LANSING, North Carolina — Throughout the last week, first responders from across our state and our country have been helping with rescues and recovery.
This includes Triad agencies like the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. was out in Buncombe County earlier this week.
He said seeing people cry as their homes and livelihoods float down the river is something that has kept him up at night.
"I had seen pictures, but the pictures don't do it any good, you can smell death in places because you can't get to the bodies," Kimbrough said.
The death and destruction brought on by Helene is something many say they've never seen. Sheriff Kimbrough said he could smell it as soon as he got to western NC.
Firefighters describe scary scenes; people will flood water all the way up to their necks, and flooded cars flipped over with people stranded inside. Situations they never thought they'd find themselves in.
Those types of stories take a toll on the many first responders in western NC as they're working around the clock since the storm tore through the area.
Luckily, other first responders from all across the country descended on western NC to help.
Firefighters in the area say this is what they're born to do. Rushing into action to save lives during the deadliest storm this area has ever seen.
Many roads in western NC are still closed down, cutting off access to some smaller mountain towns, but that's not stopping first responders. Many of them are being airlifted in to help.
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