Over a foot of rain fell across much of the region in the past several days, setting the stage for an unfolding disaster as Helene moved through as a tropical storm Friday morning. There was severe flooding and mudslides.
"This is the most significant natural disaster that any one of us has ever seen in western North Carolina," Ryan Cole, Buncombe County assistant emergency services director, said.
Friday morning, ABC11 crews said debris and mud were all over the roads with damaged structures are either side.
WATCH | See the aftermath of Helene in Asheville
See the aftermath of Helene in Asheville, N.C.
On Friday, crews conducted over 100 swift-water rescues, about half of them around Asheville. People were emotional after being reunited with their loved ones.
Washed-out roads prevented first responders from making it to some calls, according to Cole. That included a mudslide that involved four homes and left an undetermined number of people unaccounted for.
All roads in western NC should be considered closed Saturday morning, NCDOT said. Over 400 other roads remain closed across the state.
On X, the department said: "As crews work to clear and inspect roads and bridges, please give them room."
In Asheville, over 100,000 people remain without power on Saturday morning, according to the Duke Energy power outage map.
Three deaths in NC have been blamed on the storm. 43 people nationwide were confirmed dead from Helene's effects.
The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley into the weekend, the National Storm Center said. Several flood and flash flood warnings remain in effect in parts of the south and central Appalachians. High wind warnings are also issued in parts of Tennessee and Ohio.
WATCH | 'Terrible' Helene leaves western NC with major flooding, all roads declared closed
Water starts to recede from historic western NC flooding
Cleanup Resources & More
Crisis Cleanup has issued a number available for folks to call for assistance with debris cleanup from Hurricane Helene: (844) 965-1386. All services are free, but not guaranteed. The hotline will remain open through Friday, October 11.
You can use the Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network to track water levels near you and which areas may be impacted by flooding.
You can report a power outage at 57801, use the Duke Energy app or their website.
You can check for road closures due to the storm.
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