Governor Cooper to address impacts of Hurricane Helene

NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Governor Cooper will host a briefing going over the impacts of Helene across North Carolina. He will be speaking starting around 12:30 p.m.

On Saturday Governor Roy Cooper announced supplies are being sent to people in Western North Carolina by air as search and rescue operations continue.

“This is a historic and catastrophic storm for Western North Carolina and I’m grateful to first responders working right now to save lives and evacuate residents,” Governor Cooper said. “Efforts are also underway to get power and communications restored, and we’re bringing in needed supplies by air.”

More than 200 people in North Carolina have been rescued from flood waters brought by Helene. North Carolina search and rescue teams are getting help from 19 states and three federal teams.

Officials said more than 700,000 people were without power as of Saturday morning and crews are still working to restore it. Around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, officials in Boone said 65% of the town was still without power.

Cell phone service is still spotty west of I-77 due to significant storm damage. Gov. Cooper announced that state resources have partnered with Disaster Roaming, which allows any phone on any cellular network to access and connect to any available network.

“The State Emergency Response Team is working around the clock responding to severe impacts from Helene’s devastation. We are grateful for our local, state and federal partners and their teamwork to help North Carolinians hit hard by this storm,” NC Emergency Management Director Will Ray said. “Please remain aware of hazards and follow directions from local officials to protect life and safety.”

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