Hurricane Through the Hollers
Rain and storms primed the landscape for catastrophic conditions.
This four-part series by News 5 WCYB covers the counties of Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey, which were among the hardest hit areas.
A Catastrophic Threat
In the early morning of September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina. For two days prior to Helene’s landfall, the mountains swelled with rain and storms that primed the landscape for catastrophic conditions.
With the mountains already drenched as Helene drew near, creeks and streams turned into rivers. Rivers become flowing lakes inundating and obliterating everything in their paths. Wind gusts, reaching 80 miles per hour in places, rip through the forests leaving acres of trees on the ground.
Entire communities were isolated when these downed trees block routes, bridges are overtaken with water, and landslides incapacitate means of escape. First responders and citizens were trapped with all means of communication down. Residents leapt into action to clear roads and respond to their neighbors and communities cries for help.
Watch all four parts at www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaNsdPBowPDzYzjeL6_4F70nouAsAlzye
