Non-essential travel allowed again in western NC, 780 roads reopen, Cooper says

Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday shared an update on Hurricane Helene’s impact in western North Carolina.

The governor’s update came after he toured one of Asheville’s community cares sites, which offer hot showers, Wi-Fi, charging stations, water, meals, portable toilets and more.

There are two community care sites in Asheville at 980 Brevard Road and 85 Tunnel Road. The sites are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Hurricane Helene is blamed for the deaths of at least 125 people in North Carolina, most in Buncombe County, which is home to Asheville.

PowerOutage.us, which tracks most of the electric providers in North Carolina, lists 5,250 customers without power in the state compared to close to more than 1 million when Helene hit western North Carolina in the last week of September.

The state Department of Transportation has reopened 789 of the 1,200 roads that were closed due to Helene, utilizing 2,000 employees and 900 pieces of heavy equipment, Cooper said during Monday’s news conference.

List of major roads that remain closed after Helene

Transportation officials said the essential-only travel ban in the western portion of the state has been lifted but asked drivers to use caution and plan for slowdowns.

Twenty-eight school districts that closed during Helene have reopened, and seven more are waiting to open, Cooper said.

Cooper called Helene’s disaster response the “fastest and largest integration” of military soldiers in North Carolina, with 3,100 soldiers and airmen from 12 states responding in western N.C. The soldiers have logged 1,200 flight hours, rescuing 746 people, according to the N.C. National Guard.

According to the governor, with 1,400 staff on the ground, FEMA has approved 206,000 people for assistance with $130 million in aid distributed. Additionally, 6,000 people are currently using FEMA’s hotel program for temporary housing.

Cooper called Helene the “deadliest and most devastating” storm in North Carolina’s history. He said the Small Business Administration has registered 5,000 businesses asking for assistance.

“It’s critical that western N.C. fully recover” and be made more resilient, the governor said Monday.

State agencies also provided updates. According to the Department of Public Safety (DPS), only one 911 center in the area impacted by Helene is using alternate routing due to damaged infrastructure and 94% of communication capabilities are restored in western North Carolina.

The DPS said 25 portable water systems are on a partial or system-wide boil advisory, and 224 wastewater treatment facilities in affected areas are back in normal operation.

Water service has returned to many communities in Asheville, but the city is under a boil advisory for any water used for drinking, cooking or brushing teeth. The water is suitable for laundry, showering and flushing toilets.

The governor urged people to apply for federal aid if needed and to stop spreading misinformation and lies about disaster response.

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to tour the damage in western N.C. on Monday afternoon.

Cooper only addressed Trump’s visit briefly, saying, “I’m asking that he not share lies or misinformation while he is here.”

When asked, Cooper told reporters in western N.C. he is not planning to see Trump on Monday; he said he has been focusing on storm recovery, not politics.

Apply for FEMA aid

FEMA can help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs. Homeowners and renters in most western North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians can apply.

Here are several ways to apply:

• Go to DisasterAssistance.gov
• Use the FEMA App
• Call 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST daily. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.

Here’s a list of what you’ll need to apply:

• A current phone number where you can be contacted
• Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying
• Your Social Security number
• A general list of damage and losses
• Banking information if you choose direct deposit
• If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name