ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — These are the live updates for October 2 following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, which hit Western North Carolina September 26-27. We will continue to update this story as new information comes to News 13 throughout the day.

4:00 p.m. – Buncombe County Government Press Conference. Sheriff confirms 61 dead in Buncombe County.

Buncombe County leaders held a press conference to provide an update on recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene.

Sheriff Quentin Miller confirmed there were 61 storm-related fatalities in Buncombe County as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Assistant City Manager Ben Woody provided an update on the Asheville water system at this time.

Our distribution system has suffered catastrophic damage. “We have water department teams and partner teams working right now to repair that distribution system,” Woody said.

The Bee Tree Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently inaccessible at all, Woody said. However, the teams are currently rebuilding the road to the factory.

The Mills River Treatment Plant is operational, so some Asheville and Buncombe County residents have water or have never lost water as a result.

City Administrator Debra Campbell said the water currently being distributed comes from private providers as well as the county and state. Campbell said depending on demand, the city expects to have enough water for the rest of the week.

The boil water warning remains in effect until further notice.

“Our recovery efforts will take weeks, not days,” Campbell said.

According to officials, a total of 91,000 customers in the county currently remain without power. Duke Energy expects the majority to be restored by Friday, October 4th.

BeLoved Asheville is no longer accepting donations. Small donations can be made to ABCCM, 24 Cumberland Avenue in Asheville.

Current shelters in Buncombe County:

• AB Tech Conference Center – 16 Fernihurst Dr, Asheville, NC 28801
• Emergency Medical Shelter (for those relying on medical equipment requiring electricity) – 10 Genevieve Cir, Asheville, NC 28801
• Former Gold’s Gym (Novant Health) – 1815 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville, NC 28803
• WNC Agriculture Center – Fanning Bridge Road (This location is full)

Waste Pro will resume regular Thursday routes starting tomorrow where it is accessible.

Additionally, packaged household waste trucks will be stationed at three Ingles locations on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

• Ingles at 2901 Hendersonville Road in Fletcher
• Ingles at 1865 Hendersonville Road in Asheville
• English at 225 Charlotte Highway in Asheville

1:30 p.m. – President Biden inspects the damage to Helene

President Biden arrives in Greenville, South Carolina to view storm damage from Helene in western North Carolina.CLICK HERE to watch live.

10:50 a.m. – Asheville/Buncombe County school leaders ask staff to reach out

Asheville and Buncombe County school leaders say they are still trying to contact several staff members.

Asheville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman, Dr. Rob Jackson, and AB Tech Chancellor Dr.

Principals all said they have been able to contact many staff members, but there are still some missing. School staff are asked to contact their principal or supervisor if possible.

Fehrman said there was minimal damage to the city’s school facilities. There was some flooding, but she said they would recover. She also shared that none of the city’s schools have water and only half have electricity. The Asheville and Buncombe County school districts will remain closed for at least a week.

Gossett said AB Tech, which is being used as a shelter after the storm, is not considering opening until Oct. 14. The date is not a fixed date and depends on the state of the area’s infrastructure at that time.

10 a.m. – Buncombe County Government press conference

Buncombe County leaders hold a press conference to provide an update on Helene’s recovery efforts.

9am – Mellow Mushroom is giving away free food

Mellow Mushroom in downtown Asheville is serving food and giving away free pizzas today from noon to 4 p.m.

Mellow Mushroom owner Gerry Mahon told News 13 he would be giving away $5,000 worth of pizza.

8:45 a.m. – Jackson County Public Schools continues to serve meals

Jackson County Public Schools said it served more than 1,100 meals to the community.

In a news release, the school system said it will continue to serve meals daily from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Blue Ridge School, Smokey Mountain Elementary and Smoky Mountain High School through Friday, Oct. 4.

8:35 a.m. – FEMA offers three ways to apply for assistance

FEMA posted on its website website some valuable information for those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.

These are the three ways to apply for support:

• Online at disasterassistance.gov
• Call 1-800-621-3362
• Download the FEMA app and apply

8 a.m. – Update on the number of power outages

ReadyNC.gov updates the number of power outages each day, and as of October 2, the total number of outages in the state is 350,696.

Here are the outages, broken down by county as if they occurred at 8 a.m. on Oct. 2:

• Buncombe County: 97,830
• Henderson County: 47,718
• Burke County: 24,266
• Rutherford County: 22,876
• Cleveland County: 20,520
• McDowell County: 19,344
• Transylvania County: 17,987
• Polk County: 12,984
• Watauga County: 12,185
• Mitchell County: 11,463
• Yancey County: 11,436
• Haywood County: 7,850
• Madison County: 2,623
• Jackson County: 2,608
• Avery County: 986

Here are the numbers to report an outage:

• Duke Energy: 800-769-3766
• Duke Energy Progress: 800-419-6356
• Dominion Energy: 866-366-4357
• French Broad EMC: 828-649-2051
• Haywood EMV: 800-951-6088
• Rutherford EMC: 800-521-0920

7:30 a.m. – Spectrum releases hotspot map

Spectrum did not provide a timeline for restoring operations, but said in an email to customers that workers are “actively assessing conditions in the areas and closely monitoring the situation with local energy authorities.”

It said workers will begin work to safely restore operations as soon as conditions permit.

In the email, customers also received a hotspot WiFi card, available athttps://www.spectrum.com/internet/wifi-access-points.

7:15 a.m. – Update from Haywood County Schools

A statement from Haywood County Schools: “After speaking with the North Carolina State Superintendent today, it appears likely that employees will be able to be paid during this state of emergency. As a result, Haywood County Schools will be closed to both staff and students.” For the remainder of the week, school reopenings to students and staff will be announced 48 hours in advance.

Community Resource Centers will be open October 2nd at both Jonathan Valley Elementary and Bethel Elementary from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. These centers will have non-perishable food and water. Free hot meals are available curbside for children under 18 at these two locations (weekdays only).

7 a.m. – Free ice cream at Home Depot on Fairview Road

A truck delivered ice cream to the Home Depot on Fairview Road in East Asheville early this morning. The store is located at 795 Fairview Road near the community of Oakley.

The city of Asheville announced on social media that it was a large shipment of ice that the city was unable to store.