Inside Asheville where one third of storm deaths occurred in an 'unprecedented tragedy' as total toll surges past 100 Around a third of confirmed deaths caused by Hurricane Helene have been recorded in a single North Carolina region, it has been revealed.
Thirty people have been confirmed dead in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, as rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, Sheriff Quentin Miller told reporters last night.
Authorities said there is also a threat of landslides, adding to the challenges Buncombe County is facing due to damage from Hurricane Helene.
County Manager Avril Pinder said she was asking the state for emergency food and drinking water. Streets in picturesque city Asheville were submerged in floodwater.
'This is a devastating catastrophe of historic proportions,' Governor Roy Cooper told CNN. 'People that I talk to in western North Carolina say they have never seen anything like this.'
He added: 'This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response.'
Poster Comment:
The Interstate from Tennessee to North Carolina has been cut. No trucks and no rail. That is a local disaster with national implications.