People in WNC without power, water drive to Shelby to stock up on essentials

SHELBY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Shelby is becoming a hot spot for people hit hardest by Helene.

Many of them are flocking to the city to fill up their gas tanks and get necessities before heading back to the mountains. After traveling hours longer than it would normally take them to get there, people are making it to places like the Ingles Market and are being met with lines at the pump and to get inside the grocery store.

"At least they have power and they have lines to get to stuff," said Robert Butler, who traveled to Shelby on Monday. "We don't even have the lines to get the stuff."

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Butler was one of many people who waited in line to get into an Ingles in Shelby to stock up on supplies.

"Water, pet food," he said. "We were going to hope to get some gas to take back for the people who have generators."

He made the trip from Swannanoa, one of many areas of western North Carolina with catastrophic damage.

"There's no drinking water," said Butler of the Buncombe County town. "There are no gas stations. The entire town is basically destroyed."

It's not an easy trip to make due to road closures and traffic building up in Cleveland County. There are still more than 18,000 people without power there.

"To get to Shelby I literally had to come to Black Mountain, then to Hendersonville and take the back road down," said Butler. "What was normally a 40-to-50-mile trip turned into like 110 miles one way."

Butler wasn't the only one with this idea.

"I think everyone is trying to get to where there's power," said David Manuel.

Manuel and his dog came to the Shelby Walmart to get what they need, then head back to Glassy Mountain, South Carolina.

"I was able to get my candles and get a little bite of cash," he said.

Bottled water is a hot-ticket item. Both the Walmart and Ingles on Dixon Boulevard had a good supply, but people were beginning to empty some shelves.

"They're saying it'll be at least a month before Buncombe County has drinking water," said Butler.

After groceries, people headed to another line – the one at the pump, before heading back to their mountain towns, which don't look anything like they once did.

"If you're planning on a trip to the mountains, hold off," said Butler. "A lot of their economy is based on the leaf season. There's not going to be a leaf season"

If you're heading to Shelby, give yourself some extra time. Locals said they've seen a lot of traffic in the past couple days with so many coming to the area from out of town.