More than 150 deaths have been confirmed in the days since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, including dozens in flood-stricken North Carolina.
“Communities were wiped off the map,” said North Carolina’s Gov. Roy Cooper.
Entire communities in that state are underwater, with dozens dead in Buncombe County.
Follow live updates on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene
Just before Helene hit, Asheville and surrounding towns in western North Carolina had been drenched by storms, complicating the situation. And then Helene inundated parts of southern Appalachia with more than 2 feet of rain.
President Joe Biden will visit the devastated state on Wednesday to survey the damage.
Tomorrow, President Joe Biden plans to visit North Carolina to survey the damage.