New bridge built in Polk County after old bridge washed out by Helene

LIVE WITH, YOU KNOW, BEN

MCPARTLAND, WRAL NEWS.

>> AND IN ALL OF THE

DEVASTATION, SOME HEADWAY IS

BEING MADE TO REBUILD AND TO

REACH PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN CUT

OFF FOR DAYS BECAUSE OF DAMAGED

ROADS. WRAL'S MONICA CASEY WAS

IN TRY ON IN POLK COUNTY THIS

MORNING. GETTING A LOOK AT THE

NEW CONSTRUCTION

>> WE ARE SEEING SOME SLIGHT

IMPROVEMENTS HERE IN POLK

COUNTY, BUT THERE IS STILL A

LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE. THIS

MAJOR EAST-WEST THOROUGHFARE

HERE. ONE 76 IS CLOSED IN

PARTS. WE WERE ABLE TO GET ON

SOME SIDE STREETS IN THAT AREA

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. TAKE A

LOOK AT YOUR SCREEN HERE.

DRONE 5 FLEW OVER SOME OF THE

DAMAGE WE ARE SEEING SOUTH OF

ASHEVILLE. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK

AT YOUR SCREEN, YOU'LL SEE A

BRIDGE THAT WAS TOTALLY WASHED

OUT. NOW, A NEW ONE IS NEARLY

COMPLETE. IT TOOK US MULTIPLE

TRIES TO GET TO THAT SPOT

YESTERDAY, EVEN ON PARTS OF THE

ROAD AROUND HERE THAT SAY THEY

ARE OPEN, YOU MIGHT FIND SCENES

LIKE THIS DOWNED TREES BLOCKING

TRAFFIC IN ONE DIRECTION AND

POWER POLES HAVE TOPPLED OVER.

WE ARE MONITORING DUKE ENERGY'S

PROGRESS ON GETTING POWER BACK

FOR PEOPLE IN WESTERN NORTH

CAROLINA BETWEEN LAST NIGHT AND

THIS MORNING COUNTY'S NUMBERS

HAVE REMAINED PRETTY STEADY.

WE'VE SEEN SOME IMPROVEMENT

OVER IN HENDERSON COUNTY ABOUT

4,000 CUSTOMERS GOT POWER BACK

OVERNIGHT HERE IN POLK COUNTY,

DUKE ENERGY SERVES ABOUT 8600

CUSTOMERS. ALMOST NONE OF THEM

HAVE POWER BACK YET REPORTING