The largest mountain city in North Carolina was largely cut off on Saturday by floodwaters brought in by Hurricane Helene’s aftermath, which also left numerous anxious relatives unable to contact loved ones and a path of destruction across southern Appalachia that resulted in damaged roads, a lack of power, and cellphone service.
Devastation was caused by the storm in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, where authorities on Friday utilized helicopters to save dozens of people from the rooftop of a flooded hospital.
More than 400 highways were still closed on Saturday in North Carolina alone as the floodwaters started to subside and the depth of the destruction became apparent. According to Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, supplies were being airlifted to that region of the state.
Nurse Janetta Barfield was one of those saved from rising waters; on Friday morning, while she was leaving an overnight shift at Mission Hospital in Asheville, her car was submerged in water. She claimed that after observing a car ahead of her drive through standing water, she decided it was safe to move forward.
However, her car stalled, and water filled her front seat all the way to her chest in a matter of minutes. She was brought to safety by a passing policeman who seen her car stall.
Due to a lack of electricity, several gas stations were closed early on Saturday morning. The ones that were open had lineups that stretched around the block for an hour.
Over 700,000 North Carolina residents—160,000 of whom were in Buncombe County—were without electricity. A chart from the state transportation department revealed that most routes into Asheville and across most of the mountains were congested, and Interstates 40 and 26 were blocked in several places.
There was no cellphone service in Asheville, and there was no indication when it will be available again. Boiling water was another instruction given to the residents.
Van Taylor Jones, director of county emergency services, told reporters, “We have had some loss of life.” He did, however, state that they were not prepared to release any details. The communications failures have made it more difficult for officials to get in touch with relatives.
According to Jones, there were numerous issues in the area, such as mudslides, strong winds, and torrential rain. Although officials attempted to prepare for the storm, they were unprepared for its enormity.
Francine Cavanaugh, of Atlanta, said she hasn’t been able to get in touch with her son, sister, or friends who live in the Asheville region.
According to Cavanaugh, her sister was unaware of the severity of the impending storm. She informed Cavanaugh that she was leaving to see how the visitors at a vacation cabin were doing, and that was the last I heard from her. I’ve been texting everyone I know, but I haven’t heard back. Every call is routed straight to voicemail.
Read Also:
- Fleeing the Storm: Georgia, Florida Residents Evacuate Before Helene Hits
- Tragedy in Helene: Veteran Firefighter and 4-Year-Old Girl Among the Dead
On Saturday morning, the danger of a stressed dam was lessening in Greene County, Tennessee, which is located across the state line.
The water had crested and was decreasing, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which had alerted locals throughout the night that the Nolichucky Dam would burst. The TVA stated that workers were still evaluating the dam and that it was in good condition.
At the utility’s Watauga Dam in Carter County, Tennessee, where the pool climbed to almost 3 feet (0.9 meters) above prior records, TVA said on Saturday that it was carefully monitoring levels. Workers were trying to release water from the Wilbur and Watauga dams to empty the reservoir.
