South Asheville News

A rancher from east of Charlotte has been delivering food, water, and diapers to areas in Western North Carolina that are inaccessible by car following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Congressman Chuck Edwards highlighted this effort in his latest update, noting the importance of reaching these hard-hit communities where hundreds remain unaccounted for due to cell service outages and power blackouts.

The National Guard has rescued over 400 residents so far. "I know there are folks working around the clock to bring our friends and family safely home," Edwards stated.

Residents trying to connect with loved ones can call NC 211 or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state. Additionally, people in impacted areas can report themselves safe through Red Cross Reunification at 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

For those with significant home damage needing assistance with cleanup, Crisis Cleanup is available at 844-965-1386.

Emergency crews continue to prioritize supplying drinkable water. Currently, 158 water systems are on a boil advisory, 46 plants have no power, and 13 systems are out of water. Duke Energy reported restoring power to the Marion water supply last night.

The State of North Carolina is delivering 40 trailer loads of water and 20 trailer loads of food daily through October 6. Water distribution sites have been set up in Buncombe County at various locations including Pack Square Park and several elementary schools.

Two major feeding sites have been established in NC-11: Biltmore Baptist Church in Buncombe County and Grace Community Church in McDowell County. Additional Resource Hub locations for supplies began distribution on October 1 at multiple schools and town halls across affected counties.

Mail delivery operations have been suspended in ZIP code areas beginning with 287, 288, and 289 as well as Rutherfordton's facility at E. Court St., Rutherfordton.

Power outages persist for approximately 301,000 customers in Western North Carolina. Duke Energy has restored power for most hospitals experiencing outages and aims to restore service by October 4 for most customers except those in inaccessible areas or dependent on destroyed infrastructure.

Road closures remain extensive with an estimated 300-400 roads closed due to communication issues affecting data collection. Crews from Florida are assisting with repairs using temporary bridges.

Cell service remains unstable as more individuals travel seeking connectivity, but additional temporary cell sites are being deployed to manage network capacity.

The North Carolina National Guard has deployed over 700 soldiers and airmen along with vehicles and helicopters for support missions including search and rescue operations which have rescued over 422 individuals so far.

Asheville Regional Airport resumed commercial flights after closing due to flooding risks on September 27. Vehicles parked at the airport were not flooded during the storm.

Medical practices experiencing financial hardship can seek assistance through the reactivated Financial Recovery Program by the North Carolina Medical Society soon.

Local government resource requests should be submitted through North Carolina Emergency Management for processing within a day. Assistance is available via FEMA’s Individual Assistance program for residents of declared disaster counties who suffered property damage from Hurricane Helene.

Shelters remain open across several counties including Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, and Yancey Counties providing refuge for those unable to evacuate or needing shelter post-storm.