Burke County officials signed an emergency declaration ahead of Tropical Storm Helene and issued voluntary evacuation orders for low-lying areas, county officials and residents said. The declaration opened access to state resources and the federal Public Assistance process through FEMA as crews staged and carried out multiple water rescues during the storm.

The emergency declaration was signed by Jeff Britton, chairman of the Burke County Board of Commissioners, the day before the main impact, county speakers said. That declaration "enabled us to do the voluntary evacuation orders for some of the more expected to be impacted areas up towards Lynnville and up towards the lake," a county official said. Officials said the declaration also allowed them to connect with state resources and later to pursue FEMA public-assistance funding tied to the declared emergency.

Why it matters: county officials said FEMA public assistance is only available when an emergency declaration is in place, and they described the declaration as a critical component for recovery and for reimbursing response costs over the following months.

Emergency operations and rescues
County emergency staff said they began preparations two to three days before the storm reached Burke County, staging crews in the east and west, checking boats and motors, issuing dry suits for rescue personnel and arranging backfill coverage for 9-1-1 ambulances. "We started about 2 to 3 days ahead of time before the storm actually arrived to Burke County, prepping equipment, making sure we had all of our boats in place," the Director of Emergency Services said.

During the height of the event, telecommunicators took a surge of calls and rescue teams worked around the clock. Authorities reported about 11 telecommunicators on shift who together answered roughly 4,500 calls. Rescue teams logged 73 documented rescues in a 23-hour period, officials said; that count excludes other well checks and assistance provided during the event.

Rescuers described rapidly rising water that turned shallow, passable areas into life-threatening hazards within minutes. A Special Operations rescue team member described a scene at a bridge where water rose quickly: the water "was going over that bridge about 4 foot, above the bridge level" and told of having to tie off on a rope hung 30 feet in a tree to avoid being swept away. "I almost lost 6 people here. That impact will never leave me," the rescue team member said.

Infrastructure damage and utility response
The city of Morganton reported major utility impacts. A city official said the community lost electric service for more than 10,000 customers and experienced simultaneous interruptions to water and wastewater operations; within 24 hours crews had restored some water service but with a boil-water notice in place while operators assessed pipe contents and system condition.

Morganton's electric department and water/wastewater crews worked extended shifts and received mutual aid from about 10 other North Carolina communities for personnel and equipment to restore service. City and county officials said the work included clearing trees and debris to make repairs and ensure safe system startup.

Community response and recovery operations
Local government staff, volunteers and elected officials helped support emergency workers and affected residents. City employees and community volunteers served meals to responders; officials said more than 4,000 meals were provided over eight days to sustain crews and volunteers during the immediate recovery.

Residents described extensive property damage and disruption. Several residents recounted water rising above house gutters, large amounts of mud and debris, and being forced to move personal property to the curb for cleanup and disposal. One resident described sleeping in an SUV the night after water receded and returning at daylight to find extensive loss.

Next steps and recovery funding
County officials emphasized that the emergency declaration was intended to speed response and to preserve eligibility for federal public-assistance funds through FEMA, a process officials said will be important during the months of recovery ahead. Officials also said they continued coordinating with state agencies and mutual-aid partners to complete damage assessments and restore services.

The county and city officials said the recovery will be long, with work continuing on infrastructure repairs, utility restoration and individual assistance in the coming weeks and months.