Officials say a driver has died after going around a barricade on a hurricane-damaged North Carolina highway that became a symbol of Helene’s destruction

A 63-year-old woman, Patricia Mahoney of Southern Pines, North Carolina, died after driving around a barricade and off a hurricane-damaged stretch of Interstate 40 that had been severely eroded by Hurricane Helene.

Dover resident Heather Jarvis is working with churches and schools in North Carolina to coordinate delivery and distribution to children most in need.

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. — The driver who plummetted to her death after going around a "Road Closed" sign and concrete barriers on I-40 and drivbing off the road into a large hole on Saturday has been identified, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The victim has been identified as 62-year-old Patricia Mahoney from Southern Pines.

The highway has been shut down since Hurricane Helene's floodwaters swept away extensive sections along the Pigeon River.