A week after Hurricane Helene roared across the South, a clearer picture of the storm's impact is coming into focus.
Helene is blamed for more than 200 deaths — making it the deadliest storm to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005.
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Asheville, North Carolina, was one of the hardest hit areas despite being nearly 500 miles away from where the hurricane made landfall in Florida. Buncombe County, which encompasses Asheville, has reported more than 70 deaths alone.
Those who survived are having to navigate wiped-out roads and damaged infrastructure. Power and cell phone service is still scarce in some areas, making it difficult for people to get in contact with loved ones.
Tom Schoonover told Scripps News he has a friend, an amputee, who lives in a mountainous rural area and is essentially stuck.
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"He lives on the top of the mountain where the roads and bridges washed away, and so, he can't get his medicine," Schoonover said. "He can't come off the mountain. The dude's just stuck up there."
Schoonover added that firefighters on four-wheelers were sent to the man's location and he is reportedly OK.
The Buncombe County sheriff said rescue teams are committed to reaching those tough-to-get-to areas.
“We know these are hard times, but please know we’re coming," Sheriff Quentin Miller said, according to The Associated Press. “We’re coming to get you. We’re coming to pick up our people.”
“We know these are hard times, but please know we’re coming," Sheriff Quentin Miller of Buncombe County, North Carolina, said at a Thursday evening press briefing. “We’re coming to get you. We’re coming to pick up our people.”
President Joe Biden flew over North Carolina on Wednesday. He promised the full support of the federal government, along with activating 1,000 active-duty soldiers to assist with the recovery efforts.
