Western North Caroline was especially hard hit by Hurricane Helene and continues to comes to terms with the devastation. (CNN)

CNN-

Approximately 600 people were still unaccounted for in Asheville, North Carolina, Monday afternoon as the city suffers from washed out roads and bridges, cell service outages and blackouts, the mayor told CNN.

Extensive damage to roads and infrastructure has isolated many remote communities and prevented crews from reaching residents with vital supplies, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said on “The Source” Monday night.

“There’s still a lot of folks that we need to be able to reach, so that is the priority,” Manheimer told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “But we also are in a situation where we don’t have water and power in most areas, and we do need resources like drinking water and food and other household supplies and personal supplies people might need.”

The devastation wrought by Helene in the city is “catastrophic,” the mayor said. “The pictures don’t do it justice”

President Joe Biden will fly over the city on Wednesday to survey the damage, she added. By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN