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.

After making landfall in Florida on Thursday, Hurricane Helene continued north, bringing catastrophic flooding to western North Carolina and parts of South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Asheville, N.C., saw approximately two feet of rain between Thursday and Saturday morning.