Moderate to heavy rain brings chance of flooding to mid-Atlantic
The remnants of Hurricane Helene are still causing dangerous weather situations, bringing the chance of heavy rain and flash flooding to the mid-Atlantic, the National Weather Service said in an update this morning.
The agency has warned there is a 1 in 4 chance of excessive rain. "The associated heavy rain will create localized areas of flash flooding, affecting areas that experience rapid runoff with heavy rain," it said.
Stunning new images show Hurricane Helene’s path of destruction
Devastation is only mounting across the Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene with entire towns decimated by one of the worst storms in the U.S. The death toll is now at more than 120 people and many others are still unaccounted for. The "TODAY" show’s Craig Melvin reports.
North Carolina woman says family member is stuck in mountain town, calls for more aid
People are stranded in mountain towns across western North Carolina and desperately need help and evacuations, one woman told NBC News last night.
Alyse Adams said her children's mimi (grandmother) was cut off along with some friends near the town of Spruce Pine, northeast of Ashville.
"They are elderly, they are also senior veterans and they need supplies. They were barely able to get supplies up there and the only way out is to be airlifted and this is happening all over these counties," Adams said.
"Her home is gone, her cars are gone, her cats are gone. This has been absolutely devastating, they have nothing."
Asked why they hadn't evacuated, she said: "I don't think these people thought it was going to be this extreme. Everyone keeps hearing about Florida ... But no one is focusing attention to these western and northern North Carolina cities, other than Ashville."
Adams added that she understood the focus on the devastation in Asheville, "but people need to understand about Black Mountain, about Spruce Pine, about Marion. These are towns with 2,000, 3,000, 10,000 people, and there are so many missing people."
The science behind how a Florida hurricane ravaged North Carolina
Asheville and its surrounding towns in western North Carolina had just been soaked by a severe rainstorm when the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
What unfolded, starting Wednesday evening and lasting through the weekend, is a well-studied atmospheric phenomenon.
“As weather moves in toward the mountains, the clouds have to rise up and over the mountains, and that’s the upslope effect,” said Doug Outlaw, a National Weather Service meteorologist in the agency’s office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina.
“It tends to squeeze out more rainfall, and unfortunately, it caused extreme flash flooding, which devastated communities. It was a huge amount of water at one time being channeled and funneled through the valleys.”
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, questions about government response emerge
Long lines for gas. Shelters at capacity. More than 300 road closings. A severely damaged water system that could take weeks to repair.
Hundreds of miles from where it made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend, Hurricane Helene caused unprecedented damage in western North Carolina, where at least 49 people have died and dozens of others are missing.
“The devastation was beyond belief,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference yesterday afternoon. “And even when you prepare for something like this, this is something that’s never happened before in western North Carolina.”
Asheville mayor on the 'total catastrophic loss' in the city
Helene was most destructive in Asheville, North Carolina, and surrounding Buncombe County, where at least 40 people have been killed amid destroyed properties and washed out roads.
“This is the biggest test we’ve ever faced,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said last night on NBC News “Stay Tuned NOW.”
Among the city’s challenges, she said, were “catastrophic failures of our transportation system” due to washed out roads, a city water system that was seriously damaged, and a need for basic supplies — diapers, baby formula, cleaning supplies, food, and water — that must squeeze through the city’s one available roadway.
“We have catastrophic failures of our transportation system throughout the city,” Manheimer said. “We were cut off from the world.”
She acknowledged pledges of immediate and long-term help from the federal and state governments.
Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement last night that 1 million bottles of water and 600,000 meals have been distributed in the aftermath of Helene by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In a televised briefing, President Joe Biden acknowledged the devastation in western North Carolina and said 30 Starlink satellite receivers that facilitate cellphone service have been sent there, with another 10 en route.
Manheimer said when she spoke to the president he said he would ask Congress to approve funding for rebuilding parts of the city taken out by the storm, its floodwaters and its winds.
At the same time, she still seemed to be processing Helene’s impact, indicating that the people of Asheville were taking it one step at a time.
“The rivers reached heights that have never on record been reached before” the mayor said. “We have ... total catastrophic loss here. You have no power, no water, and you just need to make sure that people can get by each day.”
Total devastation in Asheville, North Carolina
A vehicle lies nose-first in a river surrounded by debris yesterday after Hurricane Helene ripped through Asheville, North Carolina.
Power returns for some but many storm-hit communities are still in the dark
For many families waiting for the lights to come back on, the wait continues.
More than 1.6 million energy customers are without power as of 4.30 a.m. ET today, according to PowerOutage.us. This is a big drop from the 4 million customers without power in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene hitting Florida last Thursday.
But that will be small comfort to the 632,000 customers in North Carolina with no power, nor the 471,000 in Georgia.
Florida's energy network has largely recovered, with 69,000 customers out this morning.
Search for missing after flooding in Tennessee
Desperate family members were waiting for word on more than 150 people still missing after flooding hit Tennessee. Some of missing were in a plastics factory that was flooded. Officials said the operation has shifted to a recovery effort. NBC News' Priscilla Thompson reports.
North Carolina residents face loss of homes and livelihoods
More than 100 people are reported dead in a number of states after Hurricane Helene swept through the Southeast, causing widespread damage and devastating flooding. Officials say thousands of people have still not been in touch with their loved ones. NBC News George Solis from hard-hit Asheville, N.C.