Chopper 9 flies over Helene’s damage in Charlotte, western NC

NORTH CAROLINA — On Saturday, Chopper 9 Skyzoom captured the conditions that are making it so hard to get resources to western North Carolina.

Chopper 9’s coverage started with Riverside Drive in northwest Charlotte where Friday morning, mandatory emergency evacuations took place.

Next, we headed towards the mountains and Lake Lure. Debris fills the waterways where colorful kayaks break up the sea of brown debris. Docks were floating in the middle of the lake with chairs and tables still sitting on top. It was as if the structure wasn’t ripped from a home.

Lake Lure Beach washed away and the historic Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, once a blooming botanical garden and overlook, is now destroyed.

Community members could be seen walking over the debris of the neighboring bridge.

Not far from there at Chimney Rock, another bridge was ripped in half by the strong floodwaters. The once postcard-perfect mountain town still held on to some of its beauty in the midst of the destruction, but the wineries and breweries that looked over the water are now washed away.

The waters in Biltmore Village are receding, leaving weeks, months, and even years of cleanup.

The conditions in Morganton were shocking -- the town was still underwater on Saturday.

Friday morning, emergency officials told Channel 9 that resources were stretched extremely thin due to the number of calls they were responding to.

Channel 9’s Hannah Goetz spoke to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Saturday evening. Cooper said crews have carried out over 200 water rescues already, many of them in the western part of the state.

“Getting those supplies into the area is critical it is extremely challenging,” Cooper said. “People in the mountains know that topography is difficult anyway, but with so many landslides, so many roads have been taken out. With so much still underwater and some rivers still rising, the danger is not over. There is a lot of work that needs to be done.”

Efforts are ongoing to get supplies by air to people who are trapped, according to Cooper.

There are 10 confirmed storm-related deaths in North Carolina, at least three of which were in our area. Two from fallen trees in Charlotte and Kings Mountain, and a third from a crash in Catawba County.

South Carolina officials report 22 deaths in that state including one in Chesterfield.

Evacuation orders are still in place for many along the Catawba River after Duke Energy released water from the Cowans Ford Dam.

WATCH: Gaston County residents worry about flooding in aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene

Gaston County residents worry about flooding in aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene

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