Douglas Dam was spilling a record amount of water, 450,000 gallons a second. The Nolichucky Dam withstood twice the water flow of Niagara Falls.

Workers inside a plastics factory in Tennessee say they narrowly escaped after flooding from Hurricane Helene. The raging rainwaters swept 11 people away Friday.

Here's a look at Tennessee and North Carolina communities affected by the storm, as captured by USA TODAY Network photojournalists.