The small village of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, is coming to terms with the “total devastation” caused by Helene, which has left several people unaccounted for and obliterated riverside homes and downtown businesses, Mayor Peter O’Leary told CNN.
Some families have yet to contact their loved ones as cell service in the area remains “nonexistent,” O’Leary told CNN’s Laura Coates.
Emergency crews are relying on radio communications, and the mayor said he has resorted to staying 10-15 miles out of town so he can contact people in the mornings and evenings before venturing back into the village.
The downtown business district is “100% destroyed,” he said, including the general store that O’Leary owns. And though some homes were spared, anything close to the river was destroyed, wiping heaps of debris into nearby Lake Lure.
Asked what he would tell President Joe Biden, who is visiting the state on Wednesday, the mayor said Chimney Rock needs a “financial commitment to rebuild.”
“There is a strong spirit to rebuild the town, rebuild the area. Chimney Rock is a historic, iconic landmark for western North Carolina,” O’Leary said.
The reality of a prolonged recovery is still sinking in for Chimney Rock residents, he said.
“It’s still just so fresh for everybody. Of course, we want to rebuild. All of us want to rebuild. But we have monumental challenges in front of us.”
