It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains from Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina and ... according to CNN’s tally. North Carolina was hit hard: Days of unrelenting flooding have turned roads into waterways, left many stranded ...

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said the flooding in western North Carolina was "historic" and teams are conducting search and rescue operations.

The National Weather Service said Helene had cleared most of the Western North Carolina area by 11:21 a.m. Friday, but significant impacts including serious flooding were expected to continue into the weekend. Numerous areas and cities along the French Broad River are experiencing flooding and the river continues to rise.