North Carolina faces long road to recovery after Helene

North Carolina is struggling to recover from the destruction left by Helene.

At least 35 people were killed just in the Asheville area, which was hit with severe flooding and mudslides.

"This is an unprecedented storm and it's causing us to have an unprecedented response," said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

Water and other supplies have been airlifted into the area because roads and other critical infrastructure have been washed away. In addition, Asheville’s water system was severely damaged in the storm, forcing residents to get water from creeks to fill toilets.

RELATED STORY | Displaced residents grappling with Helene's aftermath

“Devastation does not even begin to describe how we feel, but my teams will be continuing to help in recovery," said Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller.

More than 100,000 people in the Asheville area were without power as of Monday, and officials still don't know when it will be restored.

"One of our neighbors walked by and said that there's one house in the vicinity that has power and they're putting out power cords for everybody to charge their devices," said Carrie Owenby, who lives in Asheville.

RELATED STORY | Biden pledges full support of federal government for Helene recovery efforts

Speaking from the White House on Monday, President Joe Biden promised the full support of the federal government. FEMA said it had already deployed more than 3,500 personnel to support relief efforts.

The agency was sending 20 truckloads of food and 40 truckloads of water per day to North Carolina, an administration official said Monday. Agencies also planned to send more personnel to hospital systems in the area, start up direct payments for emergency supplies and arrange hotel housing for people who have lost homes.

"We're not leaving until the job is done," the president stated.