NC Gov. Cooper: Helene recovery to be a “continued operation”

NORTH CAROLINA — Gov. Roy Cooper said state officials need to be ready for the “long haul” when it comes to recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene.

After spending most of the day Monday in Western North Carolina on Monday, Cooper, joined by multiple state-level officials, hosted a media briefing Tuesday morning to update on the status of the state’s rescue and recovery efforts.

Cooper said the damage from Helene on the region was “beyond belief.”

“Communities were wiped off the map, dozens of lives lost, hundreds of roads remain damaged or impassable,” he said.

Cooper said he expects the state’s recovery period to be a long one.

“We know this crisis will likely be a sustained crisis due to water issues so this is going to have to be a continued operation,” he said.

The state’s response is beginning to see results. People living in Western North Carolina are slowly beginning to see cell phone coverage return to the region, and the number of people without power is down from more than 1 million to around 460,000.

Across the region, more than 1,000 people have taken refuge in 29 shelters, with more shelters expected to open in the coming days.

Road work

One of the biggest obstacles to getting help to people in recent days has been access to flooded areas.

State Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins said as of Tuesday there were 425 roads closed in Western North Carolina, and more than 700 areas which have been damaged. Those numbers may not even be close to the full scope of the damage.

“We believe there are more road closures than are shown on the DriveNC website, however that’s the best information we have at this time,” Hopkins said.

There are more than 1,600 state employees and 75 contractor crews working in the region to assess road damage and in some areas, crews have already started the work to repair damaged roads and bridges.

As of Tuesday morning, I-40 east at Old Fork was open to traffic once again, and Hopkins said the westbound lane is expected to reopen on Tuesday. Additionally I-26 is open through the state, and Highway 421 is open to and past Boone.

I 40 will remain closed at Mile Marker 3 near the Tennessee state line for some time, though crews are already looking for ways to stabilize the parts of the road which remain intact.

While the reopened roads are encouraging, Hopkins stressed people in the area should avoid driving if possible.

“Travel in this area for non-emergency personnel is hindering needed emergency response,” he said. “Also I’d like to remind you food water and even fuel is in short supply, so any additional needs on those resources hurts us too.”

Rescue operations

According to Major Gen.Todd Hunt of the North Carolina Army National Guard, more than 800 guardsmen and 275 vehicles have already deployed to the area and have been regularly working to locate and rescue people in need. And those numbers will increase as the state’s response continues.

Already troops have rescued more than 500 people, Hunt said, and 92 search and rescue teams are continuing to work around the clock to locate people in need.

The state is still reporting 38 people who have been killed by the storm, though it is unclear how many of that number are included in 40 people confirmed dead by Buncombe County on Monday.

“We know there will be more fatalities,” Cooper said.

In addition to the service members already in the region, Cooper said he has been given approval from President Joe Biden to utilize troops and resources from Fort Liberty and Camp Lejeune in the state’s recovery efforts. There is a process the state and federal government have to go through before those resources can be given to the state, Cooper said.

Due to the expected length of the recovery effort, Hunt said deploying troops will need to a strategic process, with troops rotating in and out of the area.

“It needs to be a coordinated event. I could bring on a lot more soldiers – which we are doing today – but if we don’t have the lines of communication open we can’t get there, which we are working on as we go through the western part of the state,” he said. “The US military and our friends at DOD are willing to provide resources and we are willing to tap on those as well.”

Price fixing

The North Carolina Attorney General’s office has received more than 70 complaints of price gouging in Western North Carolina, according to Attorney General Josh Stein.

Stein said the complaints were split primarily between complaints of raised prices for food, gas, and lodging.

North Carolina has a price gouging law, which was triggered by the state’s emergency declaration over the weekend.

Stein said his office has already sent civil investigative demands to determine if any state laws have been broken.

“If they are we will not hesitate to take action,” he said. “We will not allow price gougers to take advantage of you when you are in need.”

Financial aid

As of Tuesday morning, more than 57,000 North Carolina residents had applied for financial assistance from FEMA. The federal government has already dispersed more than $1 million in aid to those people, according to Will Wray, state emergency services director.

Due to an expedited major disaster declaration from the federal government, North Carolina residents who have been impacted by Helene can apply for assistance for help by visiting disasterassitance.gov or downloading the FEMA mobile app.

People can apply for assistance in a number of categories including damage to homes, cars and personal property, request reimbursement for expenses for utilities, food, shelter, clothing, gas, medicine or medical equipment or request reimbursement for child care costs, home safety item costs and lodging expenses.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.