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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Drinking water will be distributed today (Tuesday) at Pack Square Park (70 Court Plaza) beginning at 9 a.m. Water will be available until 7 p.m. or when the supply runs out.

Each person will be provided 2 gallons of water per person, with a maximum of 5 gallons per family.

You must bring your own containers for water.

Parking is available in nearby lots and parking decks.

Approximately 400 incarcerated people were evacuated from Western Correctional Center for Women in Swannanoa and the Black Mountain Substance Abuse Treatment Center for Women in Black Mountain, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction announced.

The evacuation decision was based on "the expected long timeframe for water and power restoration to these locations," the Department said in a statement.

The incarcerated women were transported by bus to other correctional facilities, including Anson Correctional Institution in Polkton, and others moved to North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh, on Monday.

"Relocated offenders will be able to make phone calls after they arrive at their destinations," the statement said.

The Department said an online service, Offender Locator, will be updated show where people are temporarily rehoused.

The 45 residents of the Black Mountain treatment center were moved to the North Piedmont Confinement in Response to Violation facility in Lexington.

One of the major arteries out of Asheville is now open, clearing a route for people leaving storm damage to head east.

Interstate 40-East reopened late Monday night after being closed for days due to damage from Tropical Storm Helene, a Buncombe County official confirmed.

The roadway is the primary thoroughfare for people traveling to Hickory, Charlotte or Raleigh.

Towns and communities to the east of Asheville, including Swannanoa and Black Mountain, suffered extensive damage from the storm. Access to the area has been limited, compounding search and rescue efforts.

Interstate 40-West remains closed.

Courtesy of Haywood County Facebook

The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office confirmed four deaths on Monday afternoon, and said fuel is on its way to residents.

Sheriff Bill Wilke said families of those who’ve died have been notified, but no more information was shared about their identities. His office has completed several hundred additional welfare checks, and he said the county is recovering quickly thanks to the community.

“Neighbors are helping neighbors. People are there in this county for one another sharing provisions and sharing the resources that they have to get through this terrible tragedy,” Wilke said.

Despite the destruction, Emergency Management Director Travis Donaldson said this is the most prepared Haywood County has been for a storm in recent memory, with 300 outside personnel jumping in to help.

Kevin Easley, chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, said food and fuel are estimated to arrive within three to four days for the roughly 13,000 residents who are still without power.

Easley urged residents to conserve fuel in the meantime and not to drive around looking for gas.

“Every county in Western North Carolina is experiencing what we are so you can't go county to county looking for something that they don't have because we only have what the other counties have. So please stay in your county,” Easley said.

Easley said that I-26 has opened and trucks from Greenville, SC are headed to gas stations.

There is currently a 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew in Haywood County.

Haywood County Resources 

• Those still looking for people in Haywood County can call 1-888-921-1162 to get in touch with the Sheriff’s office.
•   There are currently two potable water drop points where you can go gather one gallon per day of water. Those addresses are 127 Plaza Loop in Canton and 2901 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.
•  The FEMA phone number for resources is 1-800-621-3362.
•   Haywood County's emergency shelter is open at 235 Armory Drive in Clyde at Haywood Community College. If you bring pets to the shelter, please ensure that they are crated with a collar,  a lease and up-to-date tags including rabies vaccinations required by North Carolina law. You also need to try to bring food water bowls and cleaning supplies litter bags, etc. for your pets.
• ·        The United Way of Haywood County is managing all donations for recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Helene. The website is UWHaywood.org. Or by mail P.O. Box 1139 Waynesville, North Carolina 28786.
• ·        Stay tuned for updates on where to drop off non-perishable food and water in Haywood County. 

Fletching Drone Photography

Monday night, Woodfin Mayor Jim McAllister shared an update on how the small town north of Asheville faired.

This is the first formal update BPR has received from the town that runs along the French Broad River since Tropical Storm Helene moved through the region.

The lower-lying sections of the town, especially on Riverside Drive, saw significant flooding. Fallen trees and power lines have made the streets impassable for days. Traffic signals continue to be out of operation, making driving in the area dangerous.

McAllister confirmed that water is also out in Woodfin, though for how long has yet to be determined. There is a major break in a key pipe that runs through a heavily wooded area, making it difficult for engineers to pinpoint exactly where the break exists.

The NC Department of Transportation has cleared debris out of the way and now the search for the break has begun. That part of the water system has not been dug up in a long time, making the repair work going forward both tricky and time-consuming.

Another challenge is that the township is unable to get the 25% of its total water supply that they usually source from Asheville to help maintain their flow.

There are also power outages in Woodfin. Trash and recycling services are paused indefinitely.

Silver Line Plastics, one of the town’s largest employers, saw great flooding damage. The Woodfin Wave, an ambitious project that aimed to create a man-made natural wave for kayakers in the French Broad River, was also wiped out.

One bright spot McAllister mentioned is that now every resident in Woodfin has street access.

There have been 40 stormwater-related deaths in Buncombe County, officials shared at a Monday evening press briefing.

One woman, a resident of Woodfin, died when a tree fell on her, Woodfin Mayor Jim McAllister said. Her name was not made public.

There was no update shared on the number of people missing at the briefing. The number was previously at 1,000. As of yesterday afternoon, that number went down to 600, county officials said.

As of this week, all recreational areas administered by the Forest Service are closed. The Forest Service would ordinarily conduct assessments to determine the extent of the damage in the area, but it’s impossible right now. Conditions are too hazardous to allow crews in. If it’s not safe for crews, it’s not safe for hikers.

“The public can help us in our efforts to reopen both the Pisgah and Nantahala by staying off both forests until our work is complete,” Forest Service public information officer Adam Rondeau said in a statement.

Rondeau added that emergency services have no access to the National Forest land at the moment, and any stranded hiker, camper, or off-roader would be totally on their own.

Courtesy of Asheville Regional Airport Facebook.

Asheville Regional Airport officials say residents should not go to the airport to collect relief supplies. They say the airport must remain clear in order for new supplies to arrive and be offloaded. All supplies will be deployed by FEMA and others at distribution points set up throughout the region, according to the airport’s Facebook page.

Commercial flights have resumed, but some airlines are not yet back to their full schedules. Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the most up-to-date flight information.

Passengers can check the Asheville Regional Airport’s Facebook page for regular updates on general airport operations and the arrival of resources, aid and government officials. Airport officials caution that flight information on its web site is inaccurate, as the site is not being updated due to internet issues in western North Carolina.

Ground transportation to and from the airport is difficult to find, as fuel shortages affect the region.

Airport officials say cars parked at the airport during the storm are safe, as the parking lot was not flooded. They say they will waive parking fees for the days during the storm and this week of recovery.

FEMA officials are on the ground today in Asheville, said FEMA external affairs officer John Mills. According to the agency, 10 search and rescue crews are on the ground with 10 more arriving today.

FEMA recommends keeping roadways as clear as possible to allow them to work.

Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are in Asheville providing emergency room medical support at hospitals, and 200 have been provided to the state.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams are going to the field, focusing on shelters, where they will assist survivors in applying for assistance. There are no details yet as to where exactly these field operations will be based, though they will be focusing on the 29 open shelters.

FEMA ground operations in Asheville will be operational by the end of the day, but this will happen more slowly in more rural counties. An exact timeline for the latter has not been given, nor has there been a timeline given for the opening of disaster recovery centers.

FEMA officials say 25 trailer-loads of meals and 60 trailers-loads of water have been delivered to the state, and a plane full of food and water has arrived at an operating base in Asheville. They are also working to resolve connectivity issues, with Starlink satellite systems to be deployed in each county to support communication between local officials and emergency services.

CORRECTION: This story originally stated that FEMA opened a disaster recovery center in Asheville yesterday. FEMA is working to provide assistance in local shelters but a timeline for disaster recovery centers opening has not been given.

Mike Stewart/AP

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AP

Optimum Internet provides internet to much of the Western North Carolina Region. On Monday morning, the company said that restoring internet will depend on when power is restored across the region.

“In many areas, power outages, flooding and identified fiber cuts from the storm debris all have impacted Optimum services. We are actively communicating with impacted customers through emails, texts and providing updates on our social media channels," Elton Hart, vice president and regional general manager for Optimum said in a statement.

The company said that it is working with the local power companies DOT and emergency response organizations. A spokesperson told BPR that Optimum is on the ground now at Advent Health Hendersonville Hospital "and throughout the community."

The spokesperson said there will be a Wi-Fi truck onsite, where the public can charge their devices and access Wi-Fi later this afternoon.

BPR will update this post with that time and location as it is available.

The death toll from Tropical Storm Helene has reached 30, according to Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller.

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder also shared an update on the 1,000 missing people in the county. As of lunchtime today, that number has gone down to 600, Pinder said.

People can report missing loved ones here.

Danger for landslides also continues, she said.

“Go to a designated public shelter if you have been told to evacuate,” she said.

AB-Tech has two shelters available – one at 16 Fernihurst Drive and a medical emergency shelter at 10 Genevieve Circle.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced Sunday that all schools will be closed for students on Monday, Sept. 30.

Monday will be an optional teacher workday.

This decision does not impact the remainder of the 2024-25 district calendar.

Duke Energy announced that it has restored power to 723,000 customers in the Carolinas over the past 24 hours.

The company said nearly all customers outside of the western parts of the Carolinas should have power restored by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, though many will be restored before then.

Workers continue to encounter major challenges accessing areas across the North Carolina mountains and Upstate of South Carolina, limiting the company’s ability to assess damage and provide customers with estimates for when power is likely to be restored.

Duke Energy is working with local and state officials to gain access to the hardest-hit areas where roads are obstructed. The company is also supplementing its damage assessment efforts with helicopters and drones and will publish estimated power restoration times as soon as possible.

“Historic flooding, debris and road closures remain an incredible challenge to assessing the severe damage to our system and restoring power in the North Carolina mountains and South Carolina Upstate,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy storm director for the Carolinas. “Our crews appreciate our customers’ patience and support as they continue working around the clock to safely and quickly restore power.”

Federal disaster assistance is available to North Carolina to supplement recovery efforts in the areas, FEMA announced Sunday.

President Biden's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

State, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations can also receive funds on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation urges drivers to stay off the roads and highways in western North Carolina.

All roads in western North Carolina should be considered closed and non-emergency travel is prohibited, the agency says.

Information about road conditions can be found at https://drivenc.gov/.

Regional Assistance: Only call 911 in case of emergencies.

Duke Energy: 1-800-419-6356 (to report outages call 1-800-543-5599 or text "OUT" to 57801)

NC Highway Patrol: 828-298-4252

Emergency Call Center: 828-356-2020

Buncombe County

Non-Emergency line:
828-250-6650

Missing Persons:

To report your friend, family member, or loved one as missing or unaccounted for, you can click this link to provide information directly to emergency crews. The form and more information is available here, provided by Buncombe County government.

If you make contact with your loved one, you should notify the Family Assistance Center by email: buncombesearch@gmail.com.

The phone number for information on Family Assistance Center services is 828-820-2761. Please listen and leave a voicemail.

Haywood County

Canton Police: 828-648-2376

Waynesville Police: 828-456-5363

Maggie Valley Police: 828-926-0867

HEMC: 828-452-2281

Animal Control: 828-456-5338

Department of Social Services: 828-452-6620

Canton Water: 828-648-2376

Waynesville Water: 828-456-3706

Missing Persons: 828-452-6666

Road Conditions: DriveNC.gov

RALEIGH: President Biden has granted Gov. Roy Cooper’s request for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration for Tropical Storm Helene providing immediate federal help for 25 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The declaration means that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be able to speed additional help to the state, and provide assistance to people living in those counties, as well as public assistance to reimburse local governments, state agencies, and non-profits or other eligible organizations for funds spent repairing facilities and infrastructure.

The counties in the declaration are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

This declaration is in addition to the federal emergency declaration already in place prior to the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene.

Read the declaration summary here.

With boil water advisories in Asheville, Waynesville, Canton and other Western North Carolina communities, government agencies and private businesses are making plans for water distribution.

Asheville City Council Member Kim Roney said there will be nine distribution centers in Asheville. More information about the locations will be available later today.

Pisgah Brewing Company (2948 US-70, Black Mountain, NC 28711) will be filling up water containers today (Sunday) from 2-5 pm.

Additional disaster relief shelters are open in Asheville, officials said Saturday.

A general shelter is now open in the A-B Tech/Mission Health Conference Center at 16 Fernihurst Drive (turn off of Victoria Road at the light by the Smith McDowell House). Officials said you must bring any bedding and comfort items required. No supplies are provided.

A shelter for people with medical needs is located in A-B Tech's Ferguson Center for Allied Health & Workforce Development at 10 Genevieve Circle and Victoria Road (across from the entrance to the Mission Health Emergency Department).

At the medical needs shelter:

• Bring any required medical devices or supplies with you.
• This location supplies power for medical devices.

People who need to shelter with their pets should go to the emergency shelter located at the WNC Agriculture Center. Pets are not allowed at the A-B Tech shelters.

Also Saturday, campus leaders announced that A-B Tech will be closed until further notice.

The University of North Carolina Asheville is suspending classes through Wednesday, Oct. 9, but services on campus are available to students.

“Conditions at UNC Asheville are difficult. Significant tree damage has occurred and parts of campus are inaccessible. Everyone is safe. Cell and internet coverage is nonexistent at this point,” officials said in a news release Saturday,

Campus leaders say they are providing security, food, and water to remaining students on campus.

Potable water is on its way to Asheville, according to a city spokesperson. But regular city water service restoration will be "an extended effort."

Woodfin and many Asheville residents have been without drinking water since yesterday.

In a video posted on the Facebook group Asheville Politics, city council member Maggie Ullman said that the city is "working heavily" on a water distribution plan. "I don't know the details of that plan, but details should be coming shortly," she said at 11 a.m.

Ullman also said, "Verizon is working on getting cellular access repaired."

In a news release Saturday afternoon, city leaders said extensive repairs are required to bring Asheville's water system back online.

"A preliminary assessment on Saturday morning revealed that Tropical Storm Helene severely damaged the City of Asheville’s water system. Extensive repairs are required. Water Resources has already engaged government and private sector partners to begin the procurement process for additional materials, equipment and personnel," the release stated.

"Helene was a generational weather event. Although providing an accurate timeline is impossible, service restoration will be an extended effort. We are grateful for your patience while we dedicate every possible resource to reconstructing the damaged portions of our water system."

Additional updates on city of Asheville water services and other public information is available here.

Western Carolina University is suspending classes through Friday, Oct. 4, but services on campus are available to students.

"...We advise students not to leave the area due to major interstate closures in multiple areas. For similar reasons, we advise concerned parents and loved ones not to attempt to travel to campus," officials said in a news release Saturday.

Campus leaders say emergency services and essential student services will remain operational. Food services are limited but available.

"Students may make landline calls from the University Center from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. We are working to distribute this information to off-campus housing and in the community," the release stated.

The campus is experiencing - like most all of the region - widespread internet and cellular outages.

First responders are conducting search and rescue operations across the region, the governor's office said Saturday. Supplies are being delivered by air as the vast majority of roads are either impassable, unsafe or closed.

As the region entered Day Two of devastation from flooding and tropical storm winds, Western North Carolina largely is without power, internet, cell phone service, and in some cases, water. Many communities are effectively isolated and stranded.

Utility crews are responding from across the country for restoration and repair efforts, according to a news release Saturday from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. Sixteen shelters housed approximately 1,100 residents last night.

Cell phone service in flooded NC mountains

State officials say service is out but telecommunication tower owners have enacted "disaster roaming" so that when one company has restored service, residents in the area will have connections - regardless of their cellular carrier.

Search and rescue after floods

So far, the governor's office estimates, more than 200 people have been rescued from flood waters in North Carolina following Helene’s torrential rains. Teams from 19 states and three federal teams have joined North Carolina first responders in the effort.

“This is a historic and catastrophic storm for Western North Carolina and I’m grateful to first responders working right now to save lives and evacuate residents,” Cooper said. “Efforts are also underway to get power and communications restored, and we’re bringing in needed supplies by air.”

“The State Emergency Response Team is working around the clock responding to severe impacts from Helene’s devastation. We are grateful for our local, state and federal partners and their teamwork to help North Carolinians hit hard by this storm,” said NC Emergency Management Director Will Ray. “Please remain aware of hazards and follow directions from local officials to protect life and safety.”

Roads inaccessible

"As of Saturday morning, about 418 state-maintained roads remained closed, mostly due to flooding," the governor said. In WNC, 11 landslides have been confirmed.

Roads are broadly considered unsafe or off limits. "This includes major closures on Interstates 26 and 40 around Asheville, plus dozens of locations along several U.S. and N.C. highway routes," the governor's office shared.

A mandatory evacuation order remains in place for Riverside Drive, Lake Drive, Riverhaven Drive and parts of Beagle Club Road, Harwood Lane, Foggy Bank Lane and Hart Road near Mountain Island Lake.

There is a voluntary evacuation order for areas near Allison Ferry Road near Mountain Island Lake, Arthur Auten Drive, Drake Cove Road, Neck Rd, Ballypat Lane, Johnson David Road, and Latta Springs.

City of Charlotte

A shelter is open at the Tuckaseegee Recreation Center.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management urges those living near the Catawba River and the county's lakes to remain alert for flooding.

Flood waters can continue to rise without rainfall. Large amounts of rainwater will continue to move through the Catawba River system today.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said Saturday morning that more than 400 roads in North Carolina are closed and all roads in the western part of the state should be considered closed. Interstates 26 and 40 are impassible in multiple locations. Motorists are asked not to drive in this area.

The agency posted some photos of flooded roads on its X account.

Visit DriveNC.gov for current road conditions.

Thousands of Western North Carolinians remain isolated after the storm with cell phone networks down across the region.

A spokesperson from the NC Emergency Management office told BPR that the network providers have enabled "disaster roaming." Regardless of what service a person has, if they are in an area with any functional network, they will be able to make calls or send text messages.

Representatives from Verizon and AT&T said their teams are working as quickly as possible to restore service.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Buncombe County officials said they have requested wifi units to give people access at the shelters, and they hope the units will arrive today.

By Friday night, officials in Rutherford County said one of the most dramatic outcomes of the historic flooding in western North Carolina was no longer on the table, as it appeared the dam at Lake Lure would hold.

Officials said earlier Friday that the dam was in "imminent danger" of failing and unleashing a massive torrent of water. Residents and emergency workers evacuated downstream communities.

At 8 pm, Rutherford emergency officials said the immediate crisis had passed. Though the dam was damaged, and water spilled over its top and around it, it would not collapse.

"Engineers have evaluated the Lake Lure Dam and determined it is no longer at imminent risk of failure. The flow rate has been controlled, and there is no immediate danger," officials posted.

Still, the dam's structural supports were damaged, and it remains to be seen how extensive that damage is.

The city of Charlotte said that as of 6:30 pm Friday, it had received requests to clear 346 downed trees. Across Charlotte, 121 roads were completely blocked by fallen trees, including busy thoroughfares like Monroe Road and neighborhood streets.

By Friday evening, 73% of those roads had been cleared and reopened, and crews were working on the rest, Charlotte officials said. Workers planned to resume clearing trees and reopening roads at 6:30 am Saturday.

Power crews began restoring electricity in North Carolina and South Carolina on Friday, as Helene — now a tropical depression — quickly moved out of the region.

Duke Energy reported that 1.3 million customers were without power in both states as of Friday night, split roughly evenly.

In Mecklenburg County, 76,460 customers were without power as of 8:30 pm, down from more than 100,000 in the afternoon.

In Gaston County, 34,000 customers — more than half of those the utility serves — were in the dark Friday night.

In Buncombe County, home to Asheville, more than 211,000 customers were without power — basically everyone.

Blue Ridge Energy, which serves many mountain communities, reported lower total outage numbers but high shares of their customers without power: 72% of Watauga, 86% of Wilkes and 96% of Caldwell County customers were in the dark Friday.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management officials said Friday night that Duke Energy has opened floodgates on Cowans Ford Dam and that water levels downstream, especially on Mountain Island Lake, will continue to rise overnight.

Even as the storm's remnants dribble into the Midwest, rain from the historic flooding in western North Carolina is moving down through the Charlotte region's rivers.

"Flood waters will rise, even without rain. Actively monitor lake levels," officials posted. Mountain Island Lake was expected to reach levels 10 feet above previous records. Voluntary and mandatory evacuations were in place in some neighborhoods along the rivers in Mecklenburg and Gaston counties.

There will be a curfew for the next two nights in Asheville starting Friday (Sept. 27) evening, at 7:30 p.m., according to Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb. The curfew runs through dawn Saturday and Sunday.

During a joint news conference with Buncombe County leaders on Friday afternoon, Lamb said the curfew requires people to stay sheltered and off the roads.

“It's very dangerous out there,” Lamb said. “There are no traffic signals. Intersections are dangerous, roadways are dangerous and power lines are down.”

Stephanie Rogers/BPR Downtown Asheville
Emergency Services Director Taylor Jones called the impact of Hurricane Helene "unequivocally the most significant natural disaster of our lifetime in Buncombe County."

This morning, the city opened an emergency shelter at Harrah’s Cherokee Center. That has almost reached its capacity of 400, according to officials. The county has a shelter at the WNC Ag Center with a capacity of 500. So far, around 150 people are there, according to county manager Avril Pinder.

The city and county plan to open a third shelter at AB-Tech soon, despite no power being available there. It will have a 500 capacity.

City and county officials could not confirm whether there have been fatalities due to the devastating flooding, landslides and treacherous conditions.

They said they have fielded more than 5,000 emergency calls and have been handling 9 to 10 calls per minute. Emergency officials have also conducted more than 130 swiftwater rescue operations.

Large swaths of I-40 and I-26 are damaged by flooding and landslides and will remain closed. Most of the region has lost cell service or electricity - or both.

A flash flood warning is in effect for many communities bordering the Catawba River from Mountain Island Lake to Lake Wylie. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management says residents should prepare to evacuate as Duke Energy moves large amounts of rainwater through the Catawba River System from Lake Norman through Mountain Island Lake to Lake Wylie. For those looking for a shelter, one is in place at the Tuckaseegee Recreation Center.

Gaston County officials say Mountain Island Lake levels are expected to rise 10 feet above maximum levels. There’s now a voluntary evacuation order for the Nivens Cove neighborhood. Officers are going door to door to notify residents about the rising water. Gaston County will move its emergency shelter from the Citizens Resource Center in Dallas to Belmont Middle School in Belmont.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said Interstate 26 and 40 are closed due to flooding in both directions. NCDOT officials are warning commuters not to drive unless it is an emergency to seek higher ground. For the latest roadway conditions you can check DriveNC.gov.

In the Piedmont region,the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood emergency in Rutherford County.

Officials warn that the Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford could soon fail. Officials are urging residents that live below the dam to evacuate and move to higher grounds.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and emergency management officials gave an update on the impact of Tropical Storm Helene has had on the state. Cooper said that two people have died during the storm: One person in Catawba County in a car accident and one who was killed in Charlotte after a tree fell on a home.

During the press conference Friday morning, Cooper also noted that as the rain moves out, it doesn’t mean the impacts of the storm are done. “This fierce storm will move out of our state in the next 24 hours,” Cooper said. “The danger will not be over. Tropical storm-force winds that border on hurricane strength are happening right now across western North Carolina, trees are falling, causing widespread power outages.”

According to Duke Energy’s outage map there are over 670,000 people without power in North Carolina and 620,000 in South Carolina

“We're also currently aware of 290 closed roads for the people in western North Carolina who do not travel unless there is an emergency,” Cooper also said.

Tropical Storm Helene has brought historic rainfall to some parts of the Carolinas and has caused major flooding. The National Weather Service has several cities under Flash Flood Emergencies including, Asheville, Hendersonville and Spartanburg. NWS said the rainfall will cause creeks, streams, and roads to be flooded. Much of the Piedmont will remain in a Flash Flood Warning until Sunday morning at 2:30 AM.

Tropical Storm Helene is moving through the Carolinas and is causing problems for travelers in the air and on the ground. Airports across the East Coast are being delayed due to the heavy rainfall and wind.

According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, 473 flights have been delayed and 340 have been canceled. If you’re traveling today, you can track your flights status at cltairport.com

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for both North Carolina and South Carolina in anticipation of high winds and heavy rain from Tropical Storm Helene.

The emergency declarations, announced on Thursday, unlock federal funding to help state, tribal and local response efforts due to emergency conditions that result from the storm.

The declarations also allow the federal Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

In addition, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster have also declared states of emergency in both states, activating the National Guard and deploying swift-water teams ahead of the storm.

"Helene threatens heavy rain, flash flooding, landslides, and damaging winds to the mountains and Piedmont areas of our state," Cooper said in a statement. "Now is the time for North Carolinians to prepare, make sure emergency kits are up-to-date and pay attention to the weather alerts in your area."

In a statement, McMaster similarly warned South Carolina residents to stay safe during the storm.

"Although South Carolina will likely avoid the brunt of Hurricane Helene's impacts, the storm is still expected to bring dangerous flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes to many parts of the state," McMaster said. "South Carolinians in potentially affected areas should start to take precautions now and monitor local weather forecasts over the next several days."

The Cleveland County Fair will open to the public on Friday, one day after it's planned opening was canceled due to Tropical Storm Helene.

"We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we navigate this 'fair weather,'" the fair said in a message shared on social media.

"If you've been to the fair before, you know it's part of the tradition, and this year, Hurricane Helene is taking to the next level for our 100th anniversary!"

The fair added that all fair activities, including barn and grandstand events would not take place as scheduled on Thursday.

The fair will run through Oct. 6 in Shelby, N.C.

Union County emergency management officials said they are "inundated" with 911 calls Friday morning, mostly about downed trees. They're activating the county's emergency management center to coordinate the response.

"We are working to keep our residents safe and informed as Tropical Storm Helene impact Union County," Emergency Management Director Andrew Ansley said. "We are experiencing heavy rain and strong winds, which are causing debris in roads and flash flooding. We urge everyone to use precaution and avoid driving if possible."

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Services officials asked people to stay off the roads on Friday unless travel is essential.

Hazards on the roads include downed trees, power lines and flooded areas.

North Tryon Street at 16th Street, a frequently flood-prone area, is shut down, police said, as are Mount Holly-Huntersville Road, Queens Road and a lane on I-77 south of uptown.

The National Weather Service has issued Flash Flood Warnings for Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Gaston, Lincoln, Cleveland, Catawba and York counties. Officials said the heavy rain may cause some rivers and creeks to overflow across the area. Damien Gonzales, Deputy Director of Operations for MEDIC, said agencies are staffed up for the storm.

"We have the infrastructure secured to withstand the challenges ahead of us including maintaining our 911 call center and we have increased our fuel surplus for our fleet. Our staffing levels have been supplemented with overtime and we are prepared to rise and meet any demand which occurs in the next couple of days," he said.

Several more inches of rain are expected across much of North and South Carolina, with historic totals predicted in the mountains. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say more than 40 secondary roads are currently blocked due to high water or downed trees with at least 10 traffic signal malfunctions across the city.

In Gaston County, Highway 321 is closed due to flooding north of I-85 and officials there have opened an emergency shelter at the Citizens Resource Center on Dallas Cherryville Highway in Dallas in response to voluntary evacuations underway in neighborhoods in Lowell and Mount Holly. Nearly 20,000 customers are without power in Gaston County and 13,000 more are out in Concord and Kannapolis.

As of 8 am, about 880,000 customers were without power in North Carolina and South Carolina, Duke Energy reported.

About 78,000 of those were in Mecklenburg County, along with more than 21,000 in Gaston County, almost 13,000 in Cabarrus County and 11,000 in Union County.

Across the southeast US, an estimated 3.2 million customers were without power, concentrated in Florida and Georgia.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management said mandatory evacuations are underway around Riverside Drive, Lake Drive, Riverhaven Drive, Beagle Club Road and Hart Road near Mountain Island Lake as floodwaters begin to rise.

Officials have been warning of possibly historic levels of flooding caused by the storm as it rolls through western North Carolina, with floodwaters moving down from the mountains to the Catawba River and local lakes.

The Tuckaseegee Recreation Center has been opened as a shelter for evacuees.

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.