See damage in Asheville; other areas

Hurricane Helene has left its mark on North Carolina and many residents are trying to make sense of the devastation it left in its wake.

Helene brought heavy rains, strong winds, damaging debris and flooding to the state. Power outages and life-threatening flash floods were reported in the western part of the state.

In many areas of North Carolina, such as Chimney Rock and Asheville, residents experienced heavy rain. The highest rainfall reported was 29.5 inches in Busick Raws, Yancey County, North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said.

The heavy rains prompted Rutherford County Emergency Management to issue an immediate evacuation notice to residents near Lake Lure Dam on Friday morning.

On Friday evening, the county government office provided an update on the dam’s water level.

“The water level in Lake Lure has stopped rising and is beginning to decline,” the county government office wrote in a Facebook post. “Emergency personnel rescued over 25 people through rapid water rescue, EMS, fire and law enforcement.”

Emergency personnel provided an update around 9:00 p.m. local time that the storm had knocked out many phone lines across the county, particularly in Lake Lure.