PHOTOS: North Carolina Factory That Makes Vital IV Fluids Closes due to Hurricane’s Flooding

A factory in Marion, North Carolina, that makes intravenous (IV) fluids has closed after being hit by flooding from Hurricane Helene.

Baxter International, which sits approximately 35 miles outside Asheville, has been shut down and is now covered in mud, NPR reported on Friday, noting that employees said the building was evacuated just before the worst of the storm went over the area.

In a social media post on Thursday, Baxter International shared images of its North Cove facility and said teams were working on its recovery:

The NPR article continued:

The facility is one of the largest suppliers of IV fluids in the country, the Food and Drug Administration says. Baxter says it will spare no expense to get the factory back online, but the company doesn’t “have a timeline for when operations will be back up and running.”

The plant’s closure, which could last weeks or even months based on similar situations in the past, could strain the supply of vital health care products.

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Work has already begun to get the factory back up and running with about 500 people on site, the company says. “We expect this number to double in the week ahead.”

Numerous hospitals and health care organizations in the path of the storm mostly remained open, but some did experience things such as blackouts, wind damage, supply issues, and flooding, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Wednesday.

“Most hospitals used generators or backup systems to power their facilities through the hurricane. Many places halted elective procedures. Few closed completely,” the article notes.

Video footage shows large-scale devastation as North Carolina residents clean up the mess left by the storm:

Many Americans have taken it upon themselves to bring help to people trapped by the floodwaters in North Carolina. One group used mules to transport much-needed supplies into the mountainous areas where roads were completely gone and it was nearly impossible for neighbors to get out, Breitbart News reported on Friday.

As of late Friday, at least 223 people had been reported dead after the storm, and hundreds more remain unaccounted for, according to NBC News.