At least 35 people are unaccounted for after Tropical Storm Fred dumped a foot of rain on western North Carolina, causing some of the most severe flooding events ever seen in the state. The worst of the flooding was reported in Haywood County, where officials confirmed that as many as 15 bridges were “damaged or destroyed” as well as an unknown number of homes. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Haywood County EMS director Travis Donaldson has launched a search operation for an estimated 35 people who have been missing since Tuesday afternoon. Gov. Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency, and said Haywood and Transylvania counties “were especially hard hit” by flooding. Fred weakened on Wednesday, but the storm remains active.