Drone footage shows devastation along Blue Ridge Parkway after Hurricane Helene

The normally scenic Blue Ridge Parkway was closed Oct. 18 in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.

This drone footage captured by Matthew Van Swol on Monday, October 14, shows collapsed trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway outside Asheville, North Carolina.

The famous highway, which the National Park Service calls “America’s Favorite Highway,” winds 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina.

“It’s normally peak leaf-peeping season in the fall, and the boardwalk is unrecognizable,” Swol told X. “Zero leaves. Up to 80 percent tree loss in some areas. Mudslides. The roads were washed away by water. »

According to a local report, crews are working on emergency stabilization and damage assessment in the area.

Hurricane Helene struck the region on September 27, causing deadly flooding and damage that killed at least 95 people in North Carolina. Credit: Matthew Van Swol via Storyful