Helene in North Carolina | Cleanup underway in western North Carolina after flooding and mudslides; thousands of people without power near Asheville

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — Cleanup is underway Saturday morning in western North Carolina.

More than a foot of rain fell across much of the region over the past few days, setting the stage for disaster as Helene moved in as a tropical storm Friday morning. There were severe floods and mudslides.

“This is the largest natural disaster any of us have ever seen in Western North Carolina,” said Ryan Cole, deputy director of Buncombe County Emergency Services.

WATCH | ‘Terrible’ Helene leaves Western North Carolina with major flooding and all roads declared closed

In downtown Asheville, several trees were downed and many buildings were damaged.

Many roads and highways remain closed Saturday morning.

In Asheville, more than 100,000 people remain without power Saturday morning, according to Duke Energy’s power outage map.

ABC11 crews said debris, mud and more were all over the roads. They have virtually no cell signal.

Crews conducted more than 100 swift-water rescues Friday, about half of them around Asheville. People were emotional after being reunited with their loved ones.

Flooded roads prevented first responders from responding to some calls, according to Ryan Cole, deputy director of Buncombe County Emergency Services. This included a mudslide that affected four homes and left an unknown number of people missing.

At least two deaths in North Carolina have been blamed on the storm. 43 people nationwide have been confirmed dead as a result of Helene.

The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to hang over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend, the National Storm Center said. Multiple flood and flash flood warnings remain in effect for parts of the southern and central Appalachians. High wind warnings are also issued in parts of Tennessee and Ohio.

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