How crews are working to find North Carolina residents still missing after Helene

It has been nearly three weeks since Hurricane Helene began its devastating march across the Southeast, killing at least 230 people in six states. The storm’s most destructive impact was in western North Carolina, where entire communities were swept away and search crews continue to hunt for people who are still unaccounted for. Geoff Bennett discussed what the region is facing with Ryan Cole.
Geoff Bennett:
It has been nearly three weeks since Hurricane Helene began its devastating march across the southeast, killing at least 230 people in six states.
Nowhere has the storm’s impact been more destructive than in Western North Carolina, where entire communities were swept away, thousands remain without power, and search crews continue to hunt for at least 80 people who are still unaccounted for.
To help us understand the complexity of that search and the challenges those teams are facing, we’re joined now by Ryan Cole. He’s the emergency services assistant director for Buncombe County, home to Asheville, and has been on the ground working on this recovery.
Thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
Ryan Cole, Emergency Services Assistant Director, Buncombe County, North Carolina:
Thank you, Geoff. Thanks for having us.
Geoff Bennett:
How is the recovery process progressing, especially this process of trying to find the people who are still unaccounted for?
Ryan Cole:
So, Geoff, we have worked through several lists of people where they have been unaccounted for, and we’re still working to try to identify those people that are still missing or unaccounted for.
And, as we do that, then we are doing targeted searches in specific areas where — the high probability that we might be able to locate any of the victims. Whenever we go out, those targeted searches include removing large amounts of debris and working through hazardous materials and other items to be able to try to work through those piles to get to victims that might be in those areas.
Geoff Bennett:
Paint a picture for us of the challenges facing your team. How destructive was Helene to Asheville and Buncombe County?
Ryan Cole:
So we had some significant destructions down the watersheds through the river valleys from flooding. We had significant damage there throughout the watersheds as it took out the sides of the hills.
When you’re looking in flatlands and you have flooding, the water rises up and it just inundates an area with slow-moving water or no-moving water. In the mountains and the watersheds, as that water comes up and we have significant rainfall, then that goes down through the mountain valleys collecting all the water as it goes, creating significant turbulence and destroying things in its path, taking out trees, taking out cars, buildings, anything in its path.
However, on top of the flooding, we also had significant landslides that occurred in the ridges as well. Due to the rains and the unstable ground that we had from nine inches of rain prior to the storm even arriving, the ground was saturated with water. And as more of the rain come in, it caused some of that land to dislodge and start down the hill.
Once it starts down the hill, it takes everything in its path, homes, cars, forest, everything through that, until it comes to a stopping point.
Geoff Bennett:
The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, yesterday spoke of what he called a persistent and dangerous flow of misinformation concerning FEMA and the recovery effort.
How has that affected the work that you and your teams are doing?
Ryan Cole:
We have had misinformation that has been out.
And any time that we have misinformation that occurs, that slows our progress to be able to help out the citizens in most need. FEMA has been on the ground and in partnership with us, along with the state of North Carolina, and many resources throughout the state and throughout the United States to assist us in the process of getting to recovery.
Geoff Bennett:
Helene was followed directly by Milton and much of the country’s focus shifted to Florida. What does Western North Carolina need right now to get back on its feet?
Ryan Cole:
The first thing, first and foremost, the greatest thing that we need is to remain in the thoughts and prayers of the people across the United States. That’s the greatest thing that we can use right now.
But the biggest thing that we are facing is the infrastructure that we have lost. The power companies have done a significant job in Western North Carolina in restoring the power. Responders have done a significant job throughout the communities and supporting each individual community and taking care of them.
We have had volunteers that have supported through donations and getting things out to the community to support those people. But now we have the infrastructure issues with roadways that are gone. Many roadways are built alongside of the riverbanks. And those riverbanks, as they flooded, they took out those roadways. And it’s going to take quite a while to build that up.
I know a lot of people are looking. They want to do something. They want to give. So the one thing that we ask is, if you’re looking to give, look for those monetary donations that you can do, to some of our partnering organizations, such as United Way, but continue to give us your thoughts and prayers in this community and the support that you have given us so far.
Geoff Bennett:
Ryan Cole, thanks for your time this evening, sir. We appreciate it.
Ryan Cole:
Thank you.