Jeff Hughes, a woodworker who makes caskets in Newland, North Carolina, takes great care in every cut and saw line β but there's no easy way for him to get them to the funeral home. That's because the bridge he and his neighbors rely on to get to the main road was washed away by Hurricane Helene more than four months ago. It also damaged or destroyed at least private bridges in Avery County.
County manager Phillip Barrier says in some places the river is wider now, which can add to the cost of these bridges. With no bridge to rely on, Hughes straps his caskets onto an ATV, drives them upstream and carries them over a footbridge. And then we look to local charitable foundations to help us bridge the gap," Ollis said.
Just across the North Carolina border, Tennessee resident Bobby Trivette donated a semi-truck trailer to serve as a temporary bridge over the river β the only access route to Poga, Tennessee. The hurricane destroyed the original bridges, leaving Poga isolated.
The semi-truck bridge has since been replaced with a bridge made from railroad cars. The people who live there, like Alex Matthews, have no idea if or when they'll get a permanent bridge, making them feel forgotten about. Across North Carolina, Helene damaged more than 7, private bridges, roads and culverts. They're a critical part of the infrastructure, but right now the state isn't providing money for repairs.
In the meantime, volunteers built a temporary bridge in front of Hughes' home, helping to keep his business alive. Details on Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey referred to the body of water on the state's southern border as the Gulf of America during her State of the State address Tuesday.
