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On Monday, September 30, Governor Roy Cooper traveled to western North Carolina, where he was joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins, NCDPS Secretary Eddie Buffaloe, NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley, and NC Emergency Management Officials to assess storm damage and ongoing response efforts to Hurricane Helene. The Governor received an aerial tour of damaged areas, visited Mission Hospital to thank staff, stopped by local businesses providing support to the community and spoke with volunteers at a water distribution operation at Biltmore Baptist Church, noted information from the governor’s office.

“Hurricane Helene is bringing devastating impacts to Western North Carolina and danger remains as rivers are continuing to rise and search and rescue teams do their work,” said Governor Cooper. “We’ll continue to work with federal, state, non-profit and local partners to get people the help they need as we respond to this crisis and begin the recovery process.”

State, federal and local partners continue to work together to surge resources into western North Carolina in response to unprecedented damage from Hurricane Helene across the region. Operations are in progress to provide food, water and critical supplies to affected areas. Progress is also being made to improve access and telecommunications in communities damaged by the storm. While the focus remains on emergency response and rescue, the state is simultaneously stepping up recovery services in collaboration with federal and local partners across North Carolina.

Written pool report provided by Gary Robertson of the Associated Press:

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper arrived by plane at the Asheville Regional Airport in Fletcher about 10:30 a.m. There he met Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanna Criswell, who got updates on storm recovery needs from Cooper and three Cabinet secretaries also in attendance.

Cooper shook hands with several members of the North Carolina National Guard deployed at the airport, including those assigned to the 1451st Transportation Company. The company members were waiting for a collection of supplies to load onto a flatbed truck. From there the supplies would be transported to Buncombe County and also airlifted to points west.

Criswell, Cooper, state Emergency Management Director Will Ray, along with other staff and press, boarded a National Guard C-26 aircraft to view from overhead damage in and around Asheville. That included aerial views of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure along with Burnsville and Marshall. Debris could be seen covering a large section of Lake Lure toward Chimney Rock.

Cooper, Criswell and others traveled next by car to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where hospital executives called the restoration of city water services to hospital operations a top priority.

No less than 20 water tanker trucks have been brought in daily since the storm arrived to feed the air-conditioning chillers and to keep the hospital functioning, said Greg Lowe, president of the North Carolina division of Mission’s parent entity HCA Healthcare.

Many employees haven’t left the hospital in the storm’s aftermath, and they’re concerned about the well-being of loved ones, he said.

“We know that we are providing safe care, good quality care, but we’re stretched. We’re very stretched,” Lowe said. “It has become difficult with our staff because they’re exhausted.” Some relief health care workers have been brought in to ease the stress.

But the hospital is being pushed to the limit, with patients in need of assistance arriving with their family members and even pets because they otherwise lack power, hospital officials said. More than 80 emergency room patients were awaiting to be admitted as of Monday afternoon.

The hospital is also getting ready for the results of additional devastation: Lowe said that three mobile morgues have been purchased to deal with more deaths.

“We’re preparing for what’s next,” he said.

Cooper, Criswell and others next visited downtown Asheville, where they spoke to some local businesses that were offering assistance to displaced residents. Kyle James and the other co-owners of Flour coffee and breakfast shop handed out over 300 biscuits and 25 gallons to passersby Monday morning. James said they planned to keep doing it as long as there was a need.

And the group also met workers of The Restoration, one of a few hotels that, while lacking running water, prepared Monday night to offer 100 beds combined to out-of-town first responders working on the recovery.

The governor’s motorcade went to Arden, where Cooper thanked volunteers at a feeding site at Biltmore Church and wished well recipients of water bottle cases, ice bags and packets of chicken and pasta and beans and rice. The Rev. Jason Gaston of Biltmore Church estimated that 3,000 cars had come through since early Monday seeking assistance.

Cooper, Criswell and Cabinet secretaries joined U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards and other elected and National Guard officials for a news conference at the airport just before 4 p.m.

“This has been an unprecedented storm that has hit western North Carolina,” Cooper said. “It’s requiring an unprecedented response.”

Cooper said there were 92 search and rescue teams out working in the region as of Monday afternoon. He said that the number of electricity customers without power continued to fall, and progress was being made with restoring cellular service.

“We’re dealing with a situation that is unlike anybody’s ever seen in western North Carolina,” Cooper said.

State Emergency Management Director Will Ray said more than 7,000 North Carolina residents had already registered to receive FEMA assistance, and “there is money already rolling in to these pockets.” Almost 800 hundred North Carolina National Guard members have been activated.

Criswell said that at President Joe Biden’s direction, FEMA is “going to be here as long as it takes to finish this response.” She called the storm “historic” with “catastrophic impact on this community.”

Asked by a reporter whether he believed enough was done last week to evacuate residents before the storm, Cooper said officials knew it was going to be a significant event, and that local leaders told residents to leave low-lying areas.“The devastation was beyond belief, and even when you prepare for something like this, this is something that’s never happened before in western North Carolina,” Cooper said.

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