Blowing Rock families struggle to get to Boone amid road washouts

BLOWING ROCK, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — Hurricane Helene’s wrath along the mountains of North Carolina left families with loved ones in Boone with essentially no way to physically get to them.

Friday morning, images began to pour out of Boone which highlighted the true and real-time devastation in the college town.

This included images of the downtown area under several feet of water and stories of how families were trapped inside their homes.

Friday, Queen City News attempted to get to Boone but was unable to and stopped in Blowing Rock due to the number of blocked roads.

Our cameras captured multiple mudslides, flooded roads, and trees which either partially or fully blocked roads.

One man in a large pick-up was seen driving through high floodwater.

He told Queen City News that he had attempted to visit his sister in Boone, but turned around due to the dangerous road conditions.

One gas station owner had also tried to do the same.

Instead, it wasn’t until he saw a drone video over the town that he understood the magnitude of the destruction.

His store was closed on Thursday, and Friday, with the anticipation that it will be closed on Saturday as well.

He explained that several of his employees are students in Boone and that if they can’t safely leave their homes then he can’t help customers.

His message to them was to remain safe.

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