The latest on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene

This is not the first time a tropical system has devastated Canton, North Carolina, but Mayor Zeb Smathers said there is a big difference between the aftermath of Hurricane Helene today and three years ago, when flooding from Tropical Storm Fred hit his city destroyed.

“With 1990s technology, we're facing search, rescue and recovery after a storm in 2024. At best,” a frustrated Smathers told CNN, referring to the complete breakdown of cell communications in Canton and Haywood County.

“The main problem is a lack of communication. Early on, before the worst parts of the storm on Friday, we lost all cell phone communications. And that in the entire region. And it has crippled every aspect of our ability to respond and recover. This continues from the storm to today. It is unacceptable and dangerous,” Mayor Smathers told CNN from the Canton Police Department, where a Starlink is located in Haywood County.

“If I'm not physically at the police station and someone needs me, a police officer has to go out on the street and find me. We can’t respond to needs,” Smathers said. “There are families living in turmoil because they can no longer make a simple cell phone call 72 hours after this storm. We can’t communicate with crisis management to deliver supplies because we don’t know what we have and what people need.”

Smathers told CNN that help is arriving in Canton, but connectivity problems have prevented smooth coordination and he worries that has likely resulted in the people who might need it most not getting the help they need. He noted that days later there was sometimes “poor service” early in the morning, but most cell phones still did not work, “even when trying the new iPhone satellite connection technology.”

“I have seen FEMA and federal assistance on the ground, but due to communication issues I cannot tell you to what extent they are here. I can't reach my own police officers and firefighters unless I see them in person at the train station and city hall. I'm literally passing notes to our water department to coordinate with the power company to help get the water turned back on. I pass along notes. The year is 2024. This is unacceptable.”

Smathers said his community desperately needs additional Starlink capabilities or even cell towers.

“I hear rumors that there are cell towers, but I don’t know. I heard there are some in Asheville, we need them too. Bring us connections. Help us maintain service. This was the moment we needed our cell phones the most. We have been crippled by the inability of telecommunications companies to serve our basic emergencies,” Smathers said.

The canton was exposed to extreme destruction in 2021 due to flooding caused by Tropical Storm Fred. Mayor Smathers said lessons learned helped the city prepare this time, but it wasn't enough.

“Three years ago we experienced flooding in Haywood County following Tropical Storm Fred. I think we were better prepared than anyone else. But when your river crest is 28 feet high, preparation only goes so far,” Smathers said. “It was apocalyptic here. Streams became streams, streams became rivers, rivers became oceans. Shops, restaurants, houses, they are gone. My sister lost her home. Roads and bridges, simply washed out and gone. I see the grief on the faces of everyone I meet. Three years later they go through it again. The idea that Western North Carolina appears to be Hurricane Row is a story in itself.”

“No disrespect to our friends to the east, but I think this will go down as the worst natural disaster in North Carolina history. “When it’s all said and done,” Smathers told CNN in a sad voice.