{"id":109794,"date":"2024-10-03T05:25:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T22:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=109794"},"modified":"2024-10-03T05:25:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T22:25:46","slug":"a-north-carolina-mountain-town-is-wrecked-by-hurricane-helene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=109794","title":{"rendered":"A North Carolina mountain town is wrecked by Hurricane Helene"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"\">SWANNANOA, N.C. \u2014 Flattened homes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/weather\/live-blog\/hurricane-helene-live-updates-rcna173577\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">impassable roads, swamped fields,<\/a> downed power lines, raw emotions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene pummeled this small mountain town <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/asheville-storm-waiting-hardest-part-rcna173523\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">20 miles east of Asheville<\/a>, residents and business owners were trickling back Wednesday to see what was left and what could be salvaged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Beverly and Baxter Eller barely escaped the floodwaters that reached eye level as they fled their home of 37 years and drove off in search of higher ground, uncertain if they would ever return. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">When they did, they found their home surrounded by a knee-high moat of muddy water, the garage lifted from its foundation and spun around.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-4-se-227p-8af39b.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-4-se-227p-8af39b.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-4-se-227p-8af39b.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-4-se-227p-8af39b.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-4-se-227p-8af39b.jpg\" alt=\"Buildings throughout Swannanoa were damaged beyond repair after Hurricane Helene pummeled the region.\" height=\"1666\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Buildings throughout Swannanoa were damaged beyond repair after Hurricane Helene pummeled the region.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Deon Hampton \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Beverly Eller, 68, who has been staying in shelters the last few days, said she was surprised by the extent of the damage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody, including the government, thought this was what we were gonna get,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The Ellers retrieved what they could from the now-uninhabitable house, including family photos, mementos and most importantly, Christmas lights and ornaments that been passed down for five generations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The death toll from Hurricane Helene<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/weather\/live-blog\/hurricane-helene-live-updates-rcna173577\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> rose to 17<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/weather\/live-blog\/hurricane-helene-live-updates-rcna173577\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">6<\/a> on Wednesday as President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to deploy up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to North Carolina to help deliver food, water and other supplies to isolated communities like Swannanoa.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-3-se-227p-a98f21.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-3-se-227p-a98f21.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-3-se-227p-a98f21.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-3-se-227p-a98f21.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-3-se-227p-a98f21.jpg\" alt=\"Torn structures and tossed cars\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Heavy flooding tore apart structures and tossed cars in Swannanoa.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Deon Hampton \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Biden, who flew into the state for a briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, was expected to survey the widespread damage across western North Carolina<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/joe-biden\/biden-visit-north-carolina-survey-hurricane-helene-damage-rcna173242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> from the skies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIt\u2019s too much for me in terms of interrupting access to help there, to land in Asheville, to survey the damage other through the air,\u201d Biden said. \u201cAnd then it\u2019s my plan to travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible after that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In North Carolina alone, at least 90 people were reported dead Wednesday and thousands more were still missing. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Search and rescue teams used bright orange spray paint to mark the structures and cars they had already searched for bodies. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In Swannanoa, the floodwaters were at least 10-feet high in some spots, local law enforcement officials told NBC News. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;We&#8217;re going to every part of our community, knocking on each door and asking residents if they need anything or want to be evacuated,&#8221; said Swannanoa Fire Chief Anthony Penland, who has been sleeping on a cot in his office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;Some parts of our community are inaccessible due to the roads being washed out. The infrastructure is gone,&#8221; Penland said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The Whitson Avenue Bridge that crosses the Swannanoa River collapsed when the river swelled with a sudden downpour of 9 inches of rain and overflowed its banks, he said. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-2-se-227p-14ac79.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-2-se-227p-14ac79.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-2-se-227p-14ac79.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-2-se-227p-14ac79.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-2-se-227p-14ac79.jpg\" alt=\"After the floodwaters subsided, roads were left covered in debris and mud.\" height=\"1666\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">After the floodwaters subsided, roads were left covered in debris and mud.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Deon Hampton \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Outside, in tiny downtown Swannanoa, hundreds of emergency workers and construction crews were working nonstop to restore the electricity and city services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Brown mud coated the few buildings still standing. Many other structures were reduced to splinters. And whenever the wind kicked up, the smell of dust and dirt filled the nostrils. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Longtime resident Robert Starks, a 64-year-old disabled Army veteran, shook his head in dismay as he roamed down streets littered with destroyed cars and household items that had been flushed out of flooded homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cTo see people losing homes and businesses hurts deep inside,&#8221; he said. &#8220;A lot of folks are devastated and crying and bodies are still being recovered.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_small__5hUB_ styles_portrait__NRWbO\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1240px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-360w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-360w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-320w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-320w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 758px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-5-se-227p-f5a94f.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Starks says the water in his toilet is the only fresh water he has left in his apartment.\" height=\"2500\" width=\"2001\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Robert Starks says the water in his toilet is the only fresh water he has left in his apartment.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Deon Hampton \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Starks said he hasn&#8217;t dared use the toilet in his apartment because it&#8217;s the only fresh water he has left since the storm struck.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cPeople didn\u2019t heed the warning to get out,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We knew there were flash flood warnings but we had no idea this place would get turned upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Starks said he hopes his brother in Pine Bluff, Arkansas will come get him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIt\u2019s gonna be a long time before they get the electric back on,\u201d Starks said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Stewart Cody, who owns a local body repair shop, estimated that it would take at least two months of cleaning and repairing before he would be able to reopen. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-6-se-227p-fca711.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-6-se-227p-fca711.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-6-se-227p-fca711.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-6-se-227p-fca711.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-6-se-227p-fca711.jpg\" alt=\"Stewart Cody with a child on his motorcycle\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Stewart Cody, who owns a body repair shop in Swannanoa, N.C., estimates it will take at least two months of cleanup and repairs before he can reopen.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Deon Hampton \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Cody said it was going to cost him dearly because he didn&#8217;t carry insurance on his business. But right now his focus was on helping his community get back on its feet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWe have to come together for our neighbors,\u201d Cody said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-1-se-227p-ccc402.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-1-se-227p-ccc402.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-1-se-227p-ccc402.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-1-se-227p-ccc402.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-10\/241002-helene-Swannanoa-flooding-1-se-227p-ccc402.jpg\" alt=\"Residents who were forced to flee Swannanoa when Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina didn't know what condition their homes would be in when they returned.\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Residents who were forced to flee Swannanoa when Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina didn&#8217;t know what condition their homes would be in when they returned.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Deon Hampton \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Like others interviewed in the town, Cody said there was nobody to blame for not better preparing them for this storm. He said Helene came in the wake of several days of rain that was already putting pressure on the dams in the area. <\/p>\n<p class=\"endmark\">\u201cI don\u2019t think anybody understood the amount of water that was gonna be pushed in,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve never had that kind of water.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/north-carolina-mountain-town-wrecked-hurricane-helene-rcna173670\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SWANNANOA, N.C. \u2014 Flattened homes, impassable roads, swamped fields, downed power lines, raw emotions. Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene pummeled this small mountain town 20 miles east of Asheville, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=109794\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=109794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109794\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=109794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=109794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=109794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}