Governor Roy Cooper gives Helene relief briefing at Asheville airport: 'so much more to do'

In hard-hit Yancey County, crews continue to try to reach those deeply affected by Helene's path of destruction.

Devin Burgin knows these roads like the back of his hand.

"When we got out into the areas, we realized how much water and how much damage it truly done, and it was terrifying," Burgin said. "We didn't expect that at all."

Burgin, a volunteer firefighter is facing the toughest challenge of his life.

"What you're looking at, this whole field was completely underwater," Burgin told ABC11. There's a car over there."

Burgin pointed to a field that became a river as his crews worked to reach people trapped in a home across a broken bridge.

In hard-hit Yancey County, crews continue to try to reach those deeply affected by Helene's path of destruction.

"We was able to get to them through this field once it had drained down a little bit," Burgin said.

In and around Burnsville, more bridges were gone, homes destroyed, lives lost.

Burgin has been working nonstop for nine days

"I've seen mortal destruction, houses completely gone, places where if you weren't from here, you wouldn't know there was a house at one point in time," he said.

The toughest call of them all was the one that hit closest to home.

"My step-grandma and grandpa, they had lost their house, and she did not make it out due to a landslide, but he had crawled out of his house," Burgin said. "It was mortal destruction."

He personally rescued his grandpa Ray but his grandma Susan was gone.

She was a great, kind woman," he said. "She loved to make things and do arts and crafts."

But even as he deals with grief and loss, Burgin realizes that his heartbroken community needs him even more.

"I realize I just got to power through my own battles to try and make sure everyone else is OK," he said.

As for his grandfather Ray, he is OK, just torn up and shaken up but visiting family in Winston-Salem. It remains a long road ahead for this family and the greater community in Burnsville and Yancey County.

Top North Carolina lawmakers are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use a Greensboro undocumented migrant facility to support relief efforts in western North Carolina.

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-NC, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, led Republican members of North Carolina's Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on "the urgent need to operationalize" the Greensboro Children's Center (GCC) for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.

The lawmakers wrote in part, "As you may know, Health and Human Services currently operates GCC as an Influx Care Facility meant to house and support unaccompanied alien children (UAC) in the case of an emergency. However, in June 2024, HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at the Administration for Children & Families (ACF) announced that GCC has "ramped down its operations to facility upkeep.

"Based on our understanding of this facility, we think that it could be incredibly useful in supporting the people of western North Carolina as the region recovers from Hurricane Helene," the lawmakers continued. "For example, GCC could be used to temporarily house those displaced by the storm or to serve as a staging area for aid workers stationed in the state."

The letter was also signed by Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, and Reps. Chuck Edwards, David Rouzer, Dan Bishop, Virginia Foxx, Greg Murphy, and Patrick McHenry.

"Our delegation is grateful for the work that has been done by your agencies so far to assist the people of North Carolina. However, much more can and should be done to expediently aid those whose lives have been upended by this storm. We believe operationalizing GCC for the purposes of aid and recovery is an effective way to do so," the lawmakers added.

Read the full letter here

While it is a long road for western NC residents, the first wave of response has been massive.

There are currently 3,300 active National Guard members. Their assistance includes providing basic medical care, participating in search and rescue efforts and distributing supplies.

"We know there is much more to do," Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday during a briefing.

He stood alongside FEMA and other state officials to provide updates on relief efforts for Hurricane Helene, which hit North Carolina more than a week ago.

Cooper said restoration of power and water will occur community by community. Some residents have already experienced power restoration, however, water is a different story.

He admitted he doesn't have a timeline for water restoration, especially for Asheville and Buncombe County areas.

"We're still opening roads, still working to reach communities, still have search and rescue occurring as we speak," he said. "But we know the people of NC will pull together and the people of WNC will recover from this storm and will work to be more resilient than ever."

Watch full conference with Helene efforts updates

"We know there is much more to do," Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper will give a Helene relief briefing Monday at the Asheville Airport around 11:30 a.m.

He will be joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell; Dual Status Commander Brig Gen Wes Morrison; and General Gregory Guillot, Commander of NORTHCO.

According to the governor's office, Cooper will then travel to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure to access damage and relief operations, as well as thank volunteers and speak to hurricane victims.