Adam Tamburin
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Flooding around the Unicoi County Hospital in East Tennessee. Photo: Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
The remnants of Hurricane Helene thrashed East Tennessee on Friday, causing catastrophic flooding in several communities near the North Carolina border.

The big picture: Towns were evacuated and whole homes were carried away by record-breaking floodwaters. A portion of Interstate 40 along the state border was closed at the Pigeon River.

Nearby, in Unicoi County, more than 50 people fled onto the rooftop of a local hospital to escape muddy water that surged beyond the banks of the Nolichucky River.
Emergency crews deployed from Nashville and around the state to help with dangerous water rescue missions.
What they’re saying: State Rep. Jeremy Faison, who represents part of East Tennessee including Cocke County, said the recovery efforts in that part of the state “are going to be monumental.”

“Praying for safety and for our county and all those around us,” he said on social media.
Faison cautioned residents who fled their homes not to return, as water could continue rising for days.
State of play: Gov. Bill Lee declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon. President Biden approved a federal emergency declaration, making federal aid available for recovery efforts.

Across the Southeast, the storm has claimed the lives of at least 91 people, according to the Associated Press, including 30 in Buncombe County, N.C., where Asheville is located.
At least two deaths have been reported in Tennessee, according to state health officials. Over the weekend, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation set up a hotline (1-800-TBI-FIND) for reporting people missing in the flood-impacted areas.
As of Sunday night, there were about 12,000 people in the northeastern corner of the state without power, according to poweroutage.us.
Zoom in: The frantic evacuation at Unicoi County Hospital, located along the North Carolina border, was emblematic of the chaos that gripped the region in Helene’s wake.

What happened: The Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency ordered the hospital to evacuate at 9:38am local time, according to a statement from Ballad Health. But by the time ambulances arrived to help, fast-rising floodwaters blocked the hospital.

The state deployed rescue boats, but the force of the coursing, debris-filled water “became extremely dangerous and impassable,” Ballad said.