Floods pushed through the remains of Hurricane Helene North Carolina’s largest mountain town was largely cut off Saturday by damaged roads and a lack of electricity and cellphone service, part of a swath of destruction across southern Appalachia that has left an unknown number of dead and left scores of worried relatives unable to reach their loved ones.
In North Carolina alone, more than 400 roads remained closed Saturday as the waters began to recede, revealing the extent of the damage. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said supplies were being shipped to that part of the state. Cooper said two people died in his state. Helene killed at least 52 people in multiple states.
Among those rescued from the rising waters was nurse Janetta Barfield, whose car was flooded Friday morning as she left a night shift at Asheville’s Mission Hospital. She said she saw a car driving through standing water in front of her and thought it was safe to continue driving. But her car stopped and within minutes the front seat was filled up to her chest with water. A nearby police officer who saw her car helped her to safety.
“It was unbelievable how fast that creek became in just five minutes,” Barfield said.
Erik Verduzco/AP
Early Saturday morning, many gas stations were closed because they had no electricity, and the few that were open had hour-long lines that stretched around the block. The tourism and arts hub, home to about 94,000 people, was unusually quiet after flooding inundated neighborhoods known for their footfall, including Biltmore Village and the River Arts District, home to numerous galleries, shops and breweries. be found.
More than 700,000 electric customers were without power across North Carolina, including 160,000 in Buncombe County. Interstate 40 and I-26 were impassable in several locations, and a state transportation department map showed most routes into Asheville and over much of the mountains were choked. The North Carolina Department of Transportation posted on social media Saturday afternoon that “all roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed.”
In Asheville, there was no cell service and no timeline for when it would be restored.
“We have suffered some loss of life,” County Emergency Services Director Van Taylor Jones told reporters. However, he said they were unwilling to divulge details. Officials have been hampered in contacting relatives due to communication disruptions. Asheville Police Department imposed a curfew from Friday 7:30 PM to Saturday 7:30 AM.
“The curfew is intended to ensure the safety of the public and will be in effect until further notice,” police said.
Transit services in Asheville were also suspended, police said. The city advised residents to boil “all water used for human consumption” as there was at least one significant water main break during the storm. Many residents may have no water, no water pressure, or no water at all.
Jones said the area was experiencing a series of emergencies, including heavy rain, high winds and mudslides. Officials said they tried to prepare for the storm, but its magnitude was greater than they could have imagined.
“It’s not that we weren’t prepared, but this goes to another level,” said Sheriff Quentin Miller. “To say this caught us off guard would be an understatement.”
Erik Verduzco/AP
Atlanta resident Francine Cavanaugh said she has not been able to reach her sister, son or friends in the Asheville area.
“My sister came to see me yesterday morning to ask how I was doing in Atlanta,” she said on Saturday. “The storm just hit her in Asheville, and she said it sounded really scary outside.”
Cavanaugh said her sister had no idea how bad the storm would be there. She told Cavanaugh that she went to check on guests at a vacation cabin “and that’s the last I heard from her. I texted everyone I know but no response. All calls go straight to voicemail.”
