“My parents live in an absolute gem of the North Carolina mountains,” Perkins said in a post about about his experience. The area is about an hour’s drive from Asheville. “Under normal circumstances, it’s pleasantly very isolated,” he ...

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

Hurricane Helene roared ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph (225 kph) winds. A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams.