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Emergency crews said Sunday afternoon that they know people in Polk County remain trapped and in need of help after the remnants of Hurricane Helene dumped enormous amounts of rain across the region causing catastrophic flooding.

“We know there are people still trapped and needing assistance,” officials with the Polk County Emergency Management and Fire Marshal office wrote in a social media post. “We are working as hard as we can to get to these people. Some areas are only going to be accessible by air. We have requested helicopters to assist us with evacuating people out of dangerous areas.”

Officials said the entire county remains without electrical power and that Duke Energy workers are working to begin restoring service.

“Cell phone service in the county has been very spotty at best,” officials siad. “We have requested a mobile cell on wheels “COW” from the state to be brought in to assist with coverage.

“There are still numerous roads impassable by vehicle. We have requested large machinery from the state to assist local DOT in clearing some roads. We know some roads are completely washed away. We are working on a complete road closure report that we can will send out later today.”

A phone line is being set up for anyone to call if they need assistance to call. The number is 828-722-5025 or 828-722-5026

We have also requested bottled water and meals from the state. We will send a follow-up message when it arrives and is available.

This will be available at our shelter site at Polk County High School located at 1681 Hwy 108 East in Columbus.

“We know people have questions about the Lake Adger Dam,” officials said. “We have had engineers access the dam and have been made aware everything is stable at this time.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you and be assured that we are doing everything possible to provide assistance.”