Blue Ridge Parkway Closed Due to Hurricane Helene Damage

The National Park Service (NPS) has announced a complete closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway, spanning North Carolina and Virginia, as crews assess the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The NPS has mobilized its Eastern Incident Management Team to provide specialized support, focusing on emergency needs for employees, stabilization of affected park resources, and conducting damage assessments.

As of Thursday afternoon, a dedicated workforce of 250 NPS employees from 32 states and the District of Columbia is collaborating with local staff on recovery efforts. Assessment teams are currently conducting thorough inspections to gather data necessary for evaluating the hurricane's full impact on the parkway.

Preliminary observations indicate significant, and in some areas catastrophic, damage from milepost 280 to milepost 469. The NPS is committed to ongoing recovery efforts and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

For more details, visit the [National Park Service](http://www.nps.org/).