State transportation officials are urging people to avoid unnecessary travel in western North Carolina as about 390 roads, including areas along Interstate 40 and dozens of highways in the foothills and mountains, remain closed due to flooding, downed trees, landslides or catastrophic damage from Helene.
N.C. Department of Transportation crews are working day and night this weekend to assess the widespread damage to roads and will prioritize efforts to reopen interstates, U.S. and state highways first before getting to state-maintained secondary roads.
But the emergency response and recovery effort will likely take months as damage to many roads and bridges is serious. Hundreds of thousands of power outages and limited cell phone coverage are impacting those efforts.
“Our top priority is everyone’s safety and well-being,” said state Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins. “People should still consider roads in western North Carolina to be closed and avoid travel unless it is absolutely necessary. Priority must be given to all the emergency responders, utility and transportation crews, and others who are working hard to help with what will be a lengthy response and recovery effort.”
More than 1,600 NCDOT employees and contract crews are working with utilities to clear roads of debris, repair others where possible, and determine how to repair or replace roads more seriously damaged or destroyed. NCDOT crews from lesser impacted parts of the state have been deploying to the western part of the state since Friday and that will continue through the weekend. Those include crews who will be bringing in fuel, backhoes and front-end loaders to remove debris from mudslides, and chainsaw teams to cut and shove downed trees from roads.
Most of the road closures are west of Interstate 77 due to high water where the roads are impassable or flooded, pipes that have failed beneath roads, or roads and bridges covered by debris from rock slides, downed power lines and fallen trees. The department has begun this weekend assessing repair plans and timelines for the damage done to the road network.
More than 60 closures are along primary routes including I-40, U.S. 74, U.S. 64 and dozens of other U.S. and N.C. highways.
“The scope and magnitude of this devastation is unlike anything many long-time residents have ever seen in western North Carolina,” Hopkins said. “We’re doing everything we can to help North Carolina recover from this devastating storm but this will be a long-term effort. We need people to be patient and help us with the recovery effort by staying off the roads.”
Meanwhile, Governor Roy Cooper’s office said today that search and rescue operations remain underway in communities across Western North Carolina and supplies are being brought into the region by air following devastating impacts from Tropical Storm Helene.
“This is a historic and catastrophic storm for Western North Carolina and I’m grateful to first responders working right now to save lives and evacuate residents,” Cooper said. “Efforts are also underway to get power and communications restored, and we’re bringing in needed supplies by air.”
More than 200 people have been rescued from flood waters in North Carolina following Helene’s torrential rains. North Carolina’s search and rescue teams are being bolstered by teams from 19 states and three federal teams.
Many areas in the mountains received more than 10 inches and as much as 29 inches of rain causing catastrophic flooding. High winds gusting up to hurricane strength also brought down trees, power lines and cell towers across the region.
More than 700,000 people remained without power as of this morning and utility crews are responding from across the country for immediate restoration and repair efforts. Sixteen shelters housed approximately 1,100 residents last night.
Cellular telephone service remains spotty west of I-77 due to significant infrastructure damage. Telecommunications partners have activated Disaster Roaming, which allows any phone on any cellular network to access any available network to connect to. Telephone service providers are working to restore communications across the area.
“The State Emergency Response Team is working around the clock responding to severe impacts from Helene’s devastation. We are grateful for our local, state and federal partners and their teamwork to help North Carolinians hit hard by this storm,” said NC Emergency Management Director Will Ray. “Please remain aware of hazards and follow directions from local officials to protect life and safety.”
Across North Carolina, 29 counties and 52 towns and cities have issued States of Emergency, in addition to the statewide State of Emergency declared by Cooper.
Cooper yesterday requested a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government for North Carolina for 39 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for federal Public Assistance and Individual Assistance in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.
As of this morning, about 418 state-maintained roads remained closed, mostly due to flooding. Across the area, 11 landslides have been reported. This includes major closures on Interstates 26 and 40 around Asheville, plus dozens of locations along several U.S. and N.C. highway routes.
