PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The destruction caused by Hurricane Helene has affected people from across the country, including those in Pennsylvania, who have loved ones living in the southern United States.
Renee Waring of Manchester Borough in York County was in Asheville, North Carolina with her daughter who lives there when the hurricane hit on Friday. She says she saw some of the staggering damage left in Helene's wake.
"They have no water," Waring said. "They have no electricity. Up until this morning, they had no cell phone usage. There were massive trees down Friday morning. There are people trapped in their homes. Asheville is flooded."
It took Waring six hours to get out of Asheville due to the number of roads and bridges closed.
"The bridge was out on 81, and we did go quite a ways up there," Waring said. "Do not go on 40 East out of Asheville because there was a landslide, and they're still trying to shovel that out, and you'll be turned around and sent back to Asheville."
Waring had enough gas to reach a working gas station 200 miles away, but others were not so lucky.
"There were other people out there that were stranded," Waring said. "They had 50 miles on the tank, and there's no way that they could get to help."
Over 60 people have been killed nationwide by the storm, and officials in Asheville say it could be weeks before water is restored. Power could also be out for a significant period. Waring’s daughter and her family were able to leave Asheville, and Waring says the people they’ve left behind desperately need help.
"Donate to the Red Cross, and they'll make sure it goes towards helping people from this storm," Waring said.