Asheville, NC isolated by flooding. Latest on power, cell and more

Communities across Western North Carolina are in recovery after strong storms, heavy rain and severe flooding battered the state, leaving "biblical devastation," according to officials.

Tropical Storm Helene swept through the region Sept. 27, causing massive power outages, dam and reservoir breaches and countless downed trees. Widespread cell service disruptions and impassable roads have left people cut off, disconnected or trapped in their homes.

A curfew is in effect from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. within the Asheville city limits. Officials are advising residents to stay off the roads as much as possible and to conserve fuel.

Here is what you should know about Asheville in the wake of Helene's devastation.

While downtown Asheville, the largest city in Western North Carolina, was not hit as hard by Helene's flooding, the city of 95,000 was mostly without power, cell service and water as of Sunday afternoon. Most stores, restaurants, hotels and businesses are shuttered.

But directly outside the city and throughout Buncombe County and bordering counties, Helene wrought utter devastation. At least 30 people are confirmed dead in Buncombe County, but no names have been released to the public as of Sunday afternoon.

Large swaths of the River Arts District were completely swept away, while severe flooding caused extensive damage in Biltmore Village.

This map shows rainfall from Helene and in the days preceding the storm that combined to create disastrous flooding.

For any life-threatening situations, always call 911. Buncombe County has established a non-emergency line for community reports of things such as downed trees and debris: 828-250-6650.

To report a person believed to be missing or unaccounted for, voicemails can be left for the Buncombe County Family Assistance Center at 828-820-2761.

There are two shelters available at Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College:

At least 95,000 power outages in the Asheville area were reported Sunday morning, according to the Duke Energy outage map. Crews working to assess damage and make repairs were focused on the hardest-hit areas first. A multiple dayslong restoration effort is expected.

More than 300,000 outages were reported across the Western North Carolina region. Cell service was also down for much of Buncombe County with no known restoration timeline.

A boil water advisory is in place for Western North Carolina and preliminary assessments show severe damages to Asheville's city water system. Residents who currently have water should fill up bathtubs and other containers in preparation for potential loss of service.

The Fresh Market will distribute free bottled water in the parking lots of their Asheville locations starting at 6 p.m. Sunday. The Fresh Market locations are 944 Merrimon Ave. and 1378 Hendersonville Road.

The State Emergency Operations Center will also be sending potable water to Asheville. Designated distribution points will be established and a distribution system is currently being put in place. As of a Sunday morning press conference, the water had not yet arrived and distribution plans were not yet available.

Water is reportedly available at the following locations:

The following grocery stores are reportedly open:

Food distribution is available at:

Asheville City Schools will be closed on Monday, Sept. 30, and Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Buncombe County Schools will be closed for the entire week, Monday, Sept. 30-Friday, Oct. 4.

UNC Asheville will be fully closed until Monday, Oct. 7, with classes further suspended until Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Western Carolina University will be fully closed through Friday, Oct. 4.

Appalachian State University will be fully closed through Friday, Oct. 4.

All roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed, and non-emergency travel is prohibited. Interstate 40 is impassable in multiple locations throughout Buncombe County.

The office of Gov. Cooper Saturday night said Interstate 26 south of Asheville is effectively the only major thoroughfare in and out of the city due to damage to Interstate 40 and other routes.