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Western North Carolina roads closed, travel nearly impossible after Helene

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Western North Carolina roads closed, travel nearly impossible after Helene

Travel in and out of much of Western North Carolina is nearly impossible after heavy rains and flooding battered the state in the path of Hurricane Helene.

The intense storm made landfall Thursday night and roared through parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. At least 10 people have been confirmed dead in North Carolina, according to Gov. Roy Cooper’s office Saturday night. Swift-water and helicopter rescue crews have rescued more than 200 people since Thursday. 

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At least 200 roads are closed in North Carolina as of Sunday morning, including Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 at the Tennessee-North Carolina border, according to the state’s road closures map. The I-40 closure near the state line is termed long-term. I-40 also is closed at Old Fort Mountain. NCDOT estimates it will reopen there by noon Tuesday, Oct. 1.

You can follow road closures at drivenc.gov.

State emergency officials have warned people not to travel in or to Western North Carolina.

“All roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed and non-emergency travel is prohibited,” said an alert on the state’s road closures website Sunday morning.

The office of Gov. Cooper Saturday night said Interstate 26 south of Asheville is effectively the only major thoroughfare in and out of the city due to damage to Interstate 40 and other routes.

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