BOONE, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says progress is being made to restore power and bring resources to western North Carolina during a trip to Boone to survey Helene's widespread damage.
Cooper toured Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties during Thursday's trip to Boone. Those counties include some of the hardest-hit areas in the whole state, such as Blowing Rock and Newland. Cooper confirmed that 60 people have died in North Carolina due to Helene but said that number will increase as crews reach more remote areas that have been isolated since the storm.
"To wake up one morning and everything that you own be gone is a tragic situation," Cooper said. "This is an unprecedented situation that's going to require an unprecedented response."
The governor said 31 aircraft are helping deliver supplies to western North Carolina, along with search and rescue teams and increased supplies for those impacted by Helene. Cooper said utility providers are optimistic up to 90% of electricity could be restored by Friday.
"This is a team effort," Cooper said. "We're grateful to all of our volunteer organizations and people of faith who have been coordinated to work through western North Carolina. If there's ever been a time that we needed you, it is now. We know that the people of western North Carolina are resilient."
Cooper said more than 50,000 people have already applied for FEMA assistance, saying over $6 million has been distributed in North Carolina. He encouraged anyone with storm damage to apply as soon as possible for federal aid.
"People have never seen this kind of destruction and raging water before," Cooper said. "Now we know it can do this. As we rebuild, we have to think this can happen, and make the investment to be more resilient."
While the floodwaters have receded in many areas, business owners in the Boone area worry Helene's timing will have a drastic impact on the fall tourism industry, which keeps the region's economy going throughout the year. Several business owners told WCNC Charlotte October is the busiest month of the year for them, with App State football games and leaf-peeping raking in big money for the High Country.
Cooper and President Joe Biden took an aerial tour of the Asheville area on Wednesday, as the president got his first in-person look at Helene's devastation. Many highways in the hardest-hit parts of North Carolina remained inaccessible, but from his Marine One helicopter, Biden saw flooded roads, piles of shredded lumber and displaced sandbags, emergency trucks and downed powerlines. In one area, homes were partly under water, and it was hard to distinguish between lake and land.
Helene's death toll has risen to at least 200, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005.
Hundreds of roads remain closed in western North Carolina. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told WCNC Charlotte that Interstate 40 is a "clear priority" but cautioned against giving a timeline for when the highway will reopen. It's going to be a long process. Buttigieg reiterated NCDOT's warning that it will be "months at a minimum" before I-40 is fully repaired. A Google Maps alert states the road won't be reopened until September 2025, but NCDOT officials say there isn't an estimated time for when the highway will be fixed.
"I-40 is a clear priority," Buttigieg told WCNC Charlotte. "There are also still parts of I-26 that are compromised, although I was pleased to see how much of that got back up and running by yesterday. We estimate over 400 roads still closed and are engaging with North Carolina DOT to address them. It's difficult to overstate how profound and widespread the damage is here."