'Our main mission': NC Gov. Roy Cooper, FEMA coordinating help in Western North Carolina
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said devastation in Western North Carolina was “beyond belief” in a press conference Monday, as he visited Asheville in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.
“Even when you prepare for something like this, this is something that has never happened before in Western North Carolina,” Cooper said. “Search and rescue teams are continuing to work.”
Cooper said the government knew Tropical Storm Helene would be a significant event, with local officials telling people to get out of low-lying areas.
In Asheville, the first evacuation orders came on Sept. 26, advising residents of Fletcher and Biltmore Village, two areas prone to flooding from nearby rivers, to leave areas where flooding could be imminent. Around 7 a.m. Sept. 27, another evacuation notice urged residents near Swannanoa River to seek higher ground as the flooding had already begun.
Over 1,200 personnel from different federal agencies have joined the response efforts, according to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, including search and rescue teams, medical personnel and the Army Corps of Engineers, who are assessing water systems and power infrastructure.
Almost 800 National Guard troops are on the ground, according to National Guard Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, with their primary goals being search and rescue, relocation and distribution of commodities. The National Guard also brought in 100,000 pounds of water and food through the air on Monday morning.
Nearly 300 roads are still closed in Western North Carolina, including I-40 East heading into Tennessee, which has had several miles of road wiped away, according to North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Joey Hopkins.
“The damage is severe,” Hopkins said. “We’re continuing to tell folks, if you don’t have a reason to be in North Carolina, do not to travel on the roads of Western North Carolina. We do not want you here if you don’t live here.”
Over 600 employees are helping, with 73 contract crews working. Other states, like Florida, are also coming and bringing temporary bridges to help with temporary repairs.
For those who feel like the government did not provide quick enough support, Cooper said first responders were often cut off from access in some areas by rising flood waters, fallen trees and landslides, but they are working around the clock to provide services like food, water and shelter.
"This is our main mission right now," Cooper said. “This is a massive, coordinated effort to help this area both in the short term and the long term.”
Response to the government’s efforts have been critical. Frustration has grown over a lack of communication and the slow distribution of resources. The city set up distribution of bottled water, which was bought from a private provider in what was described as an “emergency purchase” of hundreds of thousands of dollars, two days after the city first lost water.
Cooper said there’s been progress with cell service providers, with AT&T and Verizon bringing in deployable assets to provide temporary service while they repair fiberoptics lines which were cut in landslides.
Criswell, who has been directed by the Biden Administration to stay in Asheville until the situation is stable, called the storm “historic” and said it had “catastrophic impacts across many communities.”
She stressed that FEMA has the resources in Buncombe County to help in response and will continue to bring in resources.
Criswell said FEMA will be bringing in additional Department of Defense medical teams as support for long term, sustainable needs at medical facilities. FEMA will also bring in debris removal teams and additional search and rescue teams.
“At the direction of the president, he has asked me to make sure that we have every federal resource available to support the people of North Carolina,” Criswell said.
Evan Gerike is a reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike.