ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A historic village in western North Carolina is under water after bearing the brunt of devastating flooding from Hurricane Helen.
Tree branches, logs and trash cans were found floating in Asheville’s Biltmore Village. Biltmore Village was famous for being built and owned by a single individual.
Resident Tammy Borgesen was one of dozens of people standing outside a downtown hotel, one of the few places with Wi-Fi access, looking to connect with loved ones. did.
“We’ve been trying to send emails and text messages to let everyone know we’re OK,” said Borgesen, whose home had water but no electricity.
She said she would wait out the storm and “hope for the best.”
“We’re in a strange limbo,” Borgesen said.
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Water levels reached several feet and were close to the top of road signs in some areas. Asheville appeared to be largely flattened by Helen, but fast-moving water rushed over front steps, flooding buildings and small businesses.
“We knew flooding was coming, but we didn’t expect it to be this devastating,” one woman at the scene told NBC News. “All the loss and destruction is heartbreaking.”
More than 200 people have been rescued from flooding in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced in a statement Saturday. The Department of Transportation said more than 400 roads were closed across the state, hampering movement and rescue operations.
Asheville has a population of 95,000 and is approximately 220 miles west of Charlotte.
“I’m shocked by this. I’m really worried about our friends, neighbors and businesses here along the river,” the man told NBC News, blaming climate change in part for the destruction. “This is a reminder that climate change affects us all. No one is safe from the effects of climate change, so we need to act now. .”
The devastation began Thursday night as Hurricane Helen made landfall in Georgia, causing widespread damage across the southern United States.
At least 53 people have been confirmed dead as of Saturday, and about 3 million customers in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia are without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
This storm is now a post-tropical storm, severely impacting the Southeast.
More than 50 people were stranded at a hospital in east Tennessee on Friday after several attempts to airlift them failed during a dangerous rescue operation due to surging waters and strong winds.
President Joe Biden has already approved requests for emergency declarations from the governors of several southern states affected by Helen.
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina will receive a variety of federal aid after the storm made landfall as a highly destructive Category 4 hurricane.
Biden also ordered more than 1,500 federal personnel to the region, including search and rescue teams, medical teams and power restoration teams.
