Hurricane Helene’s severe flooding devastation left a historic community in western North Carolina under water.
Across Biltmore Village in Asheville, which is famous for having been constructed and owned by a single person, drifted tree branches, logs, and a dumpster.
In an attempt to stay in touch with loved ones, Tammy Borgesen, a resident, was one of the many individuals waiting outside a downtown hotel—one of the few locations with Wi-Fi.
The Borgesen family, who had access to water but not electricity, said, “We’ve been trying to get an email or a text out to just let everybody know we’re ok.”
She stated that she would “hope for the best” and wait out the storm. We’re kind of in a limbo here, said Borgesen.
The water level rose several feet, and in some places it almost reached the tops of the street signs. Rapidly rising water rushed over front steps, swamping homes and small businesses as Asheville seemed all but destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
One lady at the site told NBC News, “We knew the flooding was coming but we didn’t know it was going to be this catastrophic.” It’s absolutely awful how much loss and devastation there is.
North Carolina’s floodwaters have saved almost 200 lives, the governor’s office announced in a statement on Saturday. More than 400 state highways are blocked, according to the Department of Transportation, making travel and rescue operations more difficult.
95,000 people live in Asheville, which is located around 140 miles west of Charlotte.
A guy told NBC News, “This blows my mind, and I’m really worried about friends, neighbors, and businesses down here by the river,” partially attributing the devastation to climate change. It serves as a simple reminder to me that everyone will be impacted by climate change. The effects of climate change are affecting everyone, therefore we must act now.
The destruction is a result of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Georgia on Thursday night and left the southern United States in ruins.
According to Poweroutage.us, as of Saturday, at least 53 deaths have been officially reported, and around 3 million people in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Virginia are without power.
Now a post-tropical cyclone, the storm has had catastrophic effects on the Southeast.
Due to swiftly rising water and strong winds, over fifty individuals were left trapped inside a hospital in eastern Tennessee on Friday. This was after many attempts to be airlifted out of the perilous rescue mission failed.
The governors of many southern states hit by Hurricane Helene have already requested and been granted an emergency proclamation by President Joe Biden.
The government of Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina will provide a range of federal help following the storm’s impact as a Category 4 hurricane, which is very damaging.
Additionally, Biden has directed the deployment of almost 1,500 government employees, including search and rescue, medical, and power restoration teams, to the area.
