Asheville Mayor on Helene damage: No neighborhood has been spared, entering a 'desperate' situation

Asheville, NC mayor Esther Manheimer joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the state of damage caused by Hurricane Helene, how the public can help right now, and more.

[dfinlen]

Yeah Asheville is just the tip of the iceberg. EVERY CITY OR TOWN in the Appalachia mountains of NC, parts of SC, and Eastern Tennessee are devastated.

[wickedpawn]

Most little towns of Western NC nobody knows about have been leveled.

[kamnapavon]

That Region has narrow and difficult Roadways to navigate, under regular circumstances.
All that Region is Flooded and what is being shown, is only a fraction of what 'bad areas' actually are...
Helicopters would be effective Loss of Life is much greater than 40 . People cannot afford this kind of Loss in this Current Economy.
It will be interesting to see how Insurance Companies handle this Historic Loss? With Properties having Doubled in Value in the past 5-7Years and Insurance Companies expecting to
Continue to be a very Lucrative or Profitable Businesses... Because they would All Go Broke after a Storm like this, where Assets are 2x Previous
Having had GEICO Insurance in the Past, which Refused to Pay for Coverages I had, to Pay for Property Loss, to Help, I don't expect this will be a 'Good Experience' for those that are involved.

[billbryan-personal]

In reading some of the comments below, I feel compelled to say, I may not agree with the politics that Asheville has pursued over the past few years but during this time that does not factor in to me helping at all. This is an event that should not have politics entered into it. During these events we are not Republican or Democrat, we are people helping people. And Yes NC maybe getting attention but the devastation does extend to SC and TN as well as other states along Helene's path. Disasters like these have always been something that unified us in the past, let's try to at least hold on to that American characteristic.

[householdsix]

It is not just Asheville! It is the entire western NC, Eastern TN, parts of SC, parts of WVA!

[janweaver]

My prayer go out to each and every person effected by this hurricane that they receive the help they need to restore all they lost 😢🙏

[riccochet]

If you're in NC and want to help faster, since donating money to our government is probably the least efficient way, find an Operation Airdrop location to donate goods. There are a lot of sites setup for drop off's. Those goods are being trucked to a staging area in Hickory where private helicopter pilots are flying those goods in to the effected areas. This is immediate relief without letting our government "take a piece of the donation pie". Which I hate to say, but you know it's true. If you have cases of water, MRE's, canned and non-perishable goods PLEASE drop them off at a donation location. Everything helps. We the people have the biggest impact on our neighbors to the west.

[hughsviews]

I donated yesterday. We have an awesome community here in Jacksonville and surrounding areas. People are gathering supplies to help out.

[shirleyharris]

Hopefully after these horrific natural disasters, the importance of placing land lines as a priority throughout this country will be taken much more seriously! It makes no sense in 2024 not having the ability to communicate during extreme emergencies! 😢🙏🏽🇺🇸🙏🏽

[Gary-se]

asheville nc. got hit hard. Alot people no power. No where to live

[humanbeing]

Excellent reporter ! Gave the straightforward information and asked thoughtful questions.

[Rebecca-zqjb]

We want to hear more about all the small communities and those stranded in the mountains. From jouralist who could ride along in helicopters and rescue and distribute supplies at the same time? We need those people finding all those isolated people!🎉 they are all out there...many alone waiting for you. 3, 300 people dispatched isn't enough people.

[cassityart]

Drones can grid map the entire state. Communication pods set into high and dry areas. Repeal teams, pallet supplies, portable utility pods. Local help, local rescue. State and county support only.

[trueloveingod]

Apocalyptic scale devastation, absolutely heartbreaking. The poor Mayor, she seems so nice, what a terrible circumstance to befall all those people and wonderful parts of the Country. 🙏🏼 for everyone there, human and animal.

[louiseduhon]

Praying for you all & sending help. Hang on folks. Better times will come. Love you all. Stay safe.

[davidransom]

heartbreaking. a beautiful region of our country, and sad t osee so much devastation. let's note that the footage of destroyed boats and marinas is footage from florida. Palm trees do not grow in Asheville.

[kitecorbin]

I really feel for Asheville right now. They need clean water more than anything right now, and any canned foods or shelf stable items that they can get. Thank you so much to all of the people coming in and helping in any way they can.

[tigerphid]

They need to deploy the US military for this situation. It is that bad....

[armychic]

My heart goes out to everyone affected by this storm. I am keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers. My oldest sister and her husband live in Swannanoa. Although their home is at a high elevation, the bottom floor was completely flooded, and they are still without power and water. My other sister and I live just outside Raleigh and have offered to let them stay with us for a while as soon as they can find a way out. I hope it’s soon.

[souljahroch]

So 😢 for this community. I traveled the nation in search of a new home after surviving Katrina, & found Ashville to be one of the most caring, loving, artistic, & in short, finest communities in America🇺🇸✌️