PHOTOS/VIDEO AVAILABLE: Resources Continue to Surge into Western North Carolina as Governor Cooper Travels to Ashe, Watauga and Avery Counties

Today, Governor Roy Cooper visited Ashe, Watauga, and Avery counties, meeting with community and business leaders to discuss relief and recovery efforts. Tomorrow, the Governor will be in Jackson and Haywood counties meeting with those affected by the storm and thanking emergency personnel and volunteers for their continued hard work. Relief and recovery operations continue in Western North Carolina as coordinated efforts bring supplies and resources into the region.

“Today, I met with hundreds of people in Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties and heard about the help they are getting and still need,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “The resilience, compassion and determination of the people of Western North Carolina is inspiring and we will continue working around the clock to get them the help they need.”

Yesterday, President Biden approved 100% FEMA reimbursement for six months. To apply for Individual Assistance, visit disasterassistance.gov.

President Biden also approved Governor Cooper’s request for active-duty military personnel and equipment to support ongoing operations in Western North Carolina. Military helicopters, personnel and other equipment have already been deployed. More than 1,000 North Carolina National Guard are currently deployed, conducting search and rescue missions and distributing food, water and other supplies. In order to ensure that all resources are available for use in the response to Hurricane Helene, Governor Cooper issued Executive Order 316, which permits the use, sale, and distribution of dyed diesel fuel for highway use.

Photos of today’s visit can be found here. Video of today's visit can be found here.

Food, Water and Commodities

Efforts are underway to provide food, water and basic necessities to residents in affected communities, utilizing both ground resources and air drops from the NC National Guard. FEMA has delivered more than 5.4 million meals and 6.3 million liters of water. More than 36,000 people have registered for individual assistance through FEMA.

Power Outages

Across the region, approximately 259,000 customers remain without power, down from a peak of more than one million. Power has been restored to more than 700,000 customers.

Missing Persons

To report a missing person or request non-emergency support, please call NC 211 or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state.

Shelters

A total of 23 shelters are open in Western North Carolina, housing 1,244 people. Plans are in place to open additional shelters as needed to accommodate additional needs.

Search and Rescue Operations

Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Western North Carolina. A total of 55 search and rescue teams from North Carolina and beyond, consisting of more than 1600 personnel have conducted search and rescue operations during this event. The NC National Guard has interacted with over 5400 people, including assists, evacuations and rescues.

Road Closures

Travel remains dangerous, with approximately 500 roads closed as of Wednesday afternoon. NCDOT is asking people to refrain from unnecessary travel to or in Western North Carolina. Road access is limited to local and hurricane response traffic as crews work to restore critical routes and access to communities isolated by damage. First responders also want to keep the roads as clear as possible to help ensure they may carry out all response missions. NCDOT has posted at ncdot.gov an interstate detour map for travelers to avoid western N.C. NCDOT has dispatched the following resources to assist with the recovery process:

1,600 employees, plus 68 contract crews
220+ employees in less-impacted areas have been sent to western N.C.
1,500+ trucks, graders & backhoes/loaders
1,000+ chainsaws
8,000+ barricades & signs

Cellphone Provider Coverage

Cellphone providers are working to fix the damage and coverage issues caused by the storm and get stopgap solutions, such as temporary cell phone towers, in place and rapid progress is being made. Restoring communications is critical to saving lives, finding where people are and getting in supplies, and Governor Cooper been in constant contact with cellphone companies urging action and offering support. Please turn your cell phone off and restart it periodically to allow it to reconnect when a network is reestablished.

Fatalities

Sixty storm-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina by Office of Chief Medical Examiner. We do expect that this number will continue to rise over the coming days. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will continue to confirm numbers twice daily. If you have an emergency or believe that someone is in danger, please call 911. To report that you have been unable to reach a person in Western North Carolina, please call 211.

North Carolina National Guard Deployed

Gov. Cooper has activated more than 1100 North Carolina National Guard soldiers and airmen to both conduct search and rescue operations and deliver critical supplies to Western North Carolina. As of Wednesday, 372 specialized vehicles and 26 aircrafts have been deployed in Western North Carolina to facilitate these missions.

President Biden approved Governor Cooper’s request for active-duty military personnel and equipment to support ongoing operations in Western North Carolina. Currently, aviation assets and other equipment from Fort Liberty have been deployed and up to 1,000 active-duty military personnel are expected to begin deploying.

Volunteers and Donations

Due to dangerous road conditions, and the need to maintain open routes for emergency operations, travel to Western North Carolina is strongly discouraged. Instead, consider the following options for donations and volunteer opportunities:

Storm Damage Cleanup

If your home has damages and you need assistance with clean up, please call Crisis Cleanup for access to volunteer organizations that can assist you at 844-965-1386.

Major Disaster Declaration and FEMA Assistance

President Biden approved Governor Cooper’s request for an expedited request declaring a Major Disaster for 25 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This declaration paves the way for Public Assistance to help our hard-hit local governments, as well as access to FEMA’s Individual Assistance program. On Wednesday, President Biden announced the approval of 100% FEMA reimbursement for six months, a significant funding commitment from the federal government.

FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs. Homeowners and renters in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians can apply.

North Carolinians may apply for Individual Assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 from 7am to 11pm daily or by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov, or by downloading the FEMA app.

Additional Assistance

There is no right or wrong way to feel in response to the trauma of a hurricane. If you have been impacted by the storm and need someone to talk to, call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. Help is also available to anyone, anytime in English or Spanish through a call, text or chat to 988. Learn more at 988Lifeline.org.

If you are seeking a representative from the North Carolina Joint Information Center, please email ncempio@ncdps.gov or call 919-825-2599.

If you would like general information, access to resources, or answers to frequently asked questions, please visit ncdps.gov/helene.

If you are seeking information on resources for recovery help for a resident impacted from the storm, please email IArecovery@ncdps.gov.

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