Hurricane Helene left a 600-mile swath of destruction and record flooding in the Southeast, with major highways washed out in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, power outages, fuel shortages, communication disruptions and more affecting trucking.
October 2 Update on Helene Aftermath: What’s Going on with I-40?
Initially, I-40 was closed both eastbound and westbound coming into Asheville, North Carolina, and into eastern Kentucky.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation offers some information on Helene detours on its website, but cautions that communication problems caused by the storm mean it may not have information on some closures.
“DANGEROUS CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA,” it warns.
“There are shortages of water, food, gas, power and communications in western NC. Access is limited to local and hurricane response traffic. You cannot get from North Carolina to TN via I-40 or I-26. There may be closed roads not listed on DriveNC.gov as many areas are not able to report at this time.”
As the Citizen Times reported, sections of Interstate 40 are still impassable and some areas are completely gone. On Tuesday, I-40 was reopened east of Asheville, but I-40 at mile marker 3 in Haywood County will remain closed indefinitely.
A Google Maps alert that it will take until 2025 to reopen the section of I-40 at the North Carolina-Tennessee border is likely premature; officials haven’t had a chance yet to evaluate the damage and determine what needs to be done. The repairs needed to I-40 will take “months” at a minimum, according to NCDOT.
John Pope, chairman of North Carolina-based Cargo Transporters, reported on his LinkedIn that “I-40 at the TN/NC state line, ‘the gorge,’ is estimated to be closed for as much as 12 months while the interstate is rebuilt. ….I know the NCDOT is working with the USDOT on additional resources to expedite this.”
September 30 Report on Hurricane Helene
More than 100 people have been killed by the historic storm and the resulting record flooding well inland.
The Biden-Harris administration approved emergency declarations for Florida, North Carolina Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama, with “major disaster declarations” for Florida and North Carolina.
State governors have issued emergency waivers from federal hours of service regulations for truck drivers and motor carriers providing relief.
With tanker trucks unable to reach their destinations, gas and diesel shortages followed in the states hit by the hurricane. Many gas stations and truck stops were shut down due to power outages and disrupted supply chains, making it impossible for fuel trucks to deliver even if they were able to get there.
Near Cedar Grove, Georgia, a tree fell on a tractor-trailer truck heading down a highway, killing a passenger and injuring another, according to published reports.
A reel on Instagram posted by several accounts showed the inside of a truck cab flooded up to nearly the bottom of the windows, reportedly in North Carolina, with water rushing by outside. No further details were available.
‘All Roads in Western North Carolina Should be Considered Closed’
Hundreds of roads were closed across North Carolina, including Interstate 40. Buncombe County officials managed to reopen Interstate 26 between Asheville and South Carolina, but many roads remained impassable.
North Carolina’s real-time travel site, https://drivenc.gov/, warned visitors that I-40 is impassable in multiple locations, I-26 is closed at the Tennessee state line, and there are many closed roads not listed because some areas aren’t able to report, thanks to communication disruptions.
“All roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed and non-emergency travel is prohibited.”
⚠️HEADS UP⚠️ We are observing too many people attempting to drive west on I-40 toward Tennessee.
🚧 I-40 West is closed with an all-traffic exit at Exit 20/U.S. 76. 🚧
🚨 Unless it’s an emergency, 𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙍𝙊𝘼𝘿𝙎 in Western NC should be considered 𝘾𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙀𝘿🚨 pic.twitter.com/XJ97pjJKy7
— NCDOT Western Mts (@NCDOT_Westmtn) September 28, 2024
As of about 9:30 eastern time Monday morning, I-40 was closed between Asheville and Statesville, North Carolina, and in the western part of the state into eastern Tennessee.
“This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response,” Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina said Sunday afternoon. State officials said about 460,000 people were without power. There were reports of people waiting in hours-long lines for gas, and empty pumps.
Tennessee: Helene a ‘500-Year Event’
In an update late Sunday afternoon, about 48 hours after the storm hit, the Tennessee Department of Transportation reported it was still in the debris removal and assessment phase, inspecting hundreds of bridges.
Fourteen state bridges have been closed, five of which are completely gone.
They said it was “in excess of a 500-year event…. We design our interstate bridges over our hydraulic crossings for 100-year events, so these are truly historic numbers.”
Interstate highways are the priority, including I-40 between Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as I-26 between mile marker 40 and 43.
The TDOT said updated information would be available on its Smartway Traffic information app and on social media channels.
These are photos from the Erwin/Unicoi County area. Aerial assessments are underway and we’re sending our crews out to the hardest hit areas. #easttn #helene #stormcleanup #damage #roadconditions pic.twitter.com/1ojx7afDHi
— myTDOT (@myTDOT) September 28, 2024
Truck Stops Closed or With Limited Service
As of about 10 a.m. eastern time on Monday, TravelCenters of America reported a number of closures on its network update page, including one location in Georgia and two in South Carolina.
Pilot Flying J listed eight location in Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas closed, and five in Georgia and Florida open but operating on generators.
Love’s listed several locations closed due to the hurricane, while others were partially affected with changes in hours, the maintenance shop closed, restaurants closed or with limited hours, cash-only operation.
Hours of Service Exemptions for Relief Efforts
Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations allow state governors to suspend hours-of-service rules and some other federal safety regulations for up to 14 days during an emergency for motor carriers and drivers engaged in direct emergency relief effort.
You can find a state by state listing of emergency declarations at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency-declarations
As of approximately 10 a.m. EDT on Sept. 30, those related to Helen included:
Some declarations also include suspension of state weight, height, length, and width limitations, and/or waive the requirement to stop at weigh stations, for those involved in emergency relief efforts.