North Carolina
Biden plans survey of devastation in North Carolina as Helene's death toll tops 130
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden was set to survey the devastation in the mountains of Western North Carolina on Wednesday, where exhausted emergency workers continued to work around-the-clock to clear roads, restore power and cellphone service, and reach people left stranded by Hurricane Helene. The storm killed at least 133 people and hundreds more were still unaccounted for on Monday night, four days after Helene initially made landfall.
Meanwhile, election officials across the South were making emergency preparations to ensure displaced residents would be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Officials in the hard-hit tourism hub of Asheville said their water system suffered “catastrophic” damage that could take weeks to fully repair. Government officials, aid groups and volunteers were working to deliver supplies by air, truck and even mule to the town and surrounding mountain communities. At least 40 people died in the county that includes Asheville.
The North Carolina death toll included one horrific story after another of people who were trapped by floodwaters in their homes and vehicles or were killed by falling trees. A courthouse security officer died after being submerged inside his truck. A couple and a 6-year-old boy waiting to be rescued on a rooftop drowned when part of their home collapsed.
Rescuers did manage to save dozens, including an infant and two others stuck on the top of a car in Atlanta. More than 50 hospital patients and staff in Tennessee were plucked by helicopter from the hospital rooftop in a daring rescue operation.
How some of the worst-hit areas are coping
The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. Rainfall estimates in some areas topped more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) since Wednesday, and several main routes into Asheville were washed away or blocked by mudslides. That includes a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) section of Interstate 40 that was heavily damaged.
Joey Hopkins, North Carolina’s secretary of transportation, asked people on Monday to stay off the roads.
“The damage is severe, and we’re continuing to tell folks if you don’t have a reason to be in North Carolina, do not travel on the roads of western North Carolina,” Hopkins said at a news conference. “We do not want you here if you don’t live here and you’re not helping with the storm.”
At an Ingles grocery store in Asheville, Elizabeth Teall-Fleming was standing in line with dozens of others waiting to get inside and hoping to find some non-perishable food, since they have no power. She planned to heat up some canned food over a camping stove for her family.
“I’m just glad that they’re open and that they’re able to let us in,” she said.
Teall-Fleming said she was surprised by the ferocity of the storm.
“Just seeing the little bit of news that we’ve been able to see has been shocking and really sad.”
In one neighborhood, residents were collecting creek water in buckets to flush their toilets.
Others waited in a line for more than a block at Mountain Valley Water to fill up milk jugs and whatever other containers they could find with drinking water.
Derek Farmer, who brought three gallon-sized apple juice containers, said he had been prepared for the storm but now was nervous after three days without water. “I just didn’t know how bad it was going to be,” Farmer said.
Helene roared ashore in northern Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and quickly moved north. The storm upended life throughout the Southeast, where deaths were also reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. Officials warned that rebuilding would be lengthy and difficult.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Monday that shelters were housing more than 1,000 people.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper took an aerial tour of the Asheville area and later met with workers distributing meals.
“This has been an unprecedented storm that has hit western North Carolina,” he said afterward. “It’s requiring an unprecedented response.”
Worries about the presidential election
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said during an emergency board meeting on Monday that they are looking at options for voters in the hardest-hit counties. She planned to provide more information at a Tuesday news conference, including how someone could declare “natural disaster” as their reason for not being able to provide a photo ID.
Election employees across Georgia returned to work even as some offices faced power outages, limited internet and infrastructure damages.
In Lowndes County, staff at the local board of elections were working off of two computers instead of the usual eight, said election supervisor Deb Cox. The office is also without wifi.
“We’re fully up and running as of this morning,” said Cox. “It’s just slower than normal because we have less resources.”
In Columbia County, poll worker training will still begin this week, said Nancy Gay, the county’s elections director, but she may have to change the location because of the power outage.
“Our poll workers are being affected,” Gay said. “They don’t have power. They don’t have gas. You’ve got to allow the workers time to process everything and try and get a plan in place before I can really expect them to come and show up for training.”
Mark Ard at the Florida Secretary of State’s office said the Division of Elections is recommending that local elections supervisors reach out to U.S. Post Office officials to discuss a mitigation plan for ballot mailing, delivery, and return.
Why western North Carolina was hit so hard
Western North Carolina suffered relatively more devastation because that’s where the remnants of Helene encountered the higher elevations and cooler air of the Appalachian Mountains, causing even more rain to fall.
Asheville and many surrounding mountain towns were built in valleys, leaving them especially vulnerable to devastating rain and flooding. Plus, the ground already was saturated before Helene arrived, said Christiaan Patterson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“By the time Helene came into the Carolinas, we already had that rain on top of more rain,” Patterson said.
Climate change has exacerbated conditions that allow such storms to thrive, rapidly intensifying in warming waters and turning into powerful cyclones, sometimes within hours.
Destruction from Florida to Virginia
Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, several feet of water swamped the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, forcing workers to move two manatees and sea turtles. All of the animals were safe but much of the aquarium’s vital equipment was damaged or destroyed, said James Powell, the aquarium’s executive director.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the storm “literally spared no one.” Most people in and around Augusta, a city of about 200,000 near the South Carolina border, were still without power Monday.
With at least 30 killed in South Carolina, Helene was the deadliest tropical cyclone to hit the state since Hurricane Hugo made landfall north of Charleston in 1989, killing 35 people.
Tropical Storm Kirk forms and could become a powerful hurricane
Tropical Storm Kirk formed Monday in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and is expected to become a “large and powerful hurricane” by Tuesday night or Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm was located about 800 miles (1,285 kilometers) west of the Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not a threat to land.
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Associated Press reporters Gary D. Robertson in Asheville; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Beatrice Dupuy in New York City; Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani in Washington; and Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed.
North Carolina
Effingham local plans fundraiser for Helene victims in North Carolina
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – It’s been just over a month since states across the southeast were hit by hurricane Helene, including Georgia. One of the hardest hits states, however, was North Carolina.
A woman from Effingham has been doing her best to help those in need by gathering supplies and taking them to storm torn areas.
WTOC spoke with the Georgia local to learn more about the work she’s been doing.
Our team originally spoke with Angela Miller before she made her first trip up to North Carolina after the hurricane. Since then, her and her family have made two trips to cities like Swanannoa. Their third trip is already planned for next weekend.
Miller immediately began collecting donations for storm victims, and she took a huge load to North Carolina the first weekend after Helene passed through.
Miller says during both trips she‘s made so far, the communities’ perseverance was inspiring.
“You know, you just don’t understand how these people just can smile and give you a hug and then turn around and walk into their house and there’s no electricity. They have no food. You know, they can’t get out of their house because they can’t go further if they don’t have somebody to help them,” said Miller. “The pictures just don’t do it justice. I mean it just like you know, oh well that’s kind of what happened. No, it’s split houses in half.”
The group of volunteers that Miller was with passed out over 500 meals to those still in the area.
To help gather more supplies for storm victims, they’re throwing a fundraiser at a local restaurant in Savannah.
A friend of Miller’s who works at Midtown Bar and Grill on Habersham reached out wanting to help the people in North Carolina.
The restaurant will be open and accepting donations today beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Miller has lists of what items people can bring on Facebook, including gift cards to Lowes or Home Depot for material supplies to help rebuild in areas that were completely destroyed.
Miller says the outpouring of support from her own Georgia community has been a blessing.
“You know we had our own devastation in Georgia, and I have been very, very blessed and very just overwhelmed with the amount of help that people, I mean, I have had donation, donation…The community is good,” said Miller.
All the donations collected during the fundraiser will be loaded up and taken with Miller on her next trip to Swanannoa.
Amy Moore, who owns Simply Southern in Springfield, will also be making the trip with Miller to pass out meals to those in need.
If you’re not able to make it out to Midtown Bar and Grill but would still like to make a donation, Miller says you can reach out to her anytime.
Copyright 2024 WTOC. All rights reserved.
North Carolina
East Carteret HS donating football ticket sales to Western North Carolina
CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – As flag twirlers rehearse for Friday’s senior night football match against Southside High School, East Carteret High School is also preparing for a great cause.
100% of Friday night’s ticket sales will be donated to support Buncombe County Schools, which were severely impacted by Hurricane Helene.
East Carteret High School Cheer Captain and Student Body President Savannah Tyndall expressed her gratitude for the support they received during previous hurricanes and the tragic plane crash in 2022.
Now it’s their turn to give back, she says.
“We can’t pay back these families or these kids education that they lost…but we can give them the funding to try to rebuild and help in whatever ways they need,” says Tyndall.
East Carteret High School Principal Jay Westbrook says everyone was excited when they decided to donate the funds to Buncombe County.
He says he knew what to do when he called Buncombe County’s school superintendent.
“So I reached out to Dr. Jackson and it was a Saturday morning and I could tell there was a tremendous need of help because I know him very well,” says Westbrook.
Dr. Rob Jackson is no stranger to East Carteret High because he used to be the Carteret County School superintendent before moving back home to Buncombe County and becoming the superintendent there.
Westbrook says he wanted to help out as much as he could for a friend who helped him during previous tragic events.
Dr. Jackson says he is more than grateful to see the outpour of support for an area hit hard.
“Donations through our education foundation allows us to meet the needs of our students and their families and our staff members that have lost a home, a car, or where floods occurred and where many literally lost everything,” says Dr. Jackson.
Westbrook says East Carteret High School is mainly collecting monetary funds so they can be distributed to where it’s needed the most.
Tickets for the game are $8.00 each. Donations will also be accepted at the entry gate.
Copyright 2024 WITN. All rights reserved.
North Carolina
Several North Carolina state parks reopening after Helene
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AXIOS) – Multiple state parks across western North Carolina were reopening, at least partially, on Nov. 1.
State parks west of I-77 have been closed for weeks due to Hurricane Helene.
Why it matters: State parks are a major draw to western North Carolina. They provide miles of hiking trails for visitors to explore, especially during the fall as people travel to witness leaves change color.
State of play: Crowders Mountain, Gorges, Grandfather Mountain and Lake Norman state parks, plus Rendezvous Mountain will reopen on Nov. 1, the Division of Parks and Recreation announced Wednesday.
What to expect: Keep in mind, some state parks may only be partially open and others remain closed due to hazardous trees and branches, unsteady bridges and washed-out trails. Here’s what to expect at parks reopening Friday:
Crowders Mountain State Park
Trails and day-use from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. will reopen. Camping, however, remains closed through November.
- Look for the Charlotte skyline on a clear day.
Distance: 45 minutes from Charlotte; 3 hours 18 minutes from Raleigh
Gorges State Park
Grassy Ridge access at 976 Grassy Ridge Road, Sapphire, North Carolina will reopen, including the visitor center, trails to Rainbow and Upper Bearwallow Falls, plus RV, trailer, tent camping and cabins.
- The backcountry area, including Frozen Creek access, Auger Hole and Canebrake trails, plus backcountry campsites, will remain closed.
Distance: 3 hours from Charlotte; 5 hours from Raleigh
Grandfather Mountain State Park
Most trails and campsites here will reopen. Profile trail, Profile Connector trail and Profile campsite, however, will remain closed
Distance: 2 hours 15 minutes from Charlotte; 3 hours 40 minutes from Raleigh
Lake Norman State Park
Day-use, tent, trailer, RV and campsites will reopen.
- Cabins are closed to new reservations, but existing reservations will be honored.
- Some mountain bike trail sections may be closed.
- Distance: 50 minutes from Charlotte; 2.5 hours from Raleigh
Rendezvous Mountain
All areas of Rendezvous Mountain (1956 Rendezvous Mountain Road, Purlear, North Carolina) will reopen.
Distance: 1 hour 50 minutes from Charlotte; 2 hours 48 minutes from Raleigh
Parks that remain closed:
Zoom in: Chimney Rock, Mount Mitchell and South Mountains are expected to be closed longer than others. Campsite reservations at state parks that are closed or expect to be closed at the time of the reservation have been refunded, per the Division of Parks and Recreation.
What’s next: Some parks may partially reopen in November, according to State Parks Director Brian Strong.
What they’re saying: “We know our visitors have been missing our closed parks, and we hope these reopenings will help our neighbors, local towns, and communities,” Strong said in a statement.
This story from Axios Charlotte was published as part of a partnership.
Copyright 2024 WBTV. All rights reserved.
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