Western North Carolina has been essentially cut off because of landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other roads. Video shows sections of Asheville underwater.

Francine Cavanaugh said she has been totally unable to reach her sister, son, or friends in the Asheville area.

“My sister checked in with me yesterday morning to find out how I was in Atlanta,” she said on Saturday. “The storm was just hitting her in Asheville, and she said it sounded really scary outside.”

Cavanaugh said her sister had no idea how bad the storm would be there. She told Cavanaugh she was going to head out to check on guests at a vacation cabin “and that’s the last I heard of her. I’ve been texting everyone that I know with no response. All phone calls go directly to voicemail.”

She saw video of a grocery store near the cabins that was completely flooded.

“I think that people are just completely stuck, wherever they are, with no cell service, no electricity.”

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson was hospitalized and treated for burns on Friday after an “incident” while campaigning for governor in Mount Airy, a campaign spokesperson told multiple news outlets.

The controversial Republican nominee suffered burns to his hand after leaning against a truck at the event, according to The Washington Post’s Amy Gardner. The campaign described him as being in “good spirits” despite the hospitalization.

Robinson sustained second-degree burns and is set to return to the campaign trail on Saturday, NewsNation campaign reporter Libbey Dean noted.

He was set to drop by the Mayberry Truck Show and Parade in Mount Airy, according to his Friday schedule, detailed by CNN.

NewsNation was the first to report on the hospitalization.

Robinson’s hospitalization comes just over a week after a CNN report linked him to disturbing comments on a porn site, including declaring himself to be a “black NAZI” and describing himself as a “perv” who likes pornography of transgender people.

Robinson has referred to the reports as “lies” while suggesting that the comments on the site “possibly happened.”

Several staff members on his campaign have resigned following the reports on the scandal, and former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Robinson and called him “Martin Luther King on steroids,” told reporters this week that he didn’t “know the situation” when asked if he’d rescind his support.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Related…

Interstate 40 is impassable between Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina, and beyond, because of catastrophic floods from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

A mudslide and flooding have shut down the route.

Here are the I-40 closures listed on DriveNC.gov, though North Carolina Department of Transportation officials have told drivers all Western Carolina roads are essentially shut down.

• South of Asheville, all lanes of I-26 are closed between Exit 49 to US 64 and Exit 53 to Upward Road.
• All lanes of I-40 between Exit 66 in Ridgecrest and Exit 72 in Old Fort are closed due to a mudslide.
• All lanes of I-40 are closed near Black Mountain, one mile west of Exit 64 to NC 9.
• All lanes of I-40 are closed at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.
• All lanes of I-40 is closed at Exit 20 to US-276.
• I-40 East is closed at Exit 4 to NC 191.
• I-40 West is closed at Exit 7 to Cold Springs Creek Road.

• On the Tennessee side, all lanes of I-40 in Cocke County are closed, according to a post TDOT made on Facebook.

Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com.

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