{"id":111268,"date":"2024-10-07T02:55:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-06T19:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111268"},"modified":"2024-10-07T02:55:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T19:55:46","slug":"how-helene-devastated-western-north-carolina-and-left-communities-in-ruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111268","title":{"rendered":"How Helene devastated western North Carolina and left communities in ruins"},"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 data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<p>\n    <cite class=\"source__cite\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__location\" data-editable=\"location\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__text\" data-editable=\"source\">CNN<\/span><br \/>\n        \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<br \/>\n    <\/cite>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5ba1j000lhzp27fxh2y38@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            On the last Thursday of September, as Hurricane Helene was setting out on a path of destruction from Florida to the southern Appalachians, Kim and Rod Ashby stopped at the home they were building in Elk Park, North Carolina.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500013b5vmvp2vmov@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A light rain was falling but the Ashbys \u201cfelt safe there,\u201d with pillars raising their second home about 20 feet above the ground near the Tennessee state line, Kim Ashby\u2019s daughter, Jessica Meidinger, recalled.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500023b5vvufkji9p@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            For days before Helene made landfall in Florida, the National Weather Service in North Carolina warned of an historic combination of heavy rain, life-threatening flooding and catastrophic landslides along the mountains. A system that moved into the area before Helene had already left the ground and rivers saturated.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500033b5v0wfkdsk3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            More than 10 hours before the hurricane would make landfall hundreds of miles away, the Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, weather forecast office predicted: \u201cThis will be one of the most significant weather events to happen in the western portions of the area in the modern era.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500043b5vjiv4fjz1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            On the morning of September 27, the Ashbys were having breakfast when their home was swept away by the flood-prone Elk River. A neighbor snapped a picture as it floated away. Rod Ashby immediately grabbed his wife and their three dogs. They clung to an old mattress at first. Then, to a section of wall that eventually broke apart, separating them in the fast-moving, debris-strewn waters, according to Meidinger.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm1we8wsz000e3b6m7qc1ezip@published\" class=\"image image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"IMG_0627.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"1\" data-original-height=\"2500\" data-original-width=\"2500\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-0627-20241002192421274.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image__picture\"><source height=\"2500\" width=\"2500\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-0627-20241002192421274.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2500\" width=\"2500\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-0627-20241002192421274.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2500\" width=\"2500\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-0627-20241002192421274.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2500\" width=\"2500\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-0627-20241002192421274.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/img-0627-20241002192421274.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Rod and Kim Ashby were at their home in Elk Park when it was swept away by floodwaters.\" class=\"image__dam-img image__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2500\" width=\"2500\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500053b5v558fd4t9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThat\u2019s the last time that he saw my mom. The last time anyone has seen my mom,\u201d Meidinger said of her stepfather. He survived, telling family he reached for a tree branch to pull himself from the water and then ran up and down the riverbank calling out for his wife.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500063b5v9h1afg2p@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            More than a week after Helene leveled vast swaths of western North Carolina, Kim Ashby is among the hundreds of people still unaccounted<strong> <\/strong>for.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1xyfmbj00003b6mn9dc4anq@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cHe wants to find Kim,\u201d said Lauren Meidinger, Rod Ashby\u2019s daughter-in-law.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1xtu9ya00013b6m6ln5rp6n@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            More than 100 deaths have been recorded in the state. Overall, Helene killed more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/03\/us\/helene-recovery-roads-water-power\/index.html\">200 people across six states<\/a>, one of the deadliest hurricanes to strike the US mainland in the last 50 years. More than 350,000 people remained without power in Georgia and the Carolinas Sunday afternoon, with more than 153,000 customers impacted in North Carolina alone, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/poweroutage.us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poweroutage.us<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1xys21700023b6mmizt1l7x@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has directed an additional 500 troops to western North Carolina to assist with ongoing recovery efforts as the hard-hit region continues to struggle in Helene\u2019s wake.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1xytob500073b6m0nc0rlav@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The deployment comes after Biden directed 1,000 troops to help with response and recovery efforts last week. There are also over 6,100 National Guard and more than 7,000 federal personnel on the ground helping with recovery efforts, according to the White House.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm1wf8pwe000w3b6mtd0drlmi@published\" class=\"image image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"wip01_AP24274635930569.jpg.JPG.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.75\" data-original-height=\"2250\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/wip01-ap24274635930569-jpg-jpg.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image__picture\"><source height=\"2250\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/wip01-ap24274635930569-jpg-jpg.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2250\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/wip01-ap24274635930569-jpg-jpg.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2250\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/wip01-ap24274635930569-jpg-jpg.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2250\" width=\"3000\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/wip01-ap24274635930569-jpg-jpg.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/wip01-ap24274635930569-jpg-jpg.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"Debris is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30 in Asheville, North Carolina.\" class=\"image__dam-img image__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2250\" width=\"3000\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcvoo100023b5v35a0t2wv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Hurricane Helene made landfall September 26 on Florida\u2019s Big Bend as a Category 4 and created a 500-mile path of destruction with catastrophic flooding, damaging winds and power outages.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500083b5vuw3yoxmy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A week after the storm, the smell of death overpowers the cool mountain air over the isolated, twisting roads of devastated rural western North Carolina.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws500093b5v6zq8f2ub@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cYou\u2019re driving past cities and you can smell the dead bodies,\u201d said Jazmine Rodgers, 32, a consultant for nonprofits who has been volunteering to help neighbors in the hard-hit city of Asheville.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws5000a3b5v6bl6afgj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Asheville is in Buncombe County, which has reported at least 72 deaths, the most in the state. The county medical examiner has had to stop updating the death toll, awaiting a support team from the state to arrive to help, according to Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus. Hundreds of county residents are either missing or stranded in the wake of the hurricane, Govus said Saturday.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws5000b3b5vt4m8toku@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI remember during Hurricane Katrina how people would talk about the smells,\u201d Rodgers told CNN, her voice breaking down. \u201cYou know, the smell of decay, and the smell of the loss of life. That will probably stick with me the rest of my life.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbg1n00023b6mls9798yx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Asheville sits at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which meant the city turned into a \u201ccatch basin\u201d for rain gushing down 4,000 feet of elevation, Asheville Fire Chief Michael Cayse told CNN. The city of 95,000 people lies at the intersection of two major rivers, the French Broad and the Swannanoa, which leave it vulnerable to flooding.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws5000c3b5vl702g2p8@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Large sections of western North Carolina, hundreds of miles from the coast, have become unrecognizable. The emergency response has been hampered by hundreds of decimated roads and downed bridges and complicated by lingering communication outages.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws5000d3b5vi95rjnr4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cMy hometown basically doesn\u2019t exist anymore. I grew up in western North Carolina outside of Lake Lure, spent every summer in Chimney Rock. It\u2019s completely gone,\u201d Rodgers said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws5000e3b5vwwbacgsh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI was in denial for a couple of days when I was driving around. I was convinced that a tornado came through. I could not wrap my brain around the fact that our river swelled so big that it took out everything. It\u2019s just the power of water.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1wfb103000y3b6mmi9o92kg@published\" data-component-name=\"video-resource\" data-editable=\"settings\" class=\"video-resource\" data-fixed-ratio=\"16x9\" data-parent-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1plp8cq0000359i5pgjnf6y@published\" data-video-id=\"me3ed49518c466df25d7aef76fb0e8ed9e6d624375\" data-media-id=\"me3ed49518c466df25d7aef76fb0e8ed9e6d624375\" data-live=\"\" data-analytics-aggregate-events=\"true\" data-custom-experience=\"\" data-asset-type=\"hlsTs\" data-auth-type=\"none\" data-content-type=\"mediasource-clip\" data-medium-env=\"\" data-autostart=\"disabled\" data-show-ads=\"false\" data-source=\"CNN\" data-featured-video=\"true\" data-headline=\"Flooding in Chimney Rock left areas full of debris and toppled cars.\" data-has-video-player=\"true\" data-description=\"\" data-duration=\"00:26\" data-source-html=\"&lt;span class=&quot;video-resource__source&quot;&gt; - Source:&#10;                &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/&quot; class=&quot;video-resource__source-url&quot;&gt;CNN&lt;\/a&gt;&#10;    &lt;\/span&gt;\" data-fave-thumbnails=\"{&quot;big&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/45880710-88862887-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }, &quot;small&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/45880710-88862887-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }  }\" data-vr-video=\"false\" data-show-html=\"&lt;!-- unable to render partial show without a supplied context --&gt;\" data-byline-html=\"&lt;div data-uri=&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/byline\/instances\/cm1plp8em0004359i5e5u3aub@published&quot; class=&quot;byline&quot; data-editable=&quot;settings&quot;&gt;&#10;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-timestamp-html=\"&lt;div&#10;  class=&quot;timestamp vossi-timestamp&quot;&#10;  data-uri=&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/timestamp\/instances\/cm1plp8ee0001359ijm7xzs8h@published&quot;&#10;  data-editable=&quot;settings&quot;&#10;&gt;&#10;  Updated&#10;        3:31 PM EDT, Sun October 6, 2024&#10;    &lt;\/div&gt;\" data-check-event-based-preview=\"\" data-is-vertical-video-embed=\"false\" data-network-id=\"\" data-publish-date=\"2024-09-30T22:48:53.577Z\" data-video-section=\"us\" data-canonical-url=\"\" data-branding-key=\"\" data-video-slug=\"helene-tl-17\" data-first-publish-slug=\"helene-tl-17\" data-video-tags=\"\" data-details=\"\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-player\/instances\/cm1plp8eh0002359ipb62y5qa@published\" data-unselectable=\"true\" data-title=\"\" data-show-ads=\"false\" data-is-vertical-video-embed=\"false\" data-custom-experience=\"\" data-component-name=\"video-player\" data-autostart=\"disabled\" data-is-vertical-video=\"false\" data-fixed-ratio=\"16x9\" data-headline=\"Flooding in Chimney Rock left areas full of debris and toppled cars.\" data-auth-type=\"none\" data-video-resource-parent-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1plp8cq0000359i5pgjnf6y@published\" data-live=\"\" data-content-type=\"mediasource-clip\" data-video-resource-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1wfb103000y3b6mmi9o92kg@published\" data-poster-image-override=\"{&quot;big&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/45880710-88862887-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }, &quot;small&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/45880710-88862887-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }  }\" data-video-id=\"me3ed49518c466df25d7aef76fb0e8ed9e6d624375\" data-media-id=\"me3ed49518c466df25d7aef76fb0e8ed9e6d624375\" data-duration=\"00:26\" data-description=\"\" data-check-event-based-preview=\"\" data-network-id=\"\" data-publish-date=\"2024-09-30T22:48:53.577Z\" data-video-section=\"us\" data-canonical-url=\"\" data-branding-key=\"\" data-video-slug=\"helene-tl-17\" data-first-publish-slug=\"helene-tl-17\" data-video-tags=\"\" class=\"video-resource\">\n<div id=\"player-cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-player\/instances\/cm1plp8eh0002359ipb62y5qa@published\" class=\"video-resource__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-resource__image\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm1plp8ek0003359ivs98zwm4@published\" class=\"image image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"clipped thumbnail - helene-tl-17 - CNN ID 21002775 - 00:00:09;09\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/45880710-88862887-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original\" data-unselectable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image__picture\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/45880710-88862887-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=w_1280,c_fill\" alt=\"clipped thumbnail - helene-tl-17 - CNN ID 21002775 - 00:00:09;09\" class=\"image__dam-img image__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1080\" width=\"1920\"\/><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__details\">\n<p>Flooding in Chimney Rock left areas full of debris and toppled cars.\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws5000f3b5v8clwv2tj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In Chimney Rock, a village about 20 miles southeast of Asheville, no building or home was left unscathed by the raging floodwaters. With a population of fewer than 200 people, the once-idyllic mountain enclave is named for the towering granite outcropping that overlooks it.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws5000g3b5v790czma0@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cEverything you take for granted has been washed away, literally,\u201d Mayor Peter O\u2019Leary told CNN affiliate\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsoctv.com\/news\/local\/catastrophically-unsafe-neighbors-find-heartbreaking-loss-chimney-rock-vow-rebuild\/CUY7A7QF2NCQVLKVZ6572Z5Z74\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WSOC-TV<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1w5bws6000h3b5v4a4bmpht@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cEvery single business, every single building has been destroyed or severely damaged,\u201d O\u2019Leary said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcy8gc00053b5v2n8ymh7o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Rodgers and others said locals were using pack mules to help rescue people as well as to deliver food, water and other essentials to residents in areas where roads remain unpassable. Some of the stranded scrawled their names on tarps in hopes that images posted to social media would be seen by anxious relatives. A number of communities are only reachable by helicopter.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wena5n000k3b6mfrr5vyw2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cNow Asheville is getting so much attention even though there are smaller communities outside of Asheville that also need attention,\u201d Rodgers said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbj1f00043b6moci0hvx5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The amount of people still missing remains unclear. FEMA was working with state and local officials to confirm the total, Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbj1f00063b6mmj5ud4wk@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWhen you talk about the actual landscape of western North Carolina, there\u2019s like small towns, there\u2019s larger towns, but if you live on the side of a mountain you might like have one way in and one way out,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cAnd if a bunch of large trees blow over on your main street, people are trapped.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbj1f00073b6mqyq0ji8c@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWe\u2019re talking about entire mountainsides completely gone. We can\u2019t really account for how many people are missing because there\u2019s little hollers (or valleys) all over western North Carolina, little pockets of communities, little trailer parks. And if you don\u2019t have family in those areas, you probably never heard of them.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbj1f000b3b6mpechwzmc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In the resort town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, about 35 miles west of Asheville, Joseph Franklin McElroy said Wednesday his 6-year-old twins were coping with the disaster by treating it as a \u201cgrand adventure\u201d but were still unaware their favorite teacher \u2013 \u201clike a second mom\u201d \u2013\u00a0had drowned during the storm.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbj1f000c3b6mbkw075t7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cI mean, they really love this teacher,\u201d he told CNN. \u201cNow we face having to tell them that this grand adventure killed their beloved teacher.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbj1f000d3b6mf7m3rzqi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            McElroy lamented what he called the poor communication between local authorities and residents.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbbj1f000e3b6mpajo4d50@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cYou know, when the internet goes out, we got nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people still missing their loved ones, not knowing whether they\u2019ve been rescued. There is a sort of a psychological trauma that\u2019s going on here where people don\u2019t know and it\u2019s real.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1wfc4tw001a3b6mh528y9ck@published\" data-component-name=\"video-resource\" data-editable=\"settings\" class=\"video-resource\" data-fixed-ratio=\"16x9\" data-parent-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1uzmtot000a356ml9p52s1h@published\" data-video-id=\"me5c2e230b5f7d2fd0a997a57f9938faf87fa1f50d\" data-media-id=\"me5c2e230b5f7d2fd0a997a57f9938faf87fa1f50d\" data-live=\"\" data-analytics-aggregate-events=\"true\" data-custom-experience=\"\" data-asset-type=\"hlsTs\" data-auth-type=\"none\" data-content-type=\"mediasource-clip\" data-medium-env=\"\" data-autostart=\"disabled\" data-show-ads=\"true\" data-source=\"CNN\" data-featured-video=\"true\" data-headline=\"Resident of small North Carolina town talks about the hurricane's impact on her family\" data-has-video-player=\"true\" data-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Isa Soares talks with Sheena Haas of Hudson, North Carolina.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-duration=\"02:54\" data-source-html=\"&lt;span class=&quot;video-resource__source&quot;&gt; - Source:&#10;                &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/&quot; class=&quot;video-resource__source-url&quot;&gt;CNN&lt;\/a&gt;&#10;    &lt;\/span&gt;\" data-fave-thumbnails=\"{&quot;big&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/62766717-58215344-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }, &quot;small&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/62766717-58215344-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }  }\" data-vr-video=\"false\" data-show-html=\"&lt;!-- unable to render partial show without a supplied context --&gt;\" data-byline-html=\"&lt;div data-uri=&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/byline\/instances\/cm1uzmtxi000d356mqtro5qqg@published&quot; class=&quot;byline&quot; data-editable=&quot;settings&quot;&gt;&#10;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-timestamp-html=\"&lt;div&#10;  class=&quot;timestamp vossi-timestamp&quot;&#10;  data-uri=&quot;cms.cnn.com\/_components\/timestamp\/instances\/cm1uzmu2w000f356m076ob5s4@published&quot;&#10;  data-editable=&quot;settings&quot;&#10;&gt;&#10;  Updated&#10;        3:31 PM EDT, Sun October 6, 2024&#10;    &lt;\/div&gt;\" data-check-event-based-preview=\"\" data-is-vertical-video-embed=\"false\" data-network-id=\"\" data-publish-date=\"2024-10-04T17:21:56.687Z\" data-video-section=\"us\" data-canonical-url=\"\" data-branding-key=\"\" data-video-slug=\"helene-aftermath-hudson-haas-100411aseg3-cnni-us-fast\" data-first-publish-slug=\"helene-aftermath-hudson-haas-100411aseg3-cnni-us-fast\" data-video-tags=\"cnni-fast\" data-details=\"\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-player\/instances\/cm1uzmu80000h356mp8jssz2t@published\" data-unselectable=\"true\" data-title=\"\" data-show-ads=\"true\" data-is-vertical-video-embed=\"false\" data-custom-experience=\"\" data-component-name=\"video-player\" data-autostart=\"disabled\" data-is-vertical-video=\"false\" data-fixed-ratio=\"16x9\" data-headline=\"Resident of small North Carolina town talks about the hurricane's impact on her family\" data-auth-type=\"none\" data-video-resource-parent-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1uzmtot000a356ml9p52s1h@published\" data-live=\"\" data-content-type=\"mediasource-clip\" data-video-resource-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-resource\/instances\/cm1wfc4tw001a3b6mh528y9ck@published\" data-poster-image-override=\"{&quot;big&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/62766717-58215344-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }, &quot;small&quot;: { &quot;uri&quot;: &quot;https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/62766717-58215344-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=h_540,w_960,c_fill&quot; }  }\" data-video-id=\"me5c2e230b5f7d2fd0a997a57f9938faf87fa1f50d\" data-media-id=\"me5c2e230b5f7d2fd0a997a57f9938faf87fa1f50d\" data-duration=\"02:54\" data-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Isa Soares talks with Sheena Haas of Hudson, North Carolina.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-check-event-based-preview=\"\" data-network-id=\"\" data-publish-date=\"2024-10-04T17:21:56.687Z\" data-video-section=\"us\" data-canonical-url=\"\" data-branding-key=\"\" data-video-slug=\"helene-aftermath-hudson-haas-100411aseg3-cnni-us-fast\" data-first-publish-slug=\"helene-aftermath-hudson-haas-100411aseg3-cnni-us-fast\" data-video-tags=\"cnni-fast\" class=\"video-resource\">\n<div id=\"player-cms.cnn.com\/_components\/video-player\/instances\/cm1uzmu80000h356mp8jssz2t@published\" class=\"video-resource__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-resource__image\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm1uzmu0k000e356mn88t4ijm@published\" class=\"image image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"clipped thumbnail - helene-aftermath-hudson-haas-100411aseg3-cnni-us-fast - CNN ID 21015262 - 00:01:10;15\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/62766717-58215344-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original\" data-unselectable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image__picture\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/62766717-58215344-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=16x9&amp;q=w_1280,c_fill\" alt=\"&lt;p&gt;Isa Soares talks with Sheena Haas of Hudson, North Carolina.&lt;\/p&gt;\" class=\"image__dam-img image__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1080\" width=\"1920\"\/><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-resource__details\">\n<p>Resident of small North Carolina town talks about the hurricane&#8217;s impact on her family\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wbek4b000m3b6mwz8bhpqs@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Kim Ashby, who taught in North Carolina schools for 20 years, is described by her daughter Jessica Meidinger as\u00a0\u201cthe glue that holds everyone together.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00013b6mi4bly8hh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Kim and Rod Ashby have been building the house in Elk Park for about two years and stopped by regularly to add finishing touches. The couple live in Sanford, about 45 miles southwest of Raleigh, but went to their second house on Thursday to check on it before the storm.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00023b6map28jmlj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Lauren Meidinger said her in-laws were having breakfast on the morning of September 27 when Rod realized something was wrong. \u201cHe heard a crack. He went outside again and saw that the footer of the home was gone,\u201d Lauren said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00033b6moqyvieg4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He rushed back in. \u201cHey, we need to get dressed. We need to evacuate,\u201d he told his wife.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00043b6mcxnkgliy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Within seconds, the house was swept away into the river. Rod Ashby grabbed Kim Ashby and the dogs, and they clung desperately to a section of wall until it broke apart.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00053b6msmtnymqb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            He went up and down the bank yelling for his wife before finally crawling to a neighbor\u2019s house for help. Jessica and Lauren Meidinger got him to their house on Tuesday night.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00063b6mwsjdsr4s@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cHe wants to get back up there and keep looking,\u201d Lauren Meidinger said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00073b6m6h65hmta@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cShe\u2019s a fighter. You know, Kim fought breast cancer and beat it, and she\u2019s fought her entire life,\u201d Meidinger said of her mother-in-law. \u201cWe know that if she got out of that water, that she\u2019s alive.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm1wcw3cm00083b6mcna83jgh@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Search teams using helicopters, drones and dogs have so far been unable to locate her.\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/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.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/06\/us\/how-helene-devastated-western-north-carolina\/index.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CNN \u00a0\u2014\u00a0 On the last Thursday of September, as Hurricane Helene was setting out on a path of destruction from Florida to the southern Appalachians, Kim and Rod Ashby stopped &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=111268\" 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-111268","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\/111268","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=111268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111268\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}