 persons with 6 K9’s)
• All Hazards Incident Management Team from Southeast Florida (4 persons)
• NC Sheriff’s Association Mutual Aid Partners
• Ambulance Strike Team/Task Force (5 ALS units)

Utility companies are on the ground working. Due to extensive damage in certain areas, the full restoration of the power grid may take time, officials said.

The Yancey County 911 Center remains operational, though with limited capacity. Currently, 911 calls are being routed to surrounding counties and relayed back to the county's dispatch center through radio communication.

Agencies are diligently working to restore reliable phone and cell service throughout the area, leaders wrote Tuesday.

For updates and information, please visit Yancey County Emergency Management on Facebook.

On Tuesday, UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort announced UNCA is closed effectively immediately and students will be relocated away from campus within 72 hours.

“Since Friday morning, UNC Asheville has been without electricity, running water, or internet,” said van Noort. “We do have minimal structural damage to the campus, many trees down and many access points blocked but that infrastructure is improving daily.”

Prior to the storm, UNCA had over 1,600 residential students on campus and there were around 1,300 residential students on campus at the time Tropical Storm Helene hit.

UNCA officials were providing the remaining students on campus with water, three meals, and support services daily.

Due to the conditions on the UNCA campus, students will be relocated within 72 hours, explained van Noort.

“These efforts included helping students to identify safe routes, creating and connecting carpools, providing students with gasoline for their cars and relocating a very small number of students to another UNC system institution.”

UNCA will remain closed for the immediate future.

Town officials say crews are working this morning to open the roads still closed in Biltmore Forest.

Residents can pick up two bottles of water per person at Town Hall.

If you need to make a welfare check request for someone living in Biltmore Forest, go here.

Trash pickup in Biltmore Forest is canceled for the week.

"The transfer station is destroyed and no longer there," officials said Tuesday. "The landfill is open but access is currently difficult. We know it is difficult to hold trash, particularly in the forested area with bears. Please try to contain your trash inside right now if possible. We will have a substantial update this week on further plans. The recycling center in Woodfin was also destroyed so there is no need to worry about separating recyclables."

Town workers with drones are partnered with Duke Energy to conduct damage assessments. A timeframe for electrical service restoration was not available.

McDowell County 911 / Emergency Management has provided the following information about points of distribution for food and meals.

Locations will open daily from 10 a.m. to noon and then 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., as long as supplies last. The locations are as follows:

• Woodlawn: Hicks Chapel Church, 6008 US 221 N, Marion, NC
• Former TJ’s Discount, 8153 US 221 N, Marion, NC 28752
• Old Fort: Old Fort Town Hall, 38 Catawba Avenue, Old Fort, NC 28762
• Marion: New Manna Baptist Church, 225 East Court St., Marion, NC 28752
• Dysartsville: Solid Rock Free Will Baptist Church, 7860 NC 226 S, Nebo, NC 28761

Hot meals will also be provided by Grace Community Church at 5182 US 70 West, Marion, NC 28752. The meal times are as follows:

• Lunch: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Dinner: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

T-Mobile teams will be in North Carolina and South Carolina offering charging and Wi-Fi connectivity at the following locations, during their open hours. Please check back for updates as additional locations may be added or changes made based on evolving needs. Here’s the information:

• Western North Carolina (WNC) Agricultural Center at 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher, NC 28732
• Asheville Middle School at 211 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville, NC 28801
• Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center at 285 Livingston St. Asheville, NC 28801
• A-B Tech Community College at 340 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC 28801

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Friday that a “catastrophic failure” was not taking place at Walters Dam, also known as the Waterville Dam, which sits in North Carolina close to the Tennessee border.

A local mayor had urged residents to evacuate due to the dam potentially breaking, but TEMA said in a statement that the “dam has not failed” after talking to Duke Energy, which owns the nearly 100-year-old dam.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday urged residents impacted by Hurricane Helene to pay heed to local authorities as the storm continues to wreak havoc on a significant swath of the southeast.

“The storm continues to be dangerous and deadly, and lives have been lost and the risk of flooding still remains high,” Harris said at the start of a campaign speech in Douglas, Arizona. “So, I continue to urge everyone to please continue to follow guidance from your local officials until we get past this moment.”

There have been hundreds of water rescues due to Helene, but perhaps none more dramatic than in rural Unicoi County in East Tennessee, where dozens of patients and staff were plucked by helicopter from the roof of a hospital that was surrounded by water from a flooded river.

Some 54 people were moved to the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital while water rapidly flooded the facility, according to Ballad Health.

Ballad Health said on social media that county officials had ordered an evacuation of the hospital Friday morning due to rising water in the Nolichucky River, including 11 patients.

After other helicopters failed to reach the hospital because of the storm’s winds, a Virginia State Police helicopter was able to land on the roof. Three National Guard helicopters with hoist capabilities were sent and Ballad Health assisted with its own helicopter, officials said. After about four hours, all of the staff and patients had been rescued.

Multiple people in Rocky Mount have been injured, with four of them currently in critical condition after a tornado touched down in the area.

A spokesperson for Nash County says EMS transported those people to the hospital. Four buildings in Nash County were also damaged, with three of them suffering major damage.

Mitchell Northam

/

WUNC

Appalachian State's home football game against Liberty in Boone, North Carolina, scheduled for Saturday was canceled because of the impacts of severe weather on the area from Tropical Storm Helene, the school announced Friday.

Heavy rains in the North Carolina mountains brought flooding to Boone and the town was placed under a state of emergency Thursday.

The nonconference game was scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. EDT kickoff and will not be rescheduled, the school said.

App State also canceled a home field hockey game against Bellarmine that was slated for Friday.

The storm made landfall late Thursday in a sparsely populated region of Florida with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph). But the damage extended hundreds of miles to the north.

Governor Roy Cooper reported Friday morning there are two North Carolina deaths associated with Tropical Storm Helene.

One death in Catawba County was due to a motor vehicle collision on a flooded roadway. A second death happened after a tree fell on a house in Charlotte.

"There will be more as we know this storm is continuing across our state," Cooper said at an emergency management press conference held Friday morning. "The priority now is saving lives."

Flash flooding is expected throughout much of western North Carolina not only Friday but also through the weekend. Cooper stressed that flooding can still occur even after rainfall slows down.

"This is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina," he said.

Every North Carolina county east of Charlotte and Winston-Salem is under a tornado watch, according to the National Weather Service. In addition, parts of Orange, Chatham, and southern Wake counties are under a tornado warning, a more severe level of threat.

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder told BPR, "Our rivers have not yet crested. This will get worse."

In Jackson County, the new bridge on Hooper Cemetery Road flooded as Caney Fork creek reached high levels.

There's a tornado watch for most of North Carolina on Friday until 6 p.m. The National Weather Service says possible threats include a few tornados and isolated wind guests of up to 60 miles-per-hour.

The National Weather Service has also issued a flash flood warning for parts of central North Carolina on Friday until 1:30 p.m. Areas impacted include Harnett and Cumberland Counties.

Meteorologists say "turn around, don't drown" when encountering flooded roads while driving because most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

Due to expected weather from Hurricane Helene, street events for IBMA Bluegrass festival on Friday will start at 5 p.m., weather permitting.

Red Hat Amphitheater Main Stage shows will proceed as scheduled, starting with Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band at 5 p.m. Bands from the Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) program scheduled for Friday afternoon are being moved to room 306 of the Raleigh Convention Center.

All Saturday activities will go on as previously scheduled.

Helene is threatening the Carolinas 66 years to the day after a storm with that same name brought heavy winds and rain to the same areas.

Hurricane Helene raked the coast of the Carolinas on September 27, 1958, but did not actually make landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As it approached Charleston, S.C. that morning, Helene abruptly turned north and then northeast, missing Southport and Cape Fear by just over 20 miles. Its eye paralleled the coast of the southern Outer Banks as it moved out to sea and gradually dissipated, the National Weather Service explains.

Still, it produced unusually heavy winds — up to 140 mph — on land, the strongest observed in coastal North Carolina since the start of modern meteorological recordkeeping in the 19th century.

The storm dumped more than 8 inches of rain in Wilmington, and wrought serious damage to coastal homes and small buildings as well as agricultural fields.

But due to early warnings, mandatory evacuation of coastal islands and its low-tide timing, Helene caused just one serious injury and no direct fatalities.

"As bad as Hurricane Helene was for southeastern North Carolina it could have been much, much worse, " the NWS says.

Check out more national updates on Helene here from NPR.

Charlotte Fire Department officials said one person was killed early Friday when a tree fell on their house in west Charlotte as Helene, now a tropical storm, passed through the area.

The house is in the 5400 block of Brookway Drive, near Rozelles Ferry Road. The tree fell shortly after 5 a.m.

One other person was also trapped in the house but survived. Minor children in the house were not injured, firefighters said.

One person was killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car, and two people were reported killed in a possible tornado in south Georgia as the storm approached.

Read more here from WFAE.

The Mayor of Canton was out Friday morning around 8 a.m. surveying the damage to the area from the rain and wind overnight.

Zeb Smathers spoke to BPR while parked near the Pigeon River, which he said was high and rising.

“[We are in] the beginning of I think the most dangerous part for us. We are already flooding. Now we're seeing an increase in wind and water,” he said.

Smathers said the majority of EMS calls have been for people who get stuck in their cars on the road.

“We can't stress enough…to stay home, do not drive. This is not the time to be reckless,” he said.

Read more coverage of Helene's impact on Western North Carolina at Blue Ridge Public Radio.

According to WFDD, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch until 6 p.m. Friday for Alamance, Davidson, Guilford and Forsyth counties. Other central North Carolina counties under watch include Durham, Chatham and Orange counties.

Evacuations are underway due to flash flooding in Cruso, Clyde, and Canton and low-lying areas in Waynesville.

There is a mandatory evacuation of the Swannanoa River Valley due to rains from Hurricane Helene.

"The North Fork Reservoir auxiliary spillway has been activated. The dam is performing as designed, and the volume of water flowing downstream will increase as the storm intensifies," a statement from the City of Asheville said Friday morning.

Residents should move to higher ground and should not attempt to drive.

Shelter is available at Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, 87 Haywood St, Asheville, NC 28801.

Read more here from Blue Ridge Public Radio.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm but has since been downgraded to a Tropical Storm.

Parts of North Carolina are already feeling the impacts of Helene, and state officials are urging residents to stay safe. Gov. Roy Cooper says he's activated 175 soldiers and airmen from North Carolina's National Guard to assist those in need.

"We've deployed North Carolina with water rescue teams and urban search and rescue teams to assist in the response and to save lives," Cooper said.

North Carolina is expected to receive up to 20 inches of rain in some locations as the storm passes. Officials say people should avoid driving if possible, especially in flooded areas.

Jonathan Blaes is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. He says those on the road need to be careful.

"The morning commute is going to be a real, real challenge with heavy rain, gusty winds and certainly, for some stronger storms," Blaes said. "So, folks need to be prepared for a wet and wild, if not a little bit dangerous, commute."

Flash flooding, damaging winds, and isolated to scattered tornadoes are expected through Friday afternoon.

Many school districts across central North Carolina are closed Friday due to Helene.

Chatham County Schools, Durham Public Schools, Granville County Schools, Guilford County Schools, Vance County Schools, and Wake County Schools are all closed. Johnston County Schools will have an early release and Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools will have a remote teacher work day.

Many areas across North Carolina are under flood and tornado watches due to the expected impact of Helene.

Hurricane Helene has weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. The National Hurricane Center says Helene continues to weaken while moving further inland over Georgia. The storm was about 40 miles east of Macon and about 100 miles southeast of Atlanta, moving north at 30 mph at 5 a.m.

Helene prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far beyond the coast up into northern Georgia and western North Carolina. More than 1.2 million homes and businesses were without power in Florida, more than 190,000 in Georgia and more than 30,000 in the Carolinas, according to the tracking site poweroutage.us. The governors of those states and Alabama and Virginia all declared emergencies.

One person was killed in Florida when a sign fell on their car and two people were reported killed in a possible tornado in south Georgia as the storm approached.

Helene was moving rapidly inland after making landfall, with the center of the storm set to race from southern to northern Georgia through early Friday morning. The risk of tornadoes also would continue overnight and into the morning across north and central Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and southern North Carolina, forecasters said. Later Friday, there would be the risk of tornadoes in Virginia.

Beyond Florida, up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain had fallen in the North Carolina mountains, with up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) more possible before the deluge ends, setting the stage for flooding that forecasters warned could be worse than anything seen in the past century.

National Weather Service

Tropical storm force winds began battering Florida on Thursday as Hurricane Helene prepared to make landfall, with forecasters warning that the enormous storm could create a "nightmare" surge along the coast and churn up damaging winds hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S.

Helene was upgraded to a major Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon ahead of its expected evening landfall on Florida's northwestern coast. Hurricane and flash flood warnings extend far beyond the coast up into south-central Georgia.

It was starting to be felt Thursday afternoon, with water lapping over a road on the northern tip of Siesta Key near Sarasota and covering some intersections in St. Pete Beach along Florida's Gulf Coast. The winds have left around 100,000 homes and businesses without power already in the state. And rain has started battering places like Asheville, North Carolina, where a 7-inch (18-centimeter) deluge has raised flooding concerns.

With forecasters also warning of tornadoes and mudslides, the governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies, as did President Joe Biden for several of the states. He is sending the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Florida on Friday to view the damage.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday morning that models suggest Helene will make landfall further east, lessening the chances for a direct hit on the capital city of Tallahassee, whose metro area has a population of around 395,000.

The shift has the storm aimed squarely at the sparsely-populated Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where Florida's Panhandle and peninsula meet. Shuttered gas stations dotted the two-lane highway, their windows boarded up with plywood.

Philip Tooke, a commercial fisherman who took over the business his father founded near the region's Apalachee Bay, plans to ride out this storm like he did during Hurricane Michael and the others – on his boat. "This is what pays my bills," Tooke said of his boats. "If I lose that, I don't have anything."

Many, though, were heeding the mandatory evacuation orders that stretched from the Panhandle south along the Gulf Coast in low-lying areas around Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cedar Key, Lake City, Tampa and Sarasota.

Among them was Sharonda Davis, one of several gathered at a Tallahassee shelter worried their mobile homes wouldn't withstand the winds. She said the hurricane's size is "scarier than anything because it's the aftermath that we're going to have to face."

Federal authorities were staging search-and-rescue teams as the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecast storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and warned they could be particularly "catastrophic and unsurvivable" in Apalachee Bay. It added that high winds and heavy rains also posed risks.

"Please, please, please take any evacuation orders seriously!" the office said, describing the surge scenario as "a nightmare."

This stretch of Florida known as the Forgotten Coast has been largely spared by the widespread condo development and commercialization that dominates so many of Florida's beach communities. The region is loved for its natural wonders — the vast stretches of salt marshes, tidal pools and barrier islands; the dwarf cypress trees of Tate's Hell State Forest; and Wakulla Springs, considered one of the world's largest and deepest freshwater springs.

Anthony Godwin, 20, found one gas station outside Crawfordville where the tanks were still running Thursday morning to fill up before heading west toward his sister's house in Pensacola.

"It's a part of life. You live down here, you run the risk of losing everything to a bad storm," said Godwin, who lives about a half-mile (800 meters) from the water in the coastal town of Panacea.

Along Florida's Gulf Coast, school districts and multiple universities have canceled classes. Airports in Tampa, Tallahassee and Clearwater were closed Thursday, while cancellations were widespread elsewhere in the state and beyond.

Helene was about 195 miles (315 kilometers) southwest of Tampa on Thursday afternoon and moving north-northeast at 16 mph (26 kph) with top sustained winds of at least 111 mph (179 kph).

While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, damaging winds were expected to extend to the southern Appalachian Mountains, where landslides were possible, forecasters said. The center posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina, and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages and flooding. Tennessee was among the states expected to get drenched.

Helene had swamped parts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun.

The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. In western Cuba, Helene knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it brushed past the island.

Helene is forecast to be one of the largest storms in breadth in years to hit the region, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. He said since 1988, only three Gulf hurricanes were bigger than Helene's predicted size: 2017's Irma, 2005's Wilma and 1995's Opal.

Areas 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Georgia-Florida line can expect hurricane conditions. More than half of Georgia's public school districts and several universities canceled classes. The state has opened its parks to evacuees, and their pets, including horses

For Atlanta, Helene could be the worst strike on a major Southern inland city in 35 years, said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.

More than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the south, some businesses in the inland city of Valdosta, Georgia, closed because of the hurricane warning, including the local Walmart.

"We know the Lord's in control," said 67-year-old Margaret Freenman, when she found pallets stacked high blocking the store's entrances after showing up to buy snacks with her two grandchildren. "He's got the last say."

Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.

In further storm activity, Tropical Storm Isaac formed Wednesday in the Atlantic and was expected to strengthen as it moves eastward across the open ocean, possibly becoming a hurricane by the end of the week, forecasters said. Officials said its swells and winds could affect parts of Bermuda and eventually the Azores by the weekend.

In the Pacific, former Hurricane John reformed Wednesday as a tropical storm and strengthened Thursday morning back into a hurricane as it threatened areas of Mexico's western coast with flash flooding and mudslides. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador raised John's death toll to five Thursday as the communities along the country's Pacific coast prepared for the storm to make a second landfall.

Treacherous Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday evening on Florida's northwestern coast and then continue on to torment parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee with heavy rain, flash floods and gusty winds.

While Helene will likely weaken as it moves inland, its "fast forward speed will allow strong, damaging winds, especially in gusts, to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States," including in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the National Weather Service's hurricane center said Thursday. Less severe tropical storm warnings were posted as far north as North Carolina.

The unusual reach as far north and inland as forecasters expect — and the potential impacts — are raising questions about the Fujiwhara Effect, a rare weather event.

What is the Fujiwhara Effect?

The National Weather Service defines the Fujiwhara Effect as "a binary interaction where tropical cyclones within a certain distance … of each other begin to rotate about a common midpoint."

That means the two storms interact with and are shaped by one another, sometimes even combining into one storm.

The concept was born out of the interaction between typhoons in the Pacific Ocean, said Peter Mullinax, the acting Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center.

It was first identified over a century ago by Sakuhei Fujiwhara, a meteorologist in Tokyo, who published his findings about the "tendency towards symmetry of motion" in 1921.

Is that what's happening with Helene?

Helene is "going to do a dance," but not with another hurricane or tropical storm, said Gus Alaka, director of the Hurricane Research Division at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Lab.

Instead, Helene is responding to the effects of a low-pressure weather system to its northwest.

That interaction is occurring in the upper levels of the atmosphere, where commercial jets fly, and not at surface level. That means it's not technically undergoing the Fujiwhara Effect.

The combination of that weather event to the northwest, and a high pressure system to the northeast, are creating a fast-moving "conveyor belt" for Helene, steering it and ultimately forcing it to a standstill over Tennessee, northern Georgia and lower Appalachia, Alaka said.

Has this kind of weather event happened before?

The interaction between a tropical storm and an atmospheric weather system is more common than the Fujiwhara Effect. Weather systems are common, regularly moving through the country and providing weather changes, Alaka said.

One example is Hurricane Sandy, which battered the mid-Atlantic and northeast in 2012.

There was a weather system over the Great Lakes at the time that "dug into" the mid-Atlantic states, said Mullinax. "As Sandy came up the east coast, it felt the pull of that upper-low like Helene's going to feel today into tonight and be drawn in," he said.

What does that mean for the southeastern U.S.?

The speed at which Helene is moving and the sheer size of the storm, along with its interactions with the pressure systems, are leading to the severe weather warnings miles away from the Florida coastline.

Mullinax said there is the potential for catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding, including in northern and northwestern Florida and the Atlanta metro area, and significant landslides in the southern Appalachians.

"They're not as accustomed to seeing not only the tropical rainfall but also the winds that could be gusting over 45 to 50 miles an hour in some cases," he said of the areas inland. "And that is aided by this interaction at the upper levels that's drawing the storm faster inland."

Alaka warned that gusty winds can still be dangerous — even if not at hurricane speeds by the time Helene is further inland — potentially downing trees and power lines.

The hurricane center has warned that much of the southeastern U.S. could experience prolonged power outages and dangerous flooding. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states.

When and where does Helene first hit the U.S.?

Helene could cause a "nightmare" scenario of catastrophic storm surge when it hits northwestern Florida on Thursday evening. The storm was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane Thursday morning and is expected to be a major hurricane — meaning a Category 3 or higher — when it makes landfall.

The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee forecasts storm surges of up to 20 feet (6 meters).

The storm formed Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea.

Helene had swamped parts of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula on Wednesday, flooding streets and toppling trees as it passed offshore and brushed the resort city of Cancun.

In western Cuba, Helene knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it passed the island.