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    • Photos and videos show Helene’s aftermath
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    Photos and videos show Helene’s aftermath

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    Photos and videos captured the “biblical devastation” in Asheville, North Carolina, as residents scramble to find resources after floods and power outages caused gas and water shortages.

    Roads were flooded, vehicles and homes were destroyed and residents had to clean up the pieces left behind by Helene, which flooded the area with heavy rain late last week after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane.

    “Tropical Storm Helene severely damaged the production and distribution systems of the City of Asheville water system,” the City of Asheville announced in a statement on Saturday. “Extensive repairs are needed to treatment plants, underground and above-ground water pipes, and to washed-out roads that prevent water crews from accessing parts of the system.”

    The city has since ordered food and water supplies, which will arrive in the coming days, according to a news release issued Sunday. But it asks those affected by the storm to “please be conservative and help your neighbors if possible.”

    Hurricanes, tornadoes, snow and heat: Sign up for USA TODAY’s Climate Point newsletter for more weather news and analysis.

    Video captures extensive flooding in Asheville, North Carolina

    Asheville’s River Arts District was flooded

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    Debris and flooding fill Asheville’s River Arts District after Helene

    Residents of Asheville’s River Arts District surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

    The water supply could be disrupted for weeks

    The city said an exact timeline is not clear, but it could take weeks for water service to be fully restored.

    “We just need water,” Julie Brown told the Asheville Citizen-Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Sunday. “You have units where four children use the bathroom.”

    One of Brown’s neighbors has filled a garbage can with water from a nearby creek, and she uses that water to flush her toilet.

    The few who do have running water are being asked to fill bathtubs and other available containers in case service goes down.

    For people with running water, the advice to boil water remains in force.

    ‘Cash only!’

    “No gas! Cash only! No gas!” could be heard shouting at 9 a.m. Sunday morning at the line gathering outside BJ’s Food Mart.

    Shops in the devastated area can only accept cash after the lack of power and poor internet service left them unable to process credit and debit card payments.

    Downtown, an hour-and-a-half long line had formed at the Wells Fargo ATM building. Residents poured in to get money for groceries, water and gas. Some were trying to get out of town and others just wanted enough money for the next few days.

    “We came to town looking for gas,” Stephan Amann, who lives in North Asheville with his partner, told the Asheville Citizen-Times. “We were in line at one of the gas stations on Merrimon, but they were gone before we got there, which was inconvenient.”

    The couple wanted to leave town, but could find no other options.

    “We’ve tried, but it seems like we can’t go anywhere,” he said.

    Photos capture ‘biblical devastation’ in Asheville

    “We have biblical devastation in the county,” said Ryan Cole, deputy director of Buncombe County Emergency Services. “We’ve had biblical floods here,” Cole said.

    According to early estimates, Helene would have caused somewhere between $15 and $100 billion.

    Massive storms like Helene’s are expected to continue to occur in the future, according to scientists who study Earth’s climate and weather

    “Natural disasters are natural disasters,” said Ian Maki, an innkeeper in Cedar Key, Florida. “But these no longer feel natural.”

    Contributors: N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Will Hofmann, Jorge L. Ortiz, Susan Miller, Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Keith Sharon, Jacob Biba, Sarah Honosky, Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times

    Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can contact her at LinkedInfollow her further X, formerly Twitter, Instagram And TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]

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