Running water returns to some areas of Asheville; some western NC students back in school

Duke Energy told ABC11 that crews have restored power to about 1.4 million customers affected by Hurricane Helene across North Carolina.

About 49,000 customers remain without power in the mountain region, Duke Energy spokesman Bill Norton told ABC11. The majority of those are just northeast of Asheville.

Norton confirmed that crews are working in Florida following Hurricane Milton but stressed that those efforts in Florida will not affect repair work in western North Carolina.

"We've made tremendous progress, but western North Carolina specifically, remains a challenge, and we are not done," Norton said. "So we've got separate crews addressing the situation in Florida. I want to assure our western North Carolina viewers, we remain fully staffed in the area. We've got Duke Energy crews, contract crews from other states. They're going to remain here on the ground until power is fully restored for everyone."

In some parts of the mountains, repairs are not immediately possible.

"There are bridges that are washed away, roads that are washed away," Norton said, "If you think about where power lines are usually located, it's, it's in easements right along roadways, and the ground where we had those poles is gone. And it might be gone for, you know, 50 yards inward from the roadway. So you know that that is much more challenging. So for situations like that, we're opening a dedicated western North Carolina facility to serve as our base of operations while we continue rebuilding infrastructure."

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has signed House Bill 149 into law.

It is the first aid package from the General Assembly for recovery in western North Carolina as it continues to rebuild from Hurricane Helene.

Cooper issued the following statement on the signing of the bill:

"Recovery for western North Carolina will require unprecedented help from state and federal sources and this legislation is a strong first step. Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage but also showed the resiliency of North Carolina's people and its communities and we must continue the bipartisan work to help them build back strong."

Lawmakers said Wednesday that several more bills will be aimed at getting funds to those who need it most.

Gov. Roy Cooper, flanked by state and federal leaders, provided an update on the Hurricane Helene relief effort.

One of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday afternoon's update was that the state is still working to identify how many people are still missing.

"This is a true, all-hands-on-deck operation with this enormous effort underway," Cooper said.

One of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday afternoon's update was that the state is still working to identify how many people are still missing.

Cooper and other speakers announced that more than 126,000 people in western North Carolina have received FEMA assistance totaling more than $60 million.

There are now 88 confirmed storm-related deaths in North Carolina.

Power outages have dropped to fewer than 81,000 households.

WATCH: Full News Conference

Full Video: Gov. Roy Cooper said the death toll was at 88 in the stat as Helene recovery efforts are an "all-hands-on-deck operation."

Around-the-clock work is underway to get drinking systems back to normal.

"More than a million residents can access clean drinking water in their homes," said Mary Penny Kelly, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. "Those numbers continue to improve as power is restored and emergency repairs are being made."

Meanwhile, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is on her way to Florida to assist with efforts there after Hurricane Milton, despite FEMA saying days earlier that it did not have the necessary money for yet another hurricane. Criswell did say that FEMA will still have a presence on the ground in North Carolina to aid with Helene recovery efforts.

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Law enforcement from the Triangle is on the front lines helping in the recovery and relief efforts in western North Carolina.

Nearly a dozen officers from Cary Police Department are in Ashville as part of the Wake County Task Force. One of those officers is Sgt. Tim Hageter.

"Primarily dealing with traffic enforcement, keeping people out of the area that don't belong so the crews have a nice, safe environment to work. We just want everything to run smoothly and they have the best accommodations possible, open streets to get the work done," he said when asked about what he's doing in the recovery efforts.

ABC11 had the opportunity to ride along with Cary police officers as they provided services in Biltmore Village and surrounding areas. While with Sgt. Hageter and Lt. Sheri Abraham, ABC11 saw firsthand the widespread destruction that remains.

Click here to read the full story and see what the officers are doing during their time in western North Carolina.