Hurricane Helene: NC communities still picking up the pieces after devastating storm

SWANNANOA, N.C. — There’s been a challenge to get needed supplies to those impacted by Hurricane Helene, especially with roads and bridges washed away in so many communities such as Asheville, North Carolina.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Brian Monahan went to Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Tuesday, which is just outside Asheville.

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After Hurricane Helene, much of Swannanoa is left in ruins.

Cars were tossed wherever the river took them, businesses and homes swept off their foundations and parking lots and roads scoured out by the raging flood waters.

NewsDrone 2 showed the trail of destruction including the back of a Stop N’ Go convenience store sheared away by the river.

A huge shipping container fractured the bridge connecting Swannanoa to Highway 70.

On the other side of the river, there were backhoes and bulldozers, working quickly to build a temporary road for first responders.

On Tuesday, hundreds are still unaccounted for.

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“Many of the first responders are saying that it’s the ‘Katrina of the mountains,’” Pastor Mary Katherine Robinson said. “They’re still trying to rescue people.”

Robinson is the pastor of the nearby Black Mountain Presbyterian Church.

She’s watched relief efforts at her church multiply over the last few days. Robinson’s church has become a hub of hope after Helene.

“People just keep on bringing food and it is beautiful. It’s beautiful to see the spirit,” Robinson said.

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