While some people received a door knock and were able to scramble up hills before flooding, many didn’t have the chance to grab the belongings they cherished most — let alone evacuate.

(Photo credit: Juan Diego Reyes for @propublica.org )

Yancey County, NC, a rural mountain expanse carved with rivers and creeks, bore the brunt of Helene’s devastation, with 30 inches of rainfall over 3 days, deadly landslides, the highest recorded wind speeds, and the highest death toll per capita in the state.

(Photo courtesy of Douglas Rodgers)