A week after Helene, recovery efforts are having difficulty reaching parts of the southern Appalachians

Spear said the devastation, affecting not only two-lane roads but also major highways in the region, is preventing trucks from reaching communities in the Asheville area.

“North Carolina is just a completely different terrain, with access by road,” he said. “Unless these roads are repaired and these bridges are accessible, this is going to take a lot of time and as a result, people are going to suffer.”

Robert Handfield, a professor and supply chain expert at North Carolina State University, told NBC News that the hurricane was “unprecedented” for the state.

“The storm subsequently destroyed portions of I-40 and I-26, which are major thoroughfares for freight traffic to the north, south, east and west, and you know, that actually impacts a large number of organizations in the state, not .” to mention all the people who lost their homes,” Handfield said.

Handfield said it would take several weeks for the hardest-hit areas to have cell service and power back, receive all necessary medical supplies and clear their roads so trucks could transport goods.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told NBC News that the first priority is still search and rescue, followed closely by delivery of goods, then water restoration and finally recovery.

“We were moving goods, people and resources to this area before the storm,” Criswell said.

“We will continue to bring these resources to bear while listening to local officials. “One of the reasons I'm here is so I can see firsthand what's needed, and people should know that we're going to stay here until everyone has everything they need,” continued them away.

Chloe Demrovsky, a senior fellow at New York University's SPS Center for Global Affairs and a member of the FEMA National Advisory Council, told NBC News that many of the most damaged communities were not affected because much of the devastation occurred hundreds of miles inland prepared for the storm.

She said circumstances in the area have left survivors with urgent needs as they seek to replace everything from everyday items to rebuilding their homes and businesses to buying new cars.

“So in a place like Florida, people know about hurricane season, they tend to prepare, they have a sense of how to deal with it,” Demrovsky said.