Damage assessments and recovery work is slow going in national park units from North Carolina to Georgia that were hard hit by Tropical Storm Helene.

Tropical Storm Helene has blown away, but units of the National Park System are struggling to recover in her wake. All of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina remained closed Sunday, many roads in Great Smoky Mountains National Park were closed, and Congaree National Park in South Carolina was closed due to loss of power and functioning water systems.

The National Park Service recently released a prospectus seeking proposals to operate lodging, food and beverage, and retail services at Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

National Park Service personnel will conduct emergency repairs along an approximately seven-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway between milepost 298.5 and 305 this week.