Hurricane Helene’s death toll reached more than 200 on Thursday and was expected to keep rising, as searchers made their way toward the hardest to reach places in the mountains of western North Carolina, where the storm washed out roads and knocked out electricity, water and cellular service.
How many people are missing or unaccounted for isn’t clear. The death toll soared to 215 people as more victims were found, making Helene the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Roughly half the victims were in North Carolina, while dozens more were killed in South Carolina and Georgia.
Now a week since the storm first roared onto Florida’s Gulf Coast, the search is still continuing. While rescue crews waded through creeks searching for survivors, those who made it through the storm leaned on one another for support.
In Black Mountain, N.C., town officials have been holding daily meetings at the town square.
“It’s incredible being able to meet in person,” said Sarah Vekasi, who was cut off by impassible roads for days. More than 150 people gathered for Wednesday’s session, as local leaders stood atop a picnic table shouting updates.
Libre and Pamela Brousseau are dealing with a massive cleanup and hopeful for federal disaster aid after Hurricane Helene caused severe damage to their home in Asheville, N.C. The couple had flood insurance when they first moved in, but they opted out when it was no longer mandatory because it was difficult for them to afford the extra $600 a month.
Martha Sullivan took careful notes so she could share the information — roads reopened, progress in getting power and water restored — with others.
Sullivan, who has lived in Black Mountain for 43 years, said her children invited her to come to Charlotte after the storm, but she wants to look after her neighbours.
“I’m going to stay as long as I feel like I’m being useful,” Sullivan said.
Helping one another in the hardest-hit areas
In remote mountain areas, helicopters hoisted the stranded to safety while search crews moved toppled trees so they could look door-to-door for survivors.
Electricity is being slowly restored, but nearly 900,000 customers are still without power in the Carolinas and Georgia, where Helene struck after barreling over Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane. Deaths have been reported in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, in addition to the Carolinas.
Frank Johnson, who owns a company that makes robotic cutting machines in Mars Hill, N.C., said he feels like he is running a relief mission on his own, using his own resources to get water, food, and other supplies to his neighbours.
“I’ve been hearing there are entire neighbourhoods gone. I’m still not sure people have the whole grasp of what we’re dealing with,” Johnson said.
Hundreds of people are still missing in North Carolina days after Hurricane Helene ripped across the U.S. Southeast. Andrew Chang explains why so many people are unaccounted for, and why it’s so hard for rescue teams to find them.
Eric Williamson, who works at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C., normally makes home visits to members who can’t physically get to church. This week, he’s their lifeline, delivering food and providing a friendly face.
He has a handwritten list of everyone he needs to visit. “They don’t have telephone service, even if they have a landline, a lot of that isn’t working,” Williamson said. “So we’re bringing them food and water, but also just bringing them a smile and a prayer with them just to give them comfort.”
Notifying relatives of people who died in the storm has been difficult in these remote areas.
With no cell service, there’s no way to reach out to next of kin, said Avril Pinder, an official in Buncombe County where at least 72 people have died. “We have a confirmed body count, but we don’t have identifications on everyone or next-of-kin notifications.”
The county sheriff said his office believes more than 200 people are missing, although other officials said the number is constantly changing when crews make contact with people.
“We’re continuing to find people,” Pinder said. “We know we have pockets of people who are isolated due to landslides and bridges out.”
Twin babies among heartbreaking deaths
John Savage said his grandparents were found hugging one another in their Beech Island, South Carolina, home where one of the biggest trees on the property crashed on top of their bedroom and killed them.
“My grandpa apparently heard the tree snap beforehand and rolled over to try and protect my grandmother,” Savage said.
Two firefighters killed when a tree fell on their truck also were among at least 40 people killed across South Carolina.
Month-old twin boys, born in mid-August, were the youngest known victims. Khyzier and Khazmir Williams died alongside their 27-year-old mother Kobe Williams when a large tree fell through the roof of their home Monday in Thomson, Georgia.
Kobe’s father, Obie Lee Williams, said he’s devastated that he will never have the chance to meet his grandsons in person. He described his daughter as a lovable, social and strong young woman who cared deeply about her family.
Other young victims of the storm include a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy from Washington County, Georgia.
Biden gets a firsthand look
U.S. President Joe Biden flew over the devastation in North and South Carolina on Wednesday, getting a firsthand look at the mess left by the storm, before speaking with survivors and first responders.
The federal government has committed to footing the bill for debris removal and emergency protective measures for six months to address the various impacts of landslides and flooding.
“We’re not leaving until you’re back on your feet completely,” Biden said.
Later at a badly damaged pecan farm outside Valdosta, Ga., he said the victims of Helene had gone through “hell.”
“I want you to know I see you, I grieve with you,” Biden said while also thanking emergency workers and saying it was a moment to “put politics aside.”
