Across the region, [the torrential floodwaters after Helene](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/09/30/helene-north-carolina-evacuation-flooding/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4) tore through late last week inundated wastewater treatment plants, oil facilities and plastics factories. Pipes that deliver much of this city’s water, as well as backup lines, were destroyed, cutting off running water to about 100,000 people for an extended period, officials said. That has left many scrounging for water from pools or streams to flush toilets.
In Black Mountain, about 15 miles east of Asheville, water still isn’t running, either. Even when it starts flowing again, boil-water advisories will be ordered for weeks as pipes get patched and state labs test the water quality, said Jamey Matthews, the town’s public works manager. And the struggle extends beyond North Carolina: Many residents of Augusta, one of the most populous cities in Georgia, were also without running water Tuesday for the third consecutive day.
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — There is water to come by in this [storm-ravaged](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/09/29/helene-wnc-storm-north-carolina/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2) swath of rural North Carolina — but just barely. Among thousands of people, there is a palpable desperation for it and other basic necessities, a grim reminder of just how far the community is from normal life.
Across the region, [the torrential floodwaters after Helene](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/09/30/helene-north-carolina-evacuation-flooding/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4) tore through late last week inundated wastewater treatment plants, oil facilities and plastics factories. Pipes that deliver much of this city’s water, as well as backup lines, were destroyed, cutting off running water to about 100,000 people for an extended period, officials said. That has left many scrounging for water from pools or streams to flush toilets.
In Black Mountain, about 15 miles east of Asheville, water still isn’t running, either. Even when it starts flowing again, boil-water advisories will be ordered for weeks as pipes get patched and state labs test the water quality, said Jamey Matthews, the town’s public works manager. And the struggle extends beyond North Carolina: Many residents of Augusta, one of the most populous cities in Georgia, were also without running water Tuesday for the third consecutive day.
The question now is just how long these places will have to go without reliable taps. And at least in [Asheville](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/10/01/asheville-climate-haven-flooding-hurricane/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8), a city with a history of issues with water systems, the catastrophe underscores how complex it can be to restore delivery of something as simple as water.
Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/10/02/helene-water-recovery/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/10/02/helene-water-recovery/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)