This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As the actual killer winds and storms from Hurricane Helene dissipate, residents of multiple southeastern states, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina in particular, are getting a look at what's left of their communities after one of the most devastating storms ever.
And it's not good.
Zach Dasher, of Swannanoa, N.C., said it's complete devastation there. Absolute decimation.
"I'm talking about not only have the buildings gone on one side of the road, the ground that the building sat on is no longer there. It's complete devastation. Lots of people lost their lives. Folks from our church that were helping rescue people out of the floods, they saw people lose their lives… We don't have a final count or anything like that… It's devastating.," he said in a Fox report.
While the storm came ashore as a Category 4 in Florida, it swooped north quickly, crossing Georgia then landing, more or less, on parts of North Carolina, where up to 30 inches of rain was reported.
And roads, buildings, bridges, even mountainsides, were reported gone.
Vast swaths of the region remained without power. No food, fuel or communications yet were available.
Appalachian State University student Dana Lheureux told Fox's Trace Gallagher, "The hurricane hitting us was devastating. None of us expected to be hit as bad as we were. The tree went through my building at 6 a.m. on Friday morning."
Fatalities were documented in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for North Carolina and at the same time warned people they would need to donate to cover the costs of a recovery. GOP presidential candidate President Donald Trump announced the delivery of trucks loaded with supplies, and an online fundraiser that was collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to help.
Debris from destroyed buildings and vehicles littered waterways, which were at record flood levels as the rainfall drained away, a process that should take days.
Various locations declared public health emergencies. Tornado watches remained.
In Erwin Tennessee, officials reported dozens of people were rescued from the roof of a hospital.
Virginia state police said dozens of patients and staff were trapped on the building because of the quickly rising storm floods.
"I don't think very many people have seen something like this before," Ballad Health CEO Alan Levine said in a report. "The most important thing is the safety of our employees and patients. Thank God, thanks to the great work of Tennessee and Virginia partnering to help us get this rescue underway, they're all safe."
Hundreds of flights were canceled in Charlotte, Atlanta and Tampa, and there was a warning issued that electric vehicles, if flooded by salty seawater, could short out and explode.
ABC News reported sudden, heavy deluges still were being reported.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called the wreckage left behind "beyond belief."
"Communities were wiped off the map," he said.
Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane and reports called it the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend on record.
The Buncombe County region in North Carolina was among the hardest hit, with 35 fatalities there and an estimated 600 individuals still remaining unaccounted for.
Online, Biden and Harris were facing a backlash over a slow response, with one commenter suggesting they get that "check" back from Ukraine and send it to Asheville, N.C., which was a bull's-eye for the storm.
A report at BizPacReview scorched the Democrats for, as the storm destroyed lives, "Biden had returned to his beach and Harris had her handout as she continued bucking for a promotion."
