This image from NPS (The National Park Service) shows the destruction on a part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We can see a crew out there clearing debris. (https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/helene-recovery-projects-at-a-glance.htm)

This image, also from NPS is a prime example of the destruction caused by the ground giving way underneath roads in western NC. (https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/helene-recovery-projects-at-a-glance.htm)

1. Hurricane Helene hit the western part of North Carolina on September 27, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall. The accumulated damage was about $60 billion. 40% of North Carolina’s population, that being about 4.6 million people, were affected by the hurricane. People were left without drinking water, electricity, ability to use cellphones, and healthcare facilities. Thousands of miles of roads were destroyed, leaving people stranded, unable to leave, and other unable to enter. (https://www.osbm.nc.gov/hurricane-helene-dna/open#:~:text=Helene’s%20impacts%20%E2%80%93%20particularly%20flooding%20and,counties%20for%20federal%20disaster%20assistance.)
2. Students of Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, and other smaller colleges were unable to attend school for weeks do to significant damage. Other people of the western Appalachian region; Asheville, Gastonia, and Hickory. (https://www.osbm.nc.gov/blog/2024/10/07/insight-population-hurricane-helenes-path)