AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — Residents in Avery County, one of the hardest hit counties by Hurricane Helene, are reeling with the impacts of devastating flooding and widespread damage.
Entire homes have floated down swollen rivers and streets in the area. Dozens of people have reported their loved ones missing and service in the area is touch and go.
Finding the right words to describe the damage is difficult, but there is a word Jessica Meidinger said she's had to hold on to.
"You have to keep hope right now," Meidinger said. "We’ve been able to piece things together from neighbors' accounts who live in the area.”
She said right now her mom is missing.
"Their house is like right off of Elk River well it was," Meidinger said. "We heard at 11:30 that their house was swept away by the river.”
Her stepfather swam to the shore and reached safety, but her mom, Kim Ashby, said days later she was still unaccounted for.
“It remains scary but the more touch points you get the more hope you get," Meidinger said.
That feeling of hope stretched beyond Meidinger. Kim Ashby is just one of the many people who have reported missing. Each post in the Facebook group is a different family member looking for a loved one.
Residents who spoke to WCNC Charlotte used words like "devastation" and "post-apocalyptic" to describe the damage.
This gas station is closed due to damage from Helene. The concrete and asphalt were ripped from the ground. Part of the gas pumps are missing. Sandbags have been placed at the base of the convenience store's doors.
Deeper into Avery County, communities like Cranberry and Elk Park were heavily damaged. A soccer field there turned into a 15-foot-deep cannon filled with roaring rapids. Entire homes were swallowed by floodwaters. Some people told WCNC Charlotte they had nine feet of floodwaters inside their homes.
More than one resident told WCNC Charlotte the same phrase, "I thought I was going to die."
In times like these, it’s neighbor helping neighbor. That is what’s getting people through this disaster.
"They pray for each other. They help each other. They call on each other.”
WCNC Charlotte found many areas are running out of water and food. Shipments of goods are being collected at airports including in Hickory, Charlotte and Concord and being airlifted into the diaster zone.
For one man from coastal South Carolina, he wasn't going to wait.
"Sunday morning at about 10 a.m. and they said they needed help and we raised money then, about $10,000 and struck out," Timmy Anderson said on Tuesday.
Anderson had set up near Powdermill Baptist Church where he's been cooking meals for anyone in need.
"Whoever comes by, I’ll feed you. I'll feed anybody," he said.
With no cell phone reception, many remain disconnected from their loved ones in the outside world.
"We were able to get a text out and tell our loved ones we love them and see you on the other side," one Avery County resident told WCNC Charlotte.
Avery County 911 services have been cut off due to the damage in the area. Officials are advising anyone with an emergency to email averycopio@gmail.com.
The death toll from Helene has climbed to 90 as of Sunday night. At least 30 people from North Carolina and 25 people from South Carolina have been reported dead.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.