HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. – Officials are limiting access to Haywood County communities starting at the intersection of Route 276 and Highway 110. They are only allowing emergency crews and residents to drive up into those areas.

What You Need To Know

Cruso is one of the most hard hit communities in North Carolina

That area is currently only open to residents, emergency crews and aid groups

The director of Haywood County’s Emergency Services is asking people not to forget about these people any time soon

Travis Donaldson, the director of Haywood County’s Emergency Services, has lived in this area his entire life.

“People’s lives were completely turned upside down and will be for a while,” Donaldson said. “That’s a lot to cope with and adjust to and deal with.”

Donaldson is in disbelief as he rides around looking at what’s left of his community.

“Knowing what it used to be and the people that made it what it was. Knowing that some of those are gone and definitely all of them are hurting. It’s devastating,” Donaldson said. “You probably can’t see it from here, but there are some debris piles back behind this tree line that are the size of large houses.”

Truck after truck was seen climbing the steep winding roads Monday to help the people hit the hardest.

“All these folks up here have saw stuff that nobody really needs to see, and that’s a lot for folks to process,” Donaldson said.

While there’s an outpouring of support right now, Donaldson says he’s worried that may not always be the case.

“I don’t want people forgotten about. Not only the Cruso community, but we have the Lake Logan community and places down in Canton and Clyde that are hurting as well and saw flooding and lost their homes,” Donaldson said.