One Asheville, North Carolina resident sounded the alarm as his community battles the devastation left by Hurricane Helene, detailing the “apocalyptic weekend” as the death toll continues to rise while millions are left without power and water.
“It’s been an incredibly apocalyptic weekend for all of us here,” Asheville resident Gregory Harrison said. “Almost no gas. There is almost no cell service. There’s limited power. There is limited food. There are people who are trying to find potable water to feed their families, to have water for their kids.”
Officials in Asheville are still trying to rescue residents who have been trapped by the historic flooding over the weekend, which has left many without access to power, running water and cell service.
As of Sunday morning, the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) activated more than 500 soldiers and airmen and more than 200 vehicles and aircraft, including hoist and emergency aviation assets as well as high-water response vehicles.
The NCNG reported that it completed 16 air missions, resulting in the rescue of 119 citizens and 11 pets. It said the largest single mission saw the rescue of 41 people north of Asheville in Bumcombe County.
“Our air assets have moved more than 34,000 pounds of cargo, including food, water, and medical supplies to distribute. In the past 48 hours, we have been augmented by personnel and air assets from Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, Iowa, Florida, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania,” the post continued from NCNG.
Buncombe County communications director Lillian Govus urged people in surrounding areas to avoid coming to the affected communities to maximize search and rescue efforts.
“Right now, we need people to not come here,” Govus told Lawrence Jones. “We are still in an active search and rescue phase. We have active flooding now. Like you said, it will take just a little bit of rain and we’ll have more landslides, more mudslides.”
“One of our interstates, I-40, which is the main interstate that takes you all the way to the beach from Asheville, that interstate is closed because the top of a mountain has actually slid down and covered that entire interstate,” she continued. “We have a little narrow pathway, and that is just for our emergency vehicles.”
