Pray for WNC and WNG

Emergency crews worked to rescue stranded residents and to airlift supplies into Western North Carolina on Sunday, two days after Tropical Storm Helene brought catastrophic floods that cut utilities and closed major roads in and out of the region. As rivers and streams breached their banks, rushing water filled many neighborhoods in Asheville, N.C., including the business district where WORLD has its headquarters. “I don’t know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said on CBS’ Face the Nation.

What is the toll of the storm? Helene is so far responsible for more than 80 deaths, including 30 in Buncombe County, N.C., where Asheville is located. The storm made landfall Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida’s Big Bend area. In the state’s worst-hit counties, more than 90 percent of customers still had no power as of Sunday afternoon. In and around Asheville, an arts and tourism hub along the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, most residents had no electricity, running water, or cellphone service. “We’re in a bit of shock,” said Andrew Belz, WORLD’s major gift officer. “The Swannanoa River went from 50 feet wide or so to maybe 300 feet wide.” He described residents “driving around with their jaws down” as they took in the destruction.

What is happening at WORLD offices? WORLD occupies two buildings in the Biltmore Village neighborhood, which was engulfed by waters from the Swannanoa River. Water rose an estimated 6 feet inside the structures, one of which is a single-story former bank renovated to hold WORLD’s member services and marketing departments and studios for podcasts and video production. The majority of WORLD’s editorial staff work remotely from locations across the country and around the globe and will continue to provide news coverage as before. For information about our office recovery efforts, visit wng.org/WSOS.