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The only road leading to Pensacola, in the mountains of North Carolina, has been reduced to a muddy path after the floods caused by Hurricane Helene.

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Near her old workshop, which was completely destroyed by the floods, Christy Edwards, a local resident, told AFP, “The main bridges leading to the town have completely collapsed.”

She emphasized the isolation faced by this remote area, where she was born and raised, due to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. A week later, residents began to move around gradually.

At an elevation of about a thousand meters, this former teacher warned that time is running out with “winter approaching.”

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She explained, “These residents and these homes are only equipped with electric heating, and some have wood stoves,” with temperatures expected to drop next week.

A few hundred meters from her home, amidst the pile of trees and gravel that gathered in her garden, the fire station has turned into a hive of activity where residents gather for light and comfort.

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An Unprecedented Hurricane

At least one person died around the town of Pensacola. It was Susan, who was swept away by one of the mudslides that ravaged the surrounding hills on the morning of Friday, September 27, according to a neighbor.

The hurricane claimed at least 214 lives, making Helene the second deadliest hurricane on the US mainland in more than half a century, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Scientists attribute the intensity of the hurricane to the warming of ocean waters caused by climate change.

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Chaos
Once the rescue operations were completed, the first excavators and bulldozers arrived. Dozens of workers began leveling a road over the mud and rocks that had been washed away by the floodwaters.

In the midst of this worksite, the presence of authorities is hardly noticeable. Near the fire station, in front of a flipped-over camping truck facing a white church, soldier Sean Lavin from the New York State National Guard is involved in relief operations with a team of about ten people.

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The team’s supervisor, who preferred to remain anonymous, admitted that “chaos” reigns within the official teams, who are working alongside local residents and volunteers who came from afar, some in their helicopters.

Many residents of this remote area believe that the authorities arrived too late and that accessing aid from the federal agency is extremely complicated, as the request must be submitted online.