Snow impacts western NC mountain towns recovering from Hurricane Helene: 'Coldest air of the season so far'

People living in western North Carolina mountain towns who are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Helene are now dealing with a cold spell as they woke up to snow on Wednesday morning.

"The devastation around here is heartbreaking, but the thought of people with no power or damaged homes is just awful," Waynesville resident Jeanne Tierney Vavruska told Fox News Digital, adding that she is concerned for her neighbors.

"We had literally been sleeping in our shed because of water damage, and it was so cold," she added. "This was last week when the temperatures weren't nearly as bad. I'm so grateful we only lost power for a couple of weeks and had a little water damage."

Vavruska, originally from Florida, and her husband from Massachusetts started their move to the area in September 2023. They did not settle on their property until March of this year, meaning this will be their "first winter at 4,100 feet."

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Fox Carolina issued a weather-related First Alert for the "coldest air of the season so far" on Wednesday and Thursday. The mountains were forecast to have feel-like temperatures in the 20s, raising concern for those still without power.

As a result, cold weather shelters opened in Buncombe County, where Helene swept away homes, cut power and destroyed crucial parts of the water system for Asheville, a city of about 94,000 people. The storm decimated remote towns and killed at least 246 people throughout the Appalachians, where massive cleanup efforts have been complicated by washed-out bridges and roads. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005.  

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As for Vavruska, she hopes those visiting the area realize there is still a lot of work to be done.

"The town is being put back together so quickly, I'm afraid people will forget that there is still a ton of devastation off of the main roads," she said.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.