Hurricane Helene brought death and destruction to North Carolina, with the western part of the state in particular seeing entire towns and homes washed away.

In the aftermath of the storm, the state is facing many issues that could affect the welfare of its residents, including the quality of its water supply, according to one Northeastern University expert.

Many residents in the western part of the state get their water from home wells. These systems are prone to contamination during flooding events, leaving the people who use them at a higher risk of being exposed to E. coli and other bacteria if they don't properly sanitize them, said Kelsey Pieper, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern, who is helping the North Carolina Department of Health in its recovery efforts.

Pieper, who specializes in drinking water quality and post-disaster drinking water recovery, said it's too soon to tell how many wells are contaminated as testing is just beginning. However, she said it's likely, given the amount of flooding in the area, that many systems were contaminated by this most recent storm.

"We are going to see those wells get inundated with surface water that carries contaminants and microbial chemicals," she said of Helene's aftereffects. "They're starting to see testing coming in, so we don't have data yet, but based on other flooding events ... we expect these systems will be contaminated, which is why the state is recommending disinfecting and cleaning your well before you use it."

Pieper said that after Hurricane Florence in 2018, there was an increase in E.coli rates. Earlier this year, some of her students did a research trip to North Carolina to test residents' well water. Before the trip, Hurricane Debby hit the area. The testing then found at least a third of the wells tested had coliform bacteria, which indicates possible contamination.

The exact extent of the well water contamination is still unclear though, Pieper said. North Carolina is in the midst of its recovery and response, with 92 people still missing weeks after the storm, which killed 220 people in Florida, Georgia and South and North Carolina.

The process will likely take longer in western North Carolina because "most of (these residents) have never experienced flooding," said Pieper. "If you go to the coast, they're used to it. This community doesn't flood very much, so they don't have those lived experiences to lean on."

Many of the residents also aren't aware of the risk of water contamination or how to sanitize their well. Pieper said the state is working to make people aware of the risks and showing them how to test and clean their well systems.