Hurricane Helene Death Toll Approaches 180 As Hundreds Still Missing

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to at least 180 people across the southeast U.S. as emergency workers continue to conduct search and rescue operations for hundreds of missing people. 

Deaths from Helene have been reported across six states, including Florida (17), Georgia (25), South Carolina (36), Virginia (2), Tennessee (9), and North Carolina (91). Surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Helene is one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the mainland United States in the last 55 years, according to Fox Weather. 

Additionally, the death toll is expected to increase as hundreds have been reported missing, with roads and communications being destroyed in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. The latest update from North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s office said that search and rescue teams from 16 states have rescued 440 people and evacuated 4,700 others, with the North Carolina National Guard rescuing another 400.

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“Our emergency responders are continuing to rescue people and rush aid to the mountains,” Cooper said. “The challenges are immense, but our joint response effort has and will continue to be massive.” 

In North Carolina, large portions of Asheville, Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, and Biltmore Village were wiped out by flooding after the area was rocked by torrential rain. President Joe Biden is expected to make a stop in Asheville on Wednesday as part of a tour of storm-ravaged areas. 

“God willing they’re alive, but there’s no way to contact them,” Biden said on Monday of those still missing.

Duke Energy, which provides power in the region, said on Monday that “major portions of the power grid” were “simply wiped away.” The company said it expects there will have to be a complete rebuild of energy infrastructure due to the storm. 

As of Wednesday morning, more than a million residences and businesses in the storm-impacted regions were still out of power. According to PowerOutage, there are 341,091 customers out of power in North Carolina, 493,006 in South Carolina, and 365,541 in Georgia. 

Officials expect that repairing the region will cost hundreds of millions of dollars and will take months to repair damaged infrastructure. 

“In most neighborhoods, the whole infrastructure has been destroyed. Poles have been knocked over. Lines are all down, so they’re going to have to rebuild the whole system. This is not going to be a quick fix,” Patrick Fitzsimmons, the mayor of Weaverville, North Carolina, told CNN on Wednesday. 

Roads throughout the southeast have been destroyed, including a portion of Interstate 40 connecting Tennessee and North Carolina. The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it expects some routes in eastern Tennessee to require a “total rebuild” and some routes to be closed for the immediate future. North Carolina officials reported that there were around 400 roads closed in the state.

There are a variety of organizations providing relief to victims of the hurricane’s destruction including ministries like Samaritan’s Purse while other aid is being organized by local political officials. Conservative activist Robby Starbuck is working with Tennessee state Reps. Jason Zachary and Jeremy Faison to collect water, toilet paper, non-perishable foods, and other supplies to help those hit in East Tennessee.