It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains from Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina and Sam Perkins still had ... The area is about an hour’s drive from Asheville. “Under normal circumstances, it’s pleasantly very isolated ...

Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult.

At least 30 people have died in the area around Asheville, North Carolina. “Those communities no longer resemble what they were a week ago,” one official said.