As rescue teams respond in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destruction in the southeast U.S. and southern Appalachia, the death toll continues to climb. At least 120 people across several states were killed, according to The Associated Press, and hundreds of residents are still missing.
Many people drowned after not heeding evacuation orders; others were killed in their homes and cars by falling trees and road signs. At least two Georgians were killed when a tornado picked up their car. Deaths were also reported in Florida, South Carolina and Virginia.
Large portions of the region remained in darkness, with power still knocked out to more than 3 million customers in five states as of early Monday afternoon, three days after Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region. Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult.
President Biden described the storm’s impact as “stunning” and said he would visit the area this week as long as it does not disrupt rescues or recovery work.
In a brief exchange with reporters, he said that the administration is giving states “everything we have” to help with their response to the storm.
Hurricane Helene roared ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph (225 kph) winds. A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams.
North Carolina
Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed.
Over the weekend, much of western North Carolina faced communications blackouts, power outages, fuel shortages and no drinkable water. Floodwaters remained, impeding travel.
Cooper implored residents in western North Carolina to avoid travel, both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people.
One rescue effort involved saving 41 people north of Asheville. Another mission focused on saving a single infant. The teams found people through both 911 calls and social media messages, North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Todd Hunt said.
Officials said residents should only drink treated and bottled water until public water systems were back online.
More than 400,000 homes and businesses statewide remained without power on Monday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.
Florida
Hours before Helene made landfall on Thursday in the sparsely populated areas of Florida’s Big Bend region, its 120-mph winds produced a storm surge that sent more than 5 feet of water — reaching 16 feet in some areas — along large swaths of Florida’s west coast.
Helene turned the Tampa Bay region into the state’s deadly epicenter, where the death toll reached nine people on Sunday. All deaths took place in a mandatory evacuation zone. The majority were the result of rising waters or apparent drownings, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.
Georgia
Georgians are being asked to conserve water in Augusta after trash and debris in the Savannah River had clogged the city’s water filtration systems. Emergency management officials said at a press briefing Sunday afternoon that water services should be restored within 24 to 48 hours.
Helene entered Georgia early Friday, with wind gusts as high as 100 mph, WABE reported. The death toll across the state rose from 17 to 25 people by Monday, including one first responder, according to WABE.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said that it looked “like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air. Kemp said the stretch from Augusta to Valdosta was particularly hard hit, where some 115 structures took serious damage.
South Carolina
The state’s death toll was highest in Spartanburg County, where at least five were killed, South Carolina Public Radio reported.
Power outages were widespread in the western half of the state. In Greenville County, the state’s most populous, more than 200,000 people lacked power on Sunday evening.
Tennessee
Unicoi County officials said 73 people were unaccounted for as of Sunday afternoon. There were no confirmed deaths, an Incident Management Team spokesperson said at a press conference.
The county saw perhaps the most dramatic rescue from Helene’s wrath after rising floodwaters left more than 50 people stuck on the roof of a small hospital in Erwin, in east Tennessee.
Erwin Utility said on Sunday evening that 533 of its 5,195 water customers were without water.
An official for Unicoi County Schools said during the conference that it’s “unlikely” schools will be back in session by the second week of October, but that the district is working to get schools reopened as soon as possible.
