Current:Home > StocksDrone video captures Helene's devastation in Asheville, North Carolina -Wealth Empowerment Zone
Drone video captures Helene's devastation in Asheville, North Carolina
View
Date:2025-04-15 20:04:06
Severe weather and historic flooding brought by Hurricane Helene killed at least 100 people across the Southeast including in Asheville, North Carolina where residents are scrambling to find resources amid gas and water shortages.
Since the system's landfall in Florida's Big Bend area late Thursday, hundreds of water rescues have occurred across the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. Power outages left over 2 million homes and businesses in the dark as of Monday.
In Asheville, torrential rain destroyed vehicles and homes while leaving roads submerged. At least 35 people died in Buncombe County, which encompasses Asheville, though the death toll is expected to rise, the sheriff said Monday. Officials have also received about 600 missing persons reports, though many are presumably due to communication blackouts.
Helene has also severely damaged the city's water system, Asheville officials said in a statement Saturday.
"Extensive repairs are required to treatment facilities, underground and aboveground water pipes, and to roads that have washed away which are preventing water personnel from accessing parts of the system," the City of Asheville said in the statement.
Watch drone footage of flooding in Asheville, North Carolina
Estimates: Helene caused between $15 billion and $100 billion damage
Insurers and forecasters have projected that catastrophic damage caused by Helene is somewhere between $15 billion and $100 billion.
"We have biblical devastation through the county," Buncombe County Emergency Services Assistant Director Ryan Cole said. "We’ve had biblical flooding here."
President Joe Biden has sent Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell to remain on the ground in Asheville "until the situation has stabilized," the agency said Monday.
"We'll continue to serve resources including food, water, communications, and lifesaving equipment will be there," Biden said. "I mean it − as long as it takes to finish this job."
FEMA said 10 federal search and rescue teams were in the region Monday and more nine teams were on the way totaling 900 active personnel. The agency will also bring essentials on the ground including 25 trailer-loads of meals, 60 trailer-loads of waters, and C-17 cargo plane full of food and water. The agency is also utilizing Starlink satellites to enhance responder communications and has 18 helicopters on standby to bring more needed resources.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has also brought more than 500 National Guard soldiers and airmen as well as over 200 vehicles and aircraft to save lives in the affected areas.
veryGood! (64)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Q&A: What to Do About Pollution From a Vast New Shell Plastics Plant in Pennsylvania
- Kim Kardashian Reacts After TikToker Claims SKIMS Shapewear Saved Her Life
- Carbon Credit Market Seizes On a New Opportunity: Plugging Oil and Gas Wells
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Kim Kardashian Reacts After TikToker Claims SKIMS Shapewear Saved Her Life
- Today's Jill Martin Shares Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Restoring Seabird Populations Can Help Repair the Climate
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Why Julie Bowen Is Praising Single Modern Family Co-Star Sofia Vergara After Joe Manganiello Split
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Deals You Can't Get Anywhere Else: Charlotte Tilbury, Olaplex & More
- Why Teen Mom's Maci Bookout Didn't Think She'd Ever Get to a Good Place With Ex Ryan Edwards
- UN Considering Reforms to Limit Influence of Fossil Fuel Industry at Global Climate Talks
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Methane Mitigation in Texas Could Create Thousands of Jobs in the Oil and Gas Sector
- This 2-In-1 Pillow and Blanket Set Is the Travel Must-Have You Need in Your Carry-On
- Save 41% On Philosophy Dry Shampoo and Add Volume and Softness to Your Hair
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
The EPA’s New ‘Technical Assistance Centers’ Are a Big Deal for Environmental Justice. Here’s Why
Little Publicized but Treacherous, Methane From Coal Mines Upends the Lives of West Virginia Families
Inexpensive Solar Panels Are Essential for the Energy Transition. Here’s What’s Happening With Prices Right Now
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
James Hansen Warns of a Short-Term Climate Shock Bringing 2 Degrees of Warming by 2050
All the Tragedy That Has Led to Belief in a Kennedy Family Curse
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Deals You Can't Get Anywhere Else: Charlotte Tilbury, Olaplex & More