Scenes of devastation emerge from the N.C. mountains
Roads closed, 300,000 without power in aftermath of severe flooding
Good morning. Today is Sunday, September 29, 2024. This is a SPECIAL EDITION with an update on the flooding in Western North Carolina.
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‘Biblical flooding’ kills at least 10 in N.C. as rescues continue and the tragic scope of the crisis becomes clearer; how to help, photo essay
Residents in Asheville look from a bridge out over the city’s River Arts District, which was underwater Friday. (Photo by Colby Rabon/Carolina Public Press; republished with permission)
The images coming out of the North Carolina mountains are nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Flood waters rising above familiar downtowns. Homes being swept away. Major roads disintegrated.
With power and cell service in short supply in Western North Carolina, and some areas inaccessible, the full extent of the damage and destruction remains unclear. But the more we learn, the worse it looks.
At least 10 people have died and more than 200 have been rescued by emergency crews, Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday night. The number of deaths seems almost certain to rise, as authorities re-establish communications with hard-to-reach areas. Cooper said the damage to Western North Carolina “is like nothing we have ever seen.”
Officials in Buncombe County, home of Asheville, described the situation as “biblical flooding,” according to Blue Ridge Public Radio.
Authorities are urging residents of Western North Carolina to stay home and not overwhelm 911 systems — and urged patience as roads are cleared and utilities restored.
A few of the developments:
Power outages: More than 300,000 Duke Energy customers in North Carolina remained without power as of 8:30 a.m. Sunday, including nearly 18,000 in Mecklenburg, according to Duke Energy’s outage map.
Mecklenburg evacuations: In Mecklenburg, several neighborhoods near Mountain Island Lake remained underwater. WBTV said dozens of homes were flooded and 15 people were rescued Saturday morning in the evacuation zone.
Interstate closed: Several portions of I-40 between Asheville and the Tennessee line are expected to be closed for days if not weeks or longer. Hundreds of smaller roads were closed, too.
I-40 west of Asheville is closed in several spots, including this location near the Tennessee border, where waters washed away a portion of the road. (Photo from N.C. Department of Transportation)
Colleges cancel classes: Universities including Appalachian State, Western Carolina and UNC Asheville are closed for at least a week.
How to help
United Way of North Carolina has established a fund to help residents affected by the flooding.
The American Red Cross is accepting donations to help residents in the Southeast.
Samaritan’s Purse, which is headquartered in Boone, is scheduling volunteers to help with debris cleanup.
Photo essay: Asheville
Carolina Public Press, a nonprofit news organization, published a photo essay Saturday with images taken by an Asheville photographer, Colby Rabon. The photos were taken Friday but weren’t available until Saturday because of outages.
With permission, we’re sharing some of those stunning photos with you. If you want to view the full lineup of 61 photos around Asheville, check out Carolina Public Press.
This shows just one of many places hit by flooding. Sadly, we’ll learn more in the days to come. —Tony Mecia
➡️ To see all the images from Asheville, go to the full photo essay by Carolina Public Press.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman