BURNSVILLE, N.C. — Areas of western North Carolina continue the assessment process following being raked by the remnants of Helene.
Yancey County (NC) EMS worker Sam Robertson was as guest Wednesday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” He said the only access remaining to their community of Burnsville is via I-26 from the south. To the west, interstate I-26 is “gone,” exit 20 off I-40, and the I-40 Old Mountain area is also “gone.”
Listen to “Talk of the Town | Oct. 2, 2024” on Spreaker.
Robertson said the area is completely devastated. Water treatment plants and powerlines have been completely destroyed, leaving communities without water and electricity. Secondary roads are so bad, first responders are relying on helicopters to bring supplies in and evacuate people from the storm-ravaged areas.
He explained that individuals or groups that want to volunteer need to understand the scope of the disaster before traveling to the area. Additionally due to the number of volunteers, officials are checking with people as they enter the state to make sure they have a designated place to work to reduce unnecessary traffic.
“You need to be in shape, you need to be willing to sleep on the ground, you need to be willing to eat just a hot dog and be happy, and you need to be willing to see things that probably most civilian people will never see because we have reports of fatalities,” Robertson said.
In addition to non-perishable food items, water, first aid supplies, infant formula, and personal hygiene items, Robertson said they need equipment to cut through trees that have fallen on homes, roads, and other critical infrastructure.
“The biggest need to send for supplies is chainsaws at the moment,” Robertson said. “Chain saws, chain saw equipment, safety equipment to go with it, and 50:1 Trufuel—things like that.”
WVRC Media and Titan Roofing have launched a supply collection event to benefit the Tropical Storm Helene ravaged areas of North Carolina.
Donations will be taken from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Suncrest Towne Center across from Five Guys, collecting supplies geared toward clean up and immediate needs.
Robertson said hundreds remain stranded in the county, and as shelters get full, the storm survivors are moved to other locations. Efforts are underway to get suspected stranded in remote areas of the county without any way to communicate and possibly without food or water and needing medical attention.
“We have about 19,000 people live in the county (Yancey County); it’s roughly 310 square miles with many older residents,” Robertson said. “Currently there are 1,500+ people that are missing that we know of.”
There is no communication except for those who have access to a Starlink system, but temporary towers are being deployed.
“There are no ground lines; there is no internet,” Robertson said. “Starlink is the only thing people are finding that will work, and they are temporary towers for communications that way, but I don’t know how far they are.”
While assessment and clearing continue, Robertson said they are planning to establish a staging area from which equipment and emergency workers can be deployed. Until that area is established, officials ask that no heavy equipment be sent due to the limited space and evolving needs on the ground.
“I know they’re working on a way to come up with a drop point here in town,” Robertson said. “I know you can’t get big equipment in here yet, but they need anything anyone would be willing to send down.”