Phil Miles, 76, a regular Muni golfer who before Helene played weekly, was back at the course for the first time Nov. 7. He was out of town when the storm reached WNC, and said even from afar, watching the devastation was “heartbreaking.”

A driver has died after going around a barricade and driving off the edge of a hurricane-damaged North Carolina highway that became a symbol of Hurricane Helene’s destruction. Photos of Interstate 40 with multiple lanes washed out by Helene near the Tennessee state line drew widespread attention after the storm as the region was largely cut off by numerous road closures.

The highway has been shut down since Hurricane Helene's floodwaters swept away extensive sections along the Pigeon River.