1. On Sunday, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for North Carolina following devastating and historic rainfall and flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
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2. Helene was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday. According to the New York Times, its impact extended into Tennessee and caused 600 miles of destruction.
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3. One of the areas hit hardest was Asheville, a city in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
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4. Asheville is located in Buncombe County, and according to CBS News, officials reported on Monday that 35 people have died in the county as a result of Helene.
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5. According to an Associated Press report from Saturday, the city became isolated after the storm destroyed roads and caused major power outages.
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7. The AP also reported on Monday that supplies were being airlifted to isolated regions of western North Carolina.
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8. National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw told the Asheville Citizen Times on Sunday that western North Carolina saw record rainfall of 17.31 inches over the past three days.
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9. Helene’s impact set a new September rainfall record for the area in just three days, up from the previous 13.71 inches in 2004.
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10. Asheville is home to two notable rivers, the French Broad and the Swannanoa, both of which are reported to have flooded.
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11. The Citizen Times reported that, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Swannanoa River, which runs through Biltmore, “crested” at 26.1 feet on Friday. This is reportedly 6 feet above the previous record of 20.7 feet. Here’s what the Swannanoa River looked like on Sunday:
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12. Biltmore Village, an area of the city near the famed Biltmore Estate, was among the regions that experienced damage.
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13. On Monday, Biden spoke to reporters at the White House about Helene’s devastation, saying he planned to visit affected areas so long as he wouldn’t disrupt relief efforts.
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14. Biden did not specify the affected areas he may visit.
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15. “This is [a] historic storm. It’s devastating. They’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said, per Deadline.
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