Across the southeastern US, people are working to clean up and recover from Hurricane Helene. The task is especially difficult in North Carolina, where much of Asheville is underwater, state residents are trapped in their homes without power or food, many roads are closed even to rescue crews, and cellphone outages make finding survivors more difficult. The mayor of Canton called the combination "an unimaginable and horrific disaster," per USA Today. The state Department of Transportation posted on X that more than 400 roads were shut as of Saturday, saying, "All roads in Western NC should be considered closed."
Supplies were being airlifted Sunday into Asheville, where 60 people were reported to be missing, per the Washington Post. As crews try to restore communications, parking lots are filled with people trying to find cellphone service, per the New York Times, so they can assure friends and relatives they survived and check on people they haven't heard from. Alan Ward of Fairview said his daughter called 32 times Friday night to check on him without getting through. "This is so frustrating," he said. Lines of cars carrying people trying to get out of Asheville formed at gas stations, where pumps ran out of fuel.
Across the southeastern US, more than 60 deaths have been attributed to Helene. Gov. Roy Cooper said on Saturday that more than 200 people had been rescued from floodwaters in North Carolina. In Swannanoa, outside Asheville, the fire chief said the town's main area is "completely devastated." Part of the highway that runs through town is gone, Anthony Penland said. "We have complete neighborhoods that are no longer there." Faith Baptist Church in Perry planned to hold its services outside, per the AP. "Still no power, or water—so bathrooms will be unavailable," the church posted on Facebook. The church does have chairs for worshippers, the post said. (More Hurricane Helene stories.)
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