Tents replace some North Carolina polling places that were destroyed by Helene
Seven tents have been erected in four of the most devastated counties in North Carolina: Buncombe, Burke, Haywood and Yancey. They'll be used on Election Day.
Tents being used to house polling places in Helene-hit western North Carolina
Tents have been erected in several places in western North Carolina to serve as polling places on Election Day after Hurricane Helene damaged or destroyed buildings and roads in the region.
BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Early voting is underway in North Carolina, and the state is making it easier for people impacted by Hurricane Helene to cast their ballot.
After so many towns and roads were washed away by Helene's flooding and mudslides in Western North Carolina, state officials decided to erect tents to act as polling places for Tuesday's election.
Seven tents have been erected in four of the most devastated counties in North Carolina: Buncombe, Burke, Haywood and Yancey. Four tents are in place in Yancey County, while Buncombe, Burke and Haywood counties have one tent each.
The tents are meant to replace polling sites that were damaged or destroyed in Helene, according to Patrick Gannon of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Gannon said the tents are powered by generators, and are monitored 24/7 to ensure the voting equipment inside is secure. Inside the tent, voters will find walls and lighting, as well as portable bathrooms, handwashing stations, tables and chairs.
A polling tent set up in Black Mountain, North Carolina for voters impacted by Hurricane Helene. (FOX News Multimedia Reporter Chelsea Torres / FOX Weather)
He said 25 Western North Carolina counties were given flexibility under North Carolina law to adjust early voting sites and Election Day polling places to serve their voters in the aftermath of Helene.
FOX News Multimedia Reporter Chelsea Torres visited the polling tent in Black Mountain, in Buncombe County. Torres said voters in the area are grateful another option has opened up for them to go vote.
Torres said voting equipment at the Black Mountain location will arrive on Monday, just in time for Tuesday's election.