From Asheville, N.C., to Valdosta, Ga., communities hit hard by Helene struggle to cope

Communities are reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which unleashed historic rain and flooding as it tore across the Southeast, leaving dozens of people dead and millions without power.

Western North Carolina was particularly hard hit, as Helene inundated rivers, washed away roads and cut off communications and cell service, complicating rescue efforts.

Below is a roundup of local news reports from storm-stricken communities in several states.

‘Our hearts are broken’

In Buncombe County, N.C., alone, there have been at least 30 storm-related deaths, and more feared.

"Our hearts are broken," Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said on Sunday night. "We ask that folks give our community the space and time to grieve this incredible loss."

Hundreds of people have been reported missing in western North Carolina.

In Asheville, N.C., record floodwaters from the Swannanoa River overwhelmed the city, causing catastrophic damage.

‘Destruction everywhere you look’

On Sunday, people outside the emergency room at HCA Healthcare’s Mission Hospital in Asheville were waiting for word on family members.

Shawn Hensley, 47, of Black Mountain, N.C., told the Asheville Citizen Times that his 65-year-old mother arrived at the hospital the night before because she was running low on oxygen.

Hensley and his neighbors had to use a chainsaw to clear a tree blocking his car so he could get out of Black Mountain, N.C., east of Asheville.

“It looks like Mother Nature just stomped all over that little town,” Hensley said. “It’s just destruction everywhere you look.”

The Swannanoa River crested at more than 26 feet, eight feet higher than what’s considered flood level, and 6 feet higher than the previous record.

"It was really surreal," Syd Yatteau, who lives near the Swannanoa River, told USA Today. "Like, at the beginning it was all fun and games. Just watching the water be where it was."

‘Think Katrina, except in the mountains and with helicopters’

In Hickory, N.C., a group of civilian volunteers known as the Carolina Emergency Response Team used helicopters to airlift supplies to areas cut off by the storm.

"Think Hurricane Katrina, except in the mountains and with helicopters, not boats," Chad Walton, one of the group's organizers, told WSOC-TV. "That's pretty much where we're at right now."

The group said it has 20 helicopters.

‘It looks like hell’

In Georgia, at least 25 people died, Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday, as the storm cut a path of destruction he likened to a 250-mile-wide tornado.

In Valdosta, Ga., 100-year-old trees fell on top of houses, and several downtown buildings were destroyed.

"It looks like hell," Bill Parmelee, a longtime resident of Valdosta, told NBC News.

In Florida, where Helene came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, some people who evacuated their homes in low-lying areas were allowed back to survey the damage after the floodwaters receded.

In Pinellas County — which saw a record storm surge from Helene — more than 19,000 homes were damaged, officials there said, and more than 10,000 were deemed uninhabitable.

Mercy Roberg and Scott Lant, a local couple, were seen taking in the sunset from Madeira Beach on Saturday.

Asked by a Tampa Bay Times reporter why they were doing that, Roberg replied: "To remind ourselves why we live here."