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A week after Hurricane Helene pummeled the Southeast, leaving at least 180 people dead and millions without power, the scope of the devastation continues to emerge.
The storm decimated Chimney Rock, N.C., a historic mountain town 20 miles southeast of Asheville. It’s virtually gone.
Floodwaters leveled buildings and washed away roads and bridges. A massive debris field from Chimney Rock flowed into nearby Lake Lure.
"What was once a town is now a river," Tracey Stevens, who worked at the Chimney Rock brewery, told the Asheville Citizen-Times. "It's beyond anything I can imagine."
Read more on Chimney Rock:
WSOC-TV:'Catastrophically unsafe': Neighbors find heartbreaking loss in Chimney Rock, vow to rebuild
Asheville Citizen-Times:Chimney Rock, Lake Lure residents seek info on friends, family after Helene: 'Once a town is now a river'
The Charlotte Observer:'There's just nothing left.' Helene wipes out Chimney Rock's Main Street
President Biden visited North Carolina on Wednesday and got an aerial view of the damage in Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. The president vowed to help the state rebuild.
"The nation has your back," Biden said while meeting with local officials. "We're not leaving until you're back on your feet completely."
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