ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's a long road for western North Carolina residents after Hurricane Helene hit the region over a week ago, leaving catastrophic damage.
The death toll has risen to at least 230 across six states. On Thursday, North Carolina officials confirmed the state's death toll at 91, an increase of three from the previous day.
The western part of the state is in ruins from destroyed homes, severe flooding, mudslides, and collapsed roads. Some roads made it challenging to deliver water, food, and other supplies to people. Search and rescue crews from all levels of government were deployed throughout western North Carolina.
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Governor Cooper will continue his tour Friday of the affected communities in the North Carolina mountains.
He will visit two businesses in the morning in Pisgah Forest that sustained damage in the storm.
Cooper will then head to Henderson County to survey the damage and relief efforts as well as thank volunteers.
One of the two companies that manufacture high-purity quartz used for making semiconductors and other high-tech products from mines in a western North Carolina community severely damaged by Hurricane Helene is operating again.
Sibelco announced on Thursday that production has restarted at its mining and processing operations in Spruce Pine, located 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Asheville. Production and shipments are progressively ramping up to full capacity, the company said in a news release.
"While the road to full recovery for our communities will be long, restarting our operations and resuming shipments to customers are important contributors to rebuilding the local economy," Sibelco CEO Hilmar Rode said.
Sibelco and The Quartz Corp. shut down operations ahead of the arrival of Helene, which devastated Spruce Pine and surrounding Mitchell County. Following the storm, both companies said that all of their employees were accounted for and safe.
The Quartz Corp. had said last week that it was too early to know when it would resume operations, adding it would depend on the rebuilding of local infrastructure.
Spruce Pine quartz is used around the world to manufacture the equipment needed to make silicon chips. An estimated 70% to 90% of the crucibles used worldwide in which polysilicon used for the chips is melted down are made from Spruce Pine quartz, according to Vince Beiser, the author of "The World in a Grain."
The high-tech quartz is also used in manufacturing solar panels and fiber-optic cables.
A Spruce Pine council member said recently that an estimated three-quarters of the town has a direct connection to the mines, whether through a job, a job that relies on the mines or a family member who works at the facilities.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) urged western North Carolina residents who have wells to continue to use bottled, boiled or treated water until private wells can be disinfected and tested for dangerous bacteria following Hurricane Helene.
Similar safety measures and cautions are needed for septic systems, NCDHHS said.
The agency said at least 300,000 people in or near flood-affected areas rely on private wells, and the number on septic systems is estimated to be slightly higher.
Residents who lost access to water or septic through a private well or damaged septic system as a result of Helene may be eligible for FEMA assistance. Visit disasterassistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362 to apply for FEMA disaster assistance.
Excessive rain and flooding can cause water in private wells to become contaminated
After a flood, private wells must be assessed for damage, disinfected and tested. Potentially contaminated water should not be used for drinking, washing and preparing food, making ice, preparing baby formula, washing dishes, brushing teeth or washing hands.
Tips for assessing your well:
In response to Hurricane Helene, the NC State Laboratory of Public Health and NCDHHS Environmental Health Section are working to provide both disinfection and sampling kits at Point of Distribution locations across Western North Carolina. More details will be announced soon.
Safety Measures for Septic Systems
Your septic system can also pose a public health risk after a flood or storm because of sewage backup, dangerous gases or contaminated wastewater.
If your property was affected by flooding or damage from Hurricane Helene, follow these steps to protect your septic system and your health:
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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."
