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Photos and videos have captured “biblical devastation” in Asheville, North Carolina, as residents scramble for resources after flooding and power outages that led to gas and water shortages.

Roads were submerged, vehicles and homes were destroyed and residents had to pick up the debris left behind by Helene, which flooded the area with torrential rain late last week after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane.

“Tropical Storm Helene caused severe damage to the production and distribution system of the City of Asheville’s water system,” the City of Asheville said in a statement Saturday. “Extensive repairs are required to treatment facilities, underground and above-ground water pipes, and washed-away roads that prevent water personnel from accessing portions of the system.”

According to a press release issued Sunday, the city has now ordered food and water supplies that will arrive in the next few days. But she asks those affected by the storm to “please be conservative and help your neighbors if possible.”

The video shows extensive flooding in Asheville, North Carolina

The River Arts District in Asheville is overcrowded

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Debris and flooding fill Asheville's River Arts District after Helene

Residents in Asheville's River Arts District surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

The water supply could be interrupted for weeks

The city said an exact timeline was not clear, but it could take weeks to fully restore water service.

“We just need water,” Julie Brown told the Asheville Citizen-Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Sunday. “There are units where four children use the toilet.”

One of Brown's neighbors filled a trash can with water from a nearby stream, and she uses that water to flush her toilet.

The few who have running water are being asked to fill bathtubs and other available containers in the event of a service outage.

For people with running water, the warning to boil water still applies.

'Cash only!'

“No gas! Cash only! No gas!” Shouts could be heard in the line that gathered outside BJ's Food Mart at 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

Shops in the devastated area can only accept cash as they have been unable to process credit and debit card payments due to the lack of electricity and poor internet connectivity.

An hour-and-a-half long line had formed at the Wells Fargo ATM downtown. Residents flocked to get cash for food, water and gas. Some tried to leave the city, others simply wanted enough cash for the coming days.

“We came downtown looking for gas,” Stephan Amann, who lives in North Asheville with his partner, told the Asheville Citizen-Times. “We stood in line at one of the gas stations on Merrimon, but they were all empty before we got there, which was inconvenient.”

The couple wanted to leave the city but found no other option.

“We tried, but it looks like we really have nowhere to go,” he said.

Photos show “biblical devastation” in Asheville

“We have biblical devastation across the county,” said Ryan Cole, deputy director of Buncombe County Emergency Services. “We had biblical floods here,” Cole said.

Initial estimates suggest that Helene caused between 15 and 100 billion US dollars.

Massive storms like Helene are expected to continue to occur in the future, according to scientists who study Earth's climate and weather

“Natural disasters are natural disasters,” said Ian Maki, an innkeeper in Cedar Key, Florida. “But these no longer feel natural.”

Contributors: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Will Hofmann, Jorge L. Ortiz, Susan Miller, Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Keith Sharon, Jacob Biba, Sarah Honosky, Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times

Julia is a trends reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her LinkedInkeep following her X, formerly Twitter, Instagram And TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]

On By John Fenwick

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