President Biden tours Helene damage in WNC

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — President Biden traveled to the Carolinas after Helene’s widespread devastation.

Biden arrived in Greenville, South Carolina, on Wednesday afternoon before boarding the Marine One helicopter and flying over parts of Western North Carolina.

As he took an aerial tour of some of the hardest-hit parts of the mountains, the president saw toppled trees, twisted metal, and piles of debris in downtown Asheville.

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer joined President Biden on his flyover, according to a media release on Wednesday evening.

After the tour, Biden attended a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Duke Energy reports more than 170,000 Western North Carolina customers remain without power as of Wednesday. The N.C. Department of Transportation warns of dangerous conditions in the western part of the state, with limited access to food, water, gas, power, communication and roadways.