Mudslides in Asheville, North Carolina are blocking roads and filling homes with debris days after Helene moved through the region as a post-tropical cyclone.
North Carolina's Transportation Secretary urged people to stay off the roads due to the widespread hazards.
Search and rescue efforts were still ongoing on the city and across the mountains in hard-hit western North Carolina Tuesday.
Conditions remained challenging thanks to some 40 trillion gallons of water that fell from the storm as it moved over the southeastern U.S. Many regions of western North Carolina saw nearly or even more than 20 inches of rain over three days as the storm moved through.
"The topography is already working against us with the steep terrain," said Asheville Fire Department Chief Jeremy Knighton. "You add on the mud, the rain the water — it's a mess."
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"No matter who or where you are in western North Carolina, if you need help, we are working around the clock to reach you," said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
Video shows widespread damage that washed out roads and knocked out power, isolating communities.
On Tuesday the North Carolina National Guard was distributing 100,000 pounds of new relief supplies brought in by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
There was no fuel available in Asheville. Residents were seen bringing fuel and water in from outside the region to meet local needs and FEMA continued to bring in food and water by truck and by plane.
Cell phone service remained spotty Tuesday, making communication and contact with still-missing people difficult. FEMA is working to deploy more Starlink satellite internet receivers in the region to give emergency responders better communications.
More than 380,000 customers were still without power in western North Carolina Tuesday afternoon, according to Poweroutage.us.
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A White House official said President Joe Biden had directed FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to remain in North Carolina until the situation was under better control.
The President was expected to visit North Carolina on Wednesday to review the damage and receive briefings from state emergency officials.
A disaster declaration enacted over the weekend will allow residents in 25 counties in North Carolina to apply for FEMA assistance, officials said.
