## SAPO: Five days after Hurricane Helene, residents in Fairview, North Carolina, are still without water, gas, power, and cell phone service, leading to desperation, fear, and looting.
## Article:
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
Hurricane Helene has left a trail of devastation across North Carolina, with residents in Fairview, a suburb of Asheville, struggling to survive without basic necessities five days after the storm.
"They're afraid. People are getting on edge," said Steve Antle, a retired Asheville police officer, to Fox News Digital. "They've already had people doing some minor looting in the area. Because there's no power … so it's just a free-for-all at this point. There are no traffic signals. There are not enough police officers."
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
With no electricity or cell service, residents are unable to communicate to find out where water, gasoline, and food are available. Communication with loved ones and emergency personnel is also spotty, and locals are relying on temporary cell service towers set up in select locations.
James LaTrell told Fox News Digital he lost his house in the storm. "Two giant oak trees fell on our house and took out the whole left side … first floor and the whole left side on the second floor," LaTrell said. "I actually got sick to my stomach while seeing that. I was in shock."
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
Helene has left at least 133 people dead across the Southeast, and that number is expected to rise as recovery teams continue to locate bodies and attempt to contact victims' families. More than 1,000 people in Buncombe County remain unaccounted for, FOX Weather previously reported.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) arrived in Western North Carolina Monday, but locals in Fairview maintained that they hadn't seen any federal officials in the area. "I haven't seen anybody from the federal government other than the Army, which is running the helicopters," Buncombe County. "I've seen lots of out-of-state rescue, lots of county ambulances. I've seen lots of state resources, wildlife resources. … But I haven't seen any federal government. I guess when you have a disaster like this, you imagine the federal government would swoop in, but that hasn't been the case here."
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
Rhiannon Thomas told Fox News Digital she felt "lucky" to have half a tank of gas and a vial of insulin for her daughter, who has diabetes. Unopened insulin needs to be refrigerated; without power, the only way to keep it cool is by using bags of ice, which the local Food Lion handed out to anyone who asked for it.
Local stores have been broken into, and employees at cash-only grocery stores retrieve items for customers and write down the serial numbers on a piece of paper. Food donation locations have been set up, but residents only know of them by word of mouth.
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
Local, state, and volunteer rescue organizations have been working tirelessly to deliver supplies and search for survivors, but the mountainous terrain and washed-out roads have hampered their efforts. Residents have reported seeing corpses in the water, buried beneath debris, and trapped in cars crushed by trees.
John Nazarovitch, a brewer in Fariview, showed Fox News Digital the remnants of a home that had floated downriver during the storm. Large pieces of metal from the house were wrapped around trees, showing just how strong the current had been.
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
Peter Larson, who works in a warehouse, isn't sure he will still have a job in a week after the hurricane’s destruction. "It’s a disaster," he told Fox News Digital. "Wholesale destruction everywhere. The roads in the mountains are washed out to the point where not even emergency medical can get in."
With tourism being a major industry in the region, businesses have suffered significant losses and weddings planned for the fall season have been canceled.
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
Melina Daniels, who owns a store in Boone, called Helene "the most catastrophic natural disaster that has taken place" in western North Carolina communities. "While we are amongst the few that received minimal property damage, our businesses and incomes have come to a halt," Daniels said.
Towns like Chimney Rock and Lake Lure have been decimated by the storm, with power lines down and debris everywhere.
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
"It was incomprehensible, what we witnessed, as it relates to the magnitude it was," said Charlotte City Councilman Tariq Bokhari, who visited Lake Lure. "It was truly something that you really can't even visualize unless you see it."
Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power and cell service, making it difficult to get help and contact loved ones.
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
"They've brought in a mobile transmitter tower and put it at the grocery store. … We only have one grocery store in Fairview, and that's kind of where everything's being coordinated," Antle said.
While major highways remain relatively clear, secondary roads are destroyed, and traffic into grocery stores and gas stations is overwhelming. The lack of data roaming and cellphone service is making it difficult for authorities to reach out to families and publicize official death tolls.
Desperate North Carolina Residents Struggle Without Basic Necessities Amidst Hurricane Helene's Aftermath
