Long water and power outages from Helene test patience in the Carolinas and Georgia

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Posted on 10/02/2024 6:33:52 AM PDT by Red Badger

SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — Many residents of the Carolinas still lacked running water, cellphone service and electricity Wednesday as rescuers searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage across the Southeast and killed at least 166 people.

President Joe Biden will survey the devastation in the two states as floodwaters receded and revealed more of the death and destruction left in Helene’s path.

More than 1.2 million customers still had no power Wednesday in the Carolinas and Georgia, where Helene tore far inland after initial landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Some residents cooked food on charcoal grills or hiked to high ground in the hopes of finding a signal to let loved ones know they are alive.

“We have to jump-start this recovery process,” Biden said Tuesday, estimating it will cost billions. “People are scared to death. This is urgent.”

While Biden is in the Carolinas, Vice President Kamala Harris will be in neighboring Georgia.

Cadaver dogs and search crews trudged through knee-deep muck and debris in the mountains of western North Carolina looking for more victims. At least 57 people were killed in Buncombe County alone, home to city of Asheville, a tourism haven known for its art galleries, breweries and outdoor activities.

[snip]

Cliff Stewart survived 2 feet of water that poured into his home, topping the wheels on his wheelchair and sending his medicine bottles floating. Left without electricity and reliant on food drop-offs from friends, he has refused offers to help him leave.

“Where am I going to go?” the Marine Corps veteran said. “This is all I’ve got. I just don’t want to give it up, because what am I going to do? Be homeless? I’d rather die right here than live homeless.”

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...

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1 posted on 10/02/2024 6:33:52 AM PDT by Red Badger

To: Red Badger

2 posted on 10/02/2024 6:39:52 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (The Jamaican/Injun "immigration" plan. Dilute and pollute until America is a third world sewer..)

To: Red Badger

3 posted on 10/02/2024 6:46:31 AM PDT by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])

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