Emergency crews airlift supplies into Asheville, North Carolina, and the surrounding towns. The mountain tourist destination found itself cut off by floods and landslides in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Thousands of residents still live without power and water. Officials call it a “500-year flood.” The last time a flood in the region caused comparable damage was 1916. Some estimate this is the worst flood along the Swannanoa River since North Carolina became a state.
What made the storm so deadly?
Helene struck the southeast United States as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday night. Category 4 storms—the second-strongest type—have winds between 131 and 155 mph. It was also a large hurricane, stretching about 350 miles wide. Those factors allowed the destruction to push inland, well past the Florida coast.
The storm also caught many communities by surprise. Officials expected rain, wind, and maybe even flooding—but nobody expected the level of damage to come.
“I don’t know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said on CBS’ Face the Nation.
How much damage did the storm cause?
This early, it’s hard for officials to get a clear picture of the damage. Tragically, at least 107 people have died across North Carolina and the surrounding states. About 1,000 people are unaccounted for in Buncombe County, home of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In Western North Carolina, steep ridges and thick forests made rescue difficult. Mudslides made major highways impassible. Fallen trees and power lines clogged back roads. Some areas remain accessible only by air.
But in the midst of turmoil, God is at work. The National Guard provides food and water. Neighbors help one another. Locals fire up their trucks and chainsaws to clear the roads of fallen trees. Helicopter pilots drop supplies into hard-to-reach areas. Line workers race their service trucks in from out-of-state to restore power.
What does it mean for God’s WORLD News?
Asheville’s Biltmore Village is home to WORLD News Group and God’s WORLD News. We praise God that the entire God’s WORLD News team was spared from the storm.
However, some of our team members remain without power and phone service. The flooding also caused major damage to WORLD’s Asheville offices. Water rose an estimated four to six feet inside the office buildings.
Thank you for your prayers, support, and patience as God’s WORLD News and WORLD News Group recover. Pray that God would provide for those affected by the storm and bring the missing to safety.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. — Isaiah 41:10
Dear parents and teachers: For information about our office recovery efforts, please visit wng.org/WSOS.
