Relief efforts continue in Asheville and the Western North Carolina area where a major disaster due to Tropical Storm Helene has left communities devastated, roads impassable and thousands without power. There were only estimates Tuesday evening about the extent of the destruction, with the full scope of Helene devastation not expected to be known for some time.

Even though the University of North Carolina at Asheville's campus sustained minimal structural damage during Tropical Storm Helene, it will be closed through at least Oct. 14 with classes not expected to resume until at least Oct. 28 due to a lack of electricity, running water and internet, Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said in an Oct. 1 update.

All traditional university operations are suspended, and only essential employees are permitted on campus, the update said, but van Noort clarified that school isn’t out for the semester, with academic continuity planning in the works and more information to come as assessments continue.

“We have heard from many members of our extended UNC Asheville community who are eager to support our campus,” van Noort said in the update posted to X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “Your messages of solidarity and generous offers of assistance are greatly appreciated. As we continue to assess our needs and recovery efforts, a UNC Asheville Disaster relief fund has been established. Your contributions will support the entire campus community.”

The UNCA disaster relief fund is available at giving.unca.edu.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris surveyed communities battered by flooding from Hurricane Helene during separate trips on Wednesday spanning three southeastern states as both vowed the federal government won't leave until the recovery is complete and with the 2024 White House campaign heading into its final stretch.

Biden took an aerial tour of Asheville on Marine One, dipping low to view the widespread storm damage, after an earlier visit to South Carolina. Near the city's historic downtown, Biden and his team could see flattened buildings, gutted structures and knocked down trees. The tour also crossed over Biltmore village, the River Arts district and east Asheville as well as Swannanoa and Black Mountain. 

“I'm here to say the United States – the nation – has your back. We're not leaving until you're back on your feet completely,” Biden said at an emergency command center in Raleigh, where he was joined by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat. Biden said he approved Cooper's request for the federal government to cover 100% of the costs of debris removal and other emergency protective measures over six months.

Harris, meanwhile, was in Georgia on Wednesday.

FEMA has received more than 30,000 applications from individuals seeking disaster relief in North Carolina and so far distributed more than $2.6 million to survivors. Sixty-two percent of power outages reported after the flooding have been restored, with 8,000 crews continuing to assist with additional power restoration, the White House said. The federal government has also installed 50 Starlink receivers in western North Carolina to help provide internet connectivity.

Recovery Efforts: Shelters, Power, Water and More

Buncombe County provided a comprehensive update Wednesday evening that included details on shelters, water, food distribution, law enforcement and other recovery information. The update also included specific information for Asheville and Weaverville. Here’s everything to know:

Shelter Updates

Power Outages

Duke Energy is reporting that 91,000 customers remain without power. The utility expects the majority of what can be restored to be back online Friday. Two submerged substations in Swannanoa will take months to repair. But, mobile substations will be arriving soon to address the situation. Wi-Fi is now available at Enka Candler Public Library. Use the password “readmore.”

BeLoved Asheville Donations

Donations are no longer being accepted at this site.

Weaverville Update

A boil advisory is in effect, please conserve water. If you cannot boil water, add 8 drops of bleach to a gallon of water. Water is being distributed at North Windy Ridge Intermediate School, 20 Doan Road in Weaverville. Bring your own water containers.

Pantry items and water will be available at Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive in Weaverville, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday. Donations will be accepted from 3-4 p.m.

Garbage collection will resume Oct. 7. A Mobile PNC Bank ATM is on Weaver Boulevard. T-Mobile is establishing an area for Wi-Fi and phone charging behind Tractor Supply, 14 Monticello Road in Weaverville.

Asheville Update

Water for flushing toilets will be available at Asheville JCC Pool, 40 Clyde Street, on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon. Enter from Clyde Street and pull up to the pool gate on North Crescent Street.

Water System

Work continues to restore water, with many roads not accessible for crews to make repairs.

Water Treatment Plants

Distribution Systems

Law Enforcement Update

The Asheville Police Department (APD) is under full patrol staffing. Many officers are working overtime to ensure safety. APD is also getting support from other police departments. Work includes guarding food and distribution sites, critical infrastructure, medical facilities, as well as drone and search operations, the recovery of the bodies of our neighbors who have lost their lives, welfare checks, and reunification with families.

A reminder that when intersection traffic lights are not working, it becomes a four-way stop. The curfew remains in effect from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Beyond Asheville: Regional Impact and Support

Blue Ridge Parkway has been closed indefinitely throughout North Carolina due to damage from Tropical Storm Helene. The National Park Service announced on Sept. 29 that the route was closed from milepost 217 to milepost 469, from the Virginia and North Carolina state line down to U.S. 441 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Renowned for its beautiful landscape, the parkway is a widely popular attraction, especially in the fall. In 2023, the trail saw 16.7 million visitors, according to the National Park Service.

New Covenant Church in Clyde, 767 Lee Road, is offering supplies for anyone who need them, according to a Haywood County government spokesperson. Additionally, Clyde Central United Methodist Church, 410 Charles Street, is offering meals from noon-6 p.m. daily, the spokesperson said in a Wednesday email.

Transylvania County released a comprehensive update Wednesday, detailing its response to Tropical Storm Helene and associated impacts. The update provides information on emergency services, including wellness checks and communication, public safety, infrastructure and restoration, county services and rebuilding, schools, IT, meals and food distribution sites, water filling stations, pet care and other resources.

Death Toll Rises, Recovery Efforts Continue

At the 4 p.m. Buncombe County briefing, Sheriff Quentin Miller said four additional deaths have been confirmed, raising the total to 61. Miller said his department has been conducting wellness checks, and they started with about 200 checks and are down to four. Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb said officers continue with search and rescue operations. The new Buncombe County deaths brings the toll for Western North Carolina at least 73 people, officials report. So far, six deaths have been confirmed in Henderson County, one in Macon County and five in Avery County in addition to the Buncombe deaths.

More than 190,000 customers were still without power across Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as of Wednesday morning, according to Duke Energy. Outages at their peak reached 1 million in the aftermath of the storm. Here's a look at where customers still have no power in different counties in Western North Carolina, according to Duke Energy:

In Buncombe County, where Helene hit hardest, at least 95,000 customers remain without power. In neighboring Henderson County, 52,000 customers are still without power. Rutherford and McDowell counties still report about 23,000 and 19,000 outages, respectively. Reported outages in Yancey County fell and there were no reported outages by Duke as of Wednesday. However, almost 11,500 French Broad EMC members in Yancey are without electricity. In Madison County, Duke Energy outages also fell to under 1,000 after a jump on Tuesday. Another 2,000 French Broad EMC members in Madison were without power. In Ashe County, 36% of residents remained without power Wednesday, and Polk County residents were still 63% affected by outages.

Tupelo Honey's South Asheville Store, at 1829 Hendersonville Road, will serve free hot meals from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., or until supplies run out, each day for at least five days, possibly more, beginning on Thursday, Amanda Stevens announced Wednesday. The meals will be offered buffet-style, and Stevens said burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, brussels and various soups would be available. “We hope to serve the people of our community as best as we can during this difficult time,” she said. “We welcome everyone in the area who can reach the restaurant safely to come and enjoy a warm meal on us.” Any changes to the schedule will be posted on social media, @tupelohoneycafe on Instagram, Facebook and X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

The type of urgent needs is already evolving, meaning Southern Baptist relief efforts are adapting. Teams of Southern Baptist volunteers on chainsaw crews are deploying out to clear trees, tarp roofs damaged by wind and trees, and to treat flooded homes to try and prevent mold, explained Mark Hinson, a site coordinator for the North Carolina Baptists’ disaster relief arm. The latter projects involve tearing out walls, cabinets, toilets, showers and bathtubs, water heaters, insulation, floors and sub-floors. “If you don’t tear it out and let it air out and dry and spray it with the mold treatment, it (mold) will just keep growing,” said Hinson, who’s managing recovery teams based at Biltmore Church’s Arden campus. The Southern Baptist chainsaw teams are mostly working in residential areas. Hinson’s teams out of the Arden campus have received 53 requests alone and Hinson said the total across all recovery sites is likely in the hundreds. Residents can submit requests for assistance at https://baptistsonmission.org/Mission-Projects/By-Mission-Type/Disaster-Relief/Hurricane-Helene/Homeowner-Assistance. “This is our 40th year doing this in North Carolina,” Hinson said. “And we’ve developed a training system based on what we’ve been through.”

Food in the form of Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) and bottled water are available at two distribution sites beginning Wednesday. Two MRE packages per adult, and one per child will be allowed per day. Cases of bottled water are available, one case per family per day. Distribution will last until 7 p.m. or until supplies run out.

The Kindness of Strangers: Community Support in Action

In the mountains of western North Carolina − one of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Helene − moms are doing what they do best: taking care of others. Local Facebook groups, previously filled with weekend activity recommendations and hand-me-down clothes offerings, are now swamped with moms ready to go to great lengths to help one another − even while in dire need themselves. They're sharing formula and baby wipes. They're giving away their kids books and toys. They're offering up cribs, mattresses, meals. One mom even offered her frozen breast milk.

Tyson Foods will bring a Meals that Matter Disaster Relief team to Weaverville in northern Buncombe County later this week to distribute hot meals, water and ice to community members impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. Company volunteers will be set up at the Walmart Supercenter, 25 Northridge Commons Parkway, from noon-5 p.m. on Friday and from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily beginning Saturday. Volunteers, in partnership with local food banks, have been on the ground in multiple states after Hurricane Helene made landfall last week, according to a company release. Over the weekend, a team served 10,240 meals to residents in Perry, Florida. On Oct. 1, a team in Augusta, Georgia served 6,840 meals with plans to distribute more Wednesday.

The Reuter Family YMCA, 3 Town Square Blvd. in Asheville's Biltmore Park, and Corpening Memorial YMCA, 348 Grace Corpening Dr. in Marion, will be open to the public daily for showers and charging, according to an email from a YMCA spokesman. The Reuter Y will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, and the Corpening Memorial Y is open as an emergency shelter 24/7 and open to the public for showers from 2-6 p.m. every day, the email said. It also noted that the Reuter Y is accepting donations of drinking water, nonperishable foods and comfort items.

Optimum’s cellular network is operating in the Hendersonville area. Here are some things community members should know: The company has deployed two WiFi trailers in Hendersonville where residents can access free WiFi and charge their devices.Address: 717 S. Grove St., HendersonvilleAs power is restored, the company says it will open its retail stores in the footprint as charging and WiFi access points.

The Buncombe County Courthouse will open for essential operations beginning at 8 a.m. on Oct. 8 and will open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 8-11, according to a Wednesday email from Buncombe County Superior Court Clerk Jean Marie Christy. People are receiving in-custody first appearances within the time required by statute, and anything regarding in-custody statuses is being managed by the appropriate district attorney, police department, sheriff's official or judge, Christy wrote. She said information about courthouse operations for the week of Oct. 14 will be shared on Oct. 11.

AdventHealth Hendersonville was open and accepting patients as relief efforts continued Wednesday post-Tropical Storm Helene, officials announced. The hospital in northern Henderson has enacted contingency plans to safely care for patients and has received supplies including food, medicine, fuel and oxygen while working to confirm water safety, according to a news release. The facility has power and phones are working. “Words cannot begin to express how grateful we are to our extraordinary team members for their efforts through the storm and as we work with our community to recover. Our team members, many dealing with their own loss of property, worked diligently to maintain our exceptional level of patient care, regardless of the weather and other challenges,” the hospital said in a statement, released Sunday. “We are devastated over the losses we have sustained and are praying for our community as we all work care for one another and recover from this storm.”

Navigating the Aftermath: Resources and Warnings

Henderson County remains in a State of Emergency and the 8 p.m.-8 a.m. curfew is still in effect for the entire county. Emergency teams continue to work calls and rescues across the county.  People are asked to please limit travel so crews can not only work emergencies but also so Duke Energy crews can work to restore power. Henderson County Resource Hub locations will be open Wednesday to distribute water and other supplies as they become available. 

U.S. President Joe Biden has directed up to 1,000 active duty troops to immediately deploy to assist with response and recovery efforts in communities hit by Hurricane Helene, the White House said on Wednesday.

National Guard members on Wednesday were dropping supplies in Blackhawk helicopters in Helene-devastated mountain towns that have largely been cut off from the world for days. For some, the mission was personal. Chief warrant officer Marcus Wilkerson and his crew made a stop at his local church in the hard-hit area of Trinity and Fairview. He was greeted with hugs from his fellow parishioners as they helped to unload supplies. Excited children waved and snapped photos of the chopper. The Trinity Fairview Church southeast of Asheville has been serving as a hub where the community has been gathering supplies and working on plans to reach others that have been cut off by downed trees and demolished roads. “We don’t have any cell service, we haven’t heard anything,” said resident Gina Fowler. “But everyone has been coming together.” Dozens of adults and even their small children formed an assembly line to unload water and other supplies from the helicopter. They said they were grateful to get bottled water after drinking well water for several days. Wilkerson said he was glad to be able to personally deliver supplies to his church as a National Guard member, but had to fight back tears. “It’s hard to see them like this, but they’re making it,” he said.

The death toll from Tropical Storm Helene has risen to at least 69 people in Western North Carolina, officials report. So far, 57 deaths have been confirmed in Buncombe County, six in Henderson County, one in Macon County and five in Avery County. A ski resort area in western North Carolina near the Tennessee border, Avery County reported Tuesday night that many residents are still unaccounted for. The information came after a viral social media post claimed that 200 people had died in the county seat of Newland, but Avery County Manager Philip Barrier on Tuesday said the number was false.

When businesses across Western North Carolina closed ahead of Tropical Storm Helene, they expected to reopen after the storm passed. Many will remain shuttered far longer than intended, with some not reopening at all. Asheville bartender Alex Cohn-Derrick said service industry workers weren’t prepared for the blow Helene dealt, stating the industry still hadn’t rebounded from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. She was displaced from her home in Candler after it was consumed by rushing water from a nearby creek and sought shelter with her Cantina Louie co-workers, Elizabeth Bryan and Trevor Cox. Although the water has retreated, Cohn-Derrick worries the damage and mold have made her home uninhabitable. She's one of several workers worried about the future post-Helene. Federal, state and local officials have shared some resources to help workers cope. Find them here:

Residents in all Givens locations, including Givens Estates in Asheville, Givens Gerber Park in South Asheville, Givens Highland Farms in Black Mountain and Givens Great Laurels in Waynesville, are safe and accounted for, CEO Kevin Schwab reported Oct. 1. Team members and health services staff are on duty and conducting routine wellness checks, according to a news release provided by Givens. The release also notes that auxiliary generators are providing power, meal service is available, adequate drinking and nonpotable water is available and regional communication continues to be extremely limited.Immediate needs are for nursing volunteers and donations of drinking water, sanitary wipes. Anyone who can help or who needs to get in contact can call 828-274-4800.

A bevy of nurses, relief workers and supplies from across the U.S. are pouring into Western North Carolina this week to aid hospitals besieged by patients amid the deadly flooding from Tropical Storm Helene. More than 100 nurses as well as physicians arrived Monday at Mission Hospital in Asheville from sister hospitals across the nation within the HCA Healthcare system, which owns Mission and is headquartered in Nashville, HCA spokesperson Harlow Sumerford said. They've set up mobile units with kitchens, bathrooms and handwashing stations and are setting up mini marts inside the hospital and in other HCA hospitals across the region to provide doctors, nurses and other hospital staff with free groceries, including food, water and toiletries. HCA also is providing hundreds of thousands of bottles of water, tens of thousands of gallons of fuel and satellite data networks to Mission Hospital, which dodged the flooding that decimated much of surrounding Buncombe County but is now scrambling to keep up with an onslaught of patients.

Over 4,500 federal rescue and aid workers are headed to the areas smashed by Hurricane Helene. But U.S. prosecutors say another deluge of people are on the way: Charlatans, opportunists and disreputable contractors looking to exploit the victims of the storm. Federal, state and local officials have put out warnings this week for hurricane victims - especially those who are desperate - to beware of people showing up at their door or calling them, claiming they want to help. Defrauding of hurricane victims and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency itself is a multi-million dollar industry for criminals, according to experts, federal authorities and government warnings. “Con artists and criminals may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud or identity theft after Hurricane Helene,” FEMA officials warned Tuesday. “In some cases, thieves try to apply for FEMA assistance using names, addresses and Social Security numbers they have stolen from people affected by the disaster.” For more information, including tips on how to avoid scams, read the full story here.