A new lifeline to evacuate people from western North Carolina is back open. As of Tuesday morning, Interstate 40 East is open again after being cut off by flooding, downed trees and mudslides for four days, according to state and local officials.
"I-40 East out of Buncombe County is open," county officials said on social media at about 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Interstate 40 West into the mountains is still closed to all but emergency vehicles. The highway remains closed in both directions near the Tennessee border.
Interstate 26, the main highway south, already reopened to help residents evacuate and emergency workers get into the area.
Flooding from Helene cut Asheville off from the rest of the state. The storm damaged hundreds of roads in western North Carolina and many remain impassable.
"All roads in Western North Carolina should be considered closed and non-emergency travel is prohibited," according to the North Carolina Deparment of Transportation. "People evacuating the Asheville area can use I-40 east or I-26 east."