New movie Sunday showed how badly damaged Interstate 40 was in the mountains of North Carolina. It is one of almost 300 roads that are still closed after Tropical Storm Helene caused record-breaking floods on Friday.
At the same time, Gov. Roy Cooper said early Sunday afternoon that Helene had killed 11 people in North Carolina, up from 10 on Saturday. Buncombe County officials said late Sunday afternoon that 30 people had died in that county alone and that at least 600 people were still missing.
Cooper also said that more than 550 North Carolina National Guard troops were sent to help after the disaster. This is more than the 410 troops who were sent on Saturday.
On Sunday morning, 10 people had died in Buncombe County alone. By 5 p.m., that number had dropped. Thirty people had died, according to Sheriff Quintin Miller. Two different counties, Madison and Macon, both said that an officer had died in their areas.
Authorities were having trouble getting families of the dead to know because of problems with phones, cell phones, and the internet. On Sunday, officials said that on Saturday, 41 people were saved in one part of Buncombe County.
Cooper said on Sunday, “This is a tragedy that has never been seen before and needs a response that has never been seen before.”
Several tractor-trailers full of water and other goods were on their way from the state to Buncombe County and Asheville, but mudslides on Interstate 40 and other roads were blocking their path.
A new video released by NCDOT on Sunday showed that at least one side of I-40 near Sylva had a lot of damage. Other areas had been worn down by the Pigeon River flowing under the highway, which had been overflowing on Friday.
It was at its banks Friday and early Saturday after Helene dumped more than two feet of rain on the mountains. The bend in the river is along I-40 near the Tennessee line. River water cut under parts of I-40 in places that looked fine from the outside.
About 300 roads were still closed, and officials said 50 of them were major routes. They continued to tell drivers that all of western North Carolina was off limits for driving.
Northern Carolina’s biggest mountain city was cut off from the rest of the state on Saturday by damaged roads, no power, and bad cell phone service caused by floodwaters from the remains of Hurricane Helene.
“Oh, we’re holding on and trying to get over how much this has shocked us in Asheville.” “But I’m fine, just getting better,” said Laura Reiley, who works at the Moxy Hotel in Asheville.
She said the storm broke a hotel window, ripped off awnings, and threw tree branches all over the place.
Reiley says there are now a lot of people outside the hotel using the free Wi-Fi to talk to their friends and family.
“There are what I call campers hanging out in front of the hotel because they can use our Wi-Fi,” she said. “That’s fine with us because they can stay in touch with family and friends.”