Helene latest: Communities ‘wiped off map’ as 600 remain unaccounted for and officials beg for resources
‘It looks like a bomb went off,’ Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said of his state, as deaths have now been reported in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennesse
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Donald Trump visited storm-ravaged Georgia on Monday afternoon to survey recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene, which tour through the southeast late last week.
At least 132 people have been killed after the hurricane slammed into Florida last Thursday then tore a path north, bringing catastrophic flooding and powerful winds. More than 600 people remain missing in a single North Carolina county.
Deaths have also been reported in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee.
In Buncombe County, North Carolina, at least 35 have died and fears are growing for around 600 people reported missing. Landslides have devastated the southern Appalachia region.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told CNN on Monday that communities there were “wiped off that map.”
President Joe Biden said he would visit impacted communities at a later date, so as not to disrupt response to the storm. Millions have been left without power, communications cut off and hundreds of roads closed due to damage.
Officials have warned of the challenges of getting crucial supplies such as water to those in need.
This comes as Tropical Storm Kirk is likely to become a hurricane on Tuesday.
Supplies are rushed to North Carolina communities left isolated after Helene
TV reporter interrupts live broadcast to rescue trapped woman during Hurricane Helene
Head of FEMA says ‘historic’ destruction caused by Helene is linked to climate crisis
Hurricane Hunters fly into Category 4 Hurricane Helene for important reason
How Helene became the near-perfect storm to bring widespread destruction across the South
North Carolina authorities working hard to get back to ‘normalcy’
North Carolina governor Roy Cooper said state authorities are working “as quickly as possible to return things to normalcy.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he said: “We know that it’s going to be a matter of time when you have communities that are cut off.
“Everyone is working as hard as we can, first, to save lives, because there’s still water rescues happening to get supplies into people, to make sure we get communications back up, and to get power back on to people, and to repair roads so that we can get from one place to the next. All of those things are important.
Cooper continued: “As soon as we are in a position that process of assessing damages will occur. We’re also going to be getting help to individual families through the individual assistance approved by this disaster declaration that we just got, but we don’t know that yet.
“That’ll be something that we’ll continue to assess, and we will work to get things to get things improved as quickly as possible.”
He added that authorities would continue to work “around the clock” on relief efforts.
Helene was an ‘unprecedented tragedy’ says NC governor
“This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response,” North Carolina governor Cooper said at a press conference Sunday.
He asked residents to avoid traveling on roadways in western North Carolina not only to avoid dangers but to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams have fanned out across the region in search of stranded people.
“Many people are cut off because the roads are impassable,” Cooper said. Supplies were being airlifted to the region around Asheville, a city tucked in the western North Carolina mountains known for its arts, culture and natural beauty.
The rescue efforts included saving 41 people in one mission north of Asheville and an infant. The teams were finding people through both 911 calls and messages on social media, North Carolina Adjutant General Todd Hunt said.
Death toll in North Carolina expected to rise says governor
At a media update briefing on Sunday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said the death toll of 11 in North Carolina is expected to rise from Hurricane Helene.
Areas including Asheville are among the worst affected, and the overall death toll is now believed to be over 60.
North Carolina governor gives update on relief efforts
Watch as North Carolina governor Roy Cooper provides an update in state relief efforts.
Helene sets records in Florida
Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, with winds up to 140-mile-per-hour. Fueled by very warm ocean temperatures, the storm was the strongest ever to strike the area.
The hurricane broke storm surge records across the Gulf Coast, many of which were last set just over a year ago, when Hurricane Idalia drenched the same area.
A record-high storm surge also inundated the Tampa Bay region, including in areas that had rarely, or never, seen flooding.
Another tropical depression could form in Atlantic
A disturbance off the coast of Cabo Verde could form into a tropical depression in the next 48 hours, the National Hurricane Center said.
The area of low-pressure has a 60 percent change of forming into a tropical cyclone in the next two days and 80 percent chance of forming in the next seven days.
It could take a similar path as Hurricane Helene, which escalated rapidly before hitting Florida and the southeastern region of the United States.
Manataee washed onto shore is rescused
A manatee was rescued and released back into Tampa Bay after being washed ashore because of Hurricane Helene’s coastal surge.
The MacDill Air Force Base, located in Tampa, brought the manatee back into waters, it said in a Facebook post.
The manatee, named Troy, is estimated to be two or three years old.
Biden approves major disaster declaration for Florida, North Carolina
President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Florida and North Carolina, two of the states most hard hit by the tropical storm that swept through the region over the weekend.
The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals throughout the state. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Asheville, North Carolina is devastated
The city of Asheville in North Carolina, located less than 100 miles from Charlotte, is one of the places hardest hit as a result of Helene.
Parts of the city were completely underwater. Some people needed to be air-rescued from the roof of their homes as they sought to escape fast-moving waters. Stories and photos of the aftermath are reminiscent of Hurricane Sandy or Hurricane Katrina.
The city has no electricity or any phone service.
There have been deaths in the county but the Emergency Services Director said they were not ready to report specifics because inaccessibility has made it difficult to report next of kin. On social media, families have asked other to help them check in or find their relatives stranded in the city.
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