Hurricane Helene is still reeking havoc in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. While the severe weather threat is over, the devastation left in its wake could take years to overcome.
North Carolina
Search and rescue efforts continue in Western North Carolina amidst simultaneous coordinated efforts to restore critical infrastructure and bring much needed food, water and other necessities to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene according to a press release from the Governor Roy Cooper’s office.
“The response to this crisis so far has been a massive effort of coordination and logistics,” said Cooper. “As emergency responders continue search and rescue operations in Western North Carolina, local, state, federal, private and non-profit partners continue to work in concert to provide food, water, shelter and other basic necessities for people in need. Simultaneously, thousands of private sector and government employees are working 24/7 to restore critical infrastructure including power, water, wastewater treatment, cellular phone service and internet connectivity.”
Travel remains dangerous, with approximately 400 roads remain closed. NCDOT is asking people to refrain from unnecessary travel to or in Western North Carolina. The focus is on restoring primary roads and access to communities that have been isolated by damage. First responders also want to keep the roads as clear as possible to help ensure they may carry out all response missions. NCDOT has dispatched the following resources to assist with the recovery process:
- 1,500+ employees.
- 1,500+ trucks, graders & backhoes/loaders.
- 1,000+ chainsaws.
- 8,000+ barricades & signs.
Efforts are underway to provide food, water and basic necessities to residents in affected communities, utilizing both ground resources and air drops from the NC National Guard, according to Cooper. FEMA has delivered 18 trailers of food and water this morning and expects to have both a trailer of food and a trailer of water each delivered to 34 counties by the end of today. More than 20,000 people have been registered for assistance.
- Buncombe County – Biltmore Baptist Church, 35 Clayton Road, Arden, N.C. 28704
- McDowell County – Grace Community Church, 5182 Highway 70 West, Marion, N.C. 28752
- Watauga County – First Baptist Church, 375 West King Street, Boone, N.C. 28607
Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Western North Carolina. Teams, including 16 from other states with a total of 57 teams as far west as Colorado and as far north as New Hampshire, plus 18 federal teams, have rescued more than 440 people and evacuated an additional nearly 4,700. More than 400 people have been rescued by the NC National Guard. More than 110 pets have also been rescued.Forty-two storm-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina by Office of Chief Medical Examiner. We do expect that these numbers will continue to rise over the coming days. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will continue to confirm numbers twice daily. If there is an emergency or believe that someone is in danger, please call 911. To report that you have been unable to reach a person in Western North Carolina, please call 211. To report a missing person or request non-emergency support, please call NC 211 or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state.
If you are seeking a representative from the North Carolina Joint Information Center, please email [email protected] or call 919-825-2599.
If you would like general information, access to resources, or answers to frequently asked questions, please visit ncdps.gov/helene.
Tennessee
On Tuesday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee traveled to East Tennessee to survey storm damage on the ground and meet with local officials and victims following severe weather and flooding from Hurricane Helene. Accompanied by Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Director Patrick Sheehan, Senator Marsha Blackburn, Senator Bill Hagerty, Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger and state officials, the Governor viewed damage and visited impacted communities.
“Maria and I are deeply saddened by the loss of life and severe flood damage in East Tennessee,” Lee said. “We continue to pray alongside Tennesseans as we endure this heartbreaking tragedy. I thank state and local emergency officials, law enforcement, first responders and road crews for quickly responding to assist impacted communities and prevent further tragedy, and Tennessee is doing everything we can to support local recovery efforts.”
Many roads and bridges in Upper East Tennessee have been compromised due to recent severe weather, according to TDOT. All roads in Upper East should be considered potentially hazardous, and motorists should avoid traveling in these areas unless seeking higher ground. Motorists should adhere to all road closure signage and barricades, and should never attempt to drive through standing water.
The counties with the most significant damage are Washington, Carter, Unicoi, Johnson, Greene, and Cocke, but this has a major impact across East Tennessee. Long-term closures will be in place across the region as many routes will require significant repairs and for others, a total rebuild.
Destroyed Bridges include:
- Washington SR-81 Nolichucky River Bridge
- Washington SR-353 Nolichucky River Bridge
- Greene SR-107 Nolichucky River Bridge
- Unicoi I-26 Bridge @MM 39.6 Eastbound
- Unicoi I-26 Bridge @MM 39.6 Westbound
Of the 13 state bridges originally closed, 7 of those have reopened. In addition, TDOT Crews have assessed 47 routes and have repaired and reopened 25 routes.
Thursday, crews will prioritize the inspections for locally-owned bridges, 102 in total. Twelve of those have either been washed out or are currently closed, 90 still need assessment.
Close to 400 TDOT team members from all four regions mobilized to report to the hardest-hit areas including TDOT employees specializing in Geotech, survey, bridge inspection, design, project development right of way, and maintenance personnel in the field.
They are prioritizing connectivity and infrastructure repairs necessary to connect people to their greatest needs such as hospitals, food, shelter, and water.
To bolster efforts and restore our transportation system as safely and quickly as possible, TDOT has already executed four construction contracts and four debris removal contracts to supplement our crews. These additional assets are already on the ground working. More will be awarded in the upcoming weeks. Additionally, two alternative delivery advertisements are underway, which allows us to move more quickly in getting infrastructure back online for these communities that so desperately need it.
TDOT crews are committed to rebuilding East Tennessee. Many are from the area, and some have even lost their home and possessions, but continue to show up to work.
For the most up-to-date closures, please check SmartWay or call 511 for statewide travel information. TDOT will continue to post updates on all its social media platforms. Follow @myTDOT on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
Georgia
According to GDOT, almost state routes were impassable due to debris or power lines in the road or flooding and more than 100 damaged traffic signal heads. Lowndes County and those east of Interstate 75, including Cook, Berrien, Atkinson and Coffee, were heavily damaged. The GDOT district covers 31 counties and borders Florida.
Recovery efforts started immediately and have been aided by Georgia DOT employees from other areas of the state and contractors. The majority of signals are now up and running, some on generators until power is restored. Timber poles will be installed at four intersections to make them operational until they can be rebuilt with mast arms, Chambers said.
“We’re in pretty good shape,” said Scott Chambers, GDOT Southwest District Engineer.
Recovery efforts started immediately and have been aided by Georgia DOT employees from other areas of the state and contractors. The majority of signals are now up and running, some on generators until power is restored. Timber poles will be installed at four intersections to make them operational until they can be rebuilt with mast arms, Chambers said.
Georgia law says an intersection with non-functioning traffic signals should be treated as a four-way stop. GDOT installed temporary stop signs on construction barrels at some intersections where signals are gone or not working, like busy State Route (SR) 32 and SR 206 in Douglas. However, some drivers continue to drive through without stopping.
GDOT crews continued pushing debris off state routes Tuesday, but there are seven locations they can’t touch because power lines are in the trees. The roads are passable, but drivers should remain alert for obstructions and be prepared to slow down or stop.
With the progress made in clearing, a contractor plans to start hauling debris from state routes Wednesday. The trailers used by the contractor are much larger than Georgia DOT dump trucks. Please use caution when approaching the trucks and avoid crowding them.
Residents who have questions about debris removal on city streets or county roads should contact their local Emergency Management Agency.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
