Helene shatters countless lives in North Carolina as stories of heartbreak, survival emerge across Southeast

The effects of Hurricane Helene continue to be felt across the Southeast as first responders search for survivors. FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray is in Swannanoa, North Carolina, with the latest on the ongoing disaster.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Harrowing stories of heartbreak and survival are emerging in the Southeast as recovery operations continue after Hurricane Helene made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast last week, leaving more than 160 people dead and hundreds missing.

Helene is now the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland U.S. in the last 55 years, topped only by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the most since Hurricane Camille hit the Gulf Coast in August 1969.

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President Joe Biden is expected to travel to the mid-Atlantic on Wednesday and will take an aerial tour of areas of western North Carolina that were decimated and isolated after the historic hurricane. He’s then expected to meet with first responders and local officials on the ground.

The destruction is immense.

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Life-saving supplies are being brought in and distributed to communities that were hit hard by the storm, including areas of western North Carolina that were cut off from those rescue operations when catastrophic flooding destroyed hundreds of roads and bridges and cut off communications to those who were trapped with a dwindling supply of food and water.

Help from across the U.S. has descended upon the region that likely won’t recover for years to come.

Mom watches son, parents get swept away in Asheville flood

Three members of a North Carolina family, including a 7-year-old boy, died in the disastrous flooding from Helene. Now, the survivors share their story of immense grief and comforting faith.

More than 70 people are now confirmed dead in North Carolina, with dozens of those coming from Buncombe County, which is home to the city of Asheville.

Scenes from small towns such as Chimney Rock, Swannanoa and Biltmore Village show entire sections of the region either destroyed or washed away due to the flooding.

Stories of heartbreak and loss fill the close-knit communities as a barrage of devastating images come in, capturing the scale of the destruction caused by what some call “biblical” flooding.

An Asheville mother tearfully recounted how she lost her 7-year-old son and her two parents when the floodwaters overwhelmed her neighborhood, sending her family to the roof of their home as they scrambled for safety.

VIDEO SHOWS CHIMNEY ROCK COMPLETELY DESTROYED AS HELENE UNLEASHES CATASTROPHIC FLOODING ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA

Dashcam footage shot on Friday morning shows the moment a couple barely escaped a mudslide that came crashing onto an interstate in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. (Courtesy: Alan Keffer via Storyful)

However, the floodwaters eventually broke apart the home, sending all four into the river.

“(My son) reached for something past flesh, past human, past anything that even grown adults, I think, would reach for,” Meghan Drye said. “My son called out to the one God Almighty. And I think at that moment he was rescued, and he became my hero, and I think all of them carried me through that moment.”

In Avery County, a harrowing video provided by Vlado Novakovic showed his home being swept away in Newland by the powerful currents on Friday.

Others narrowly escaped the wrath of the flash floods. A couple in Lake Luna had to run for it when flood waters started pouring into town.

At least 9 dead in Tennessee as help pours in

Knoxville radio personality and business owner Nancy Barger says she is doing whatever she can to help raise money and supplies for those who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene in Tennessee and North Carolina.

More than 100 people required rescuing in northeastern Tennessee from Helene’s floods. At least nine people have died, and others remain missing as search efforts continue.

At Impact Plastics in Erwin, two people died and five others were rescued by a National Guard helicopter crew during the flooding.

Erwin was devastated when the Nolichucky River overwhelmed the town with record-high water levels, at one point trapping dozens of patients on the roof of the hospital, and sparking fears of a dam collapse.

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Hi-Wire Brewing sustained major damage at its River Arts District location in the Asheville area. Bryna Frosaker, owner and chief people officer of Hi-Wire said all of their employees are safe but the physical damage will take time to repair. A timeline on when power and water will return may determine when the brewery can reopen.

“Our community is in a state of shock and grief as we come to terms with the destruction caused by the flood. It’s heartbreaking to see the loss of life and the devastation to people’s homes and businesses,” Erwin resident Karen Tipton told FOX Weather. “The floods have not only caused physical damage, but also emotional and financial damage to our close-knit community.”

In Johnson County, crews are working to clear roads packed with thick sludge after Rome Creek surged above 30 feet, flooding the valley.

Georgia sees widespread damage from Helene

The damage left behind in Georgia after deadly Hurricane Helene is widespread, and the governor is vowing to get everything cleaned up. FOX 5 Atlanta Reporter Tyler Fingert was in August where cleanup efforts are continuing.

At least 25 people were killed in Georgia when Hurricane Helene made its trek across portions of the eastern and central U.S. last week, and cleanup efforts there are well underway.

Atlanta saw its first-ever Flash Flood Emergency due to record rain across the region, and power is slowly being restored.

The damage in Augusta is widespread, with trees and other debris still lying across roads, on homes and on vehicles.

WATCH: CASKET RUSHES BY IN RAGING TENNESSEE FLOODWATER CAUSED BY HELENE

“It’s my house,” Crystal Watson told FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Tyler Fingert. “I’ve lived here for my daughter’s entire life.”

She said that when Hurricane Helene was impacting the area, four trees went crashing down onto her home, narrowly missing two bedrooms where people were sleeping.

Damage isn’t only localized to Augusta, however.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Dan Murphy hugs his colleague after bringing his canoe to rescue them from their flooded home as the streets are flooded near Peachtree Creek after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains overnight on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hurricane Helene made landfall late Thursday night as a category 4 hurricane in the panhandle of Florida and is working its way north, it is now considered a tropical storm. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Dan Murphy hugs his colleague after bringing his canoe to rescue them from their flooded home as the streets are flooded near Peachtree Creek after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains overnight on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.

(Megan Varner/Getty Images)

On Monday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp got a bird’s-eye view of the devastation.

“This hurricane, it looks like a 250-mile-wide tornado hit,” he said.

Among the dead in Georgia are a 27-year-old mother and her 1-month-old twin boys who died when a tree fell onto their mobile home outside Augusta.

Kemp said he’s working with federal partners to get help to areas that need it most.

“This storm literally spared no one,” he said.

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