Death toll rises above 200 one week after Helene decimates Southeast
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - It’s been one week since Hurricane Helene made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast in Florida, decimating communities across the Southeast and leaving more than 200 people dead in six states.
Life-saving aid continues to flow into regions that were hit hard by the deadly storm, and President Joe Biden vowed to provide resources to aid in the recovery operations as he directed the Department of Defense to deploy 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of essential food, water and other commodities to those who need it most.
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"I don’t have to tell this group that Hurricane Helene has been a storm of historic proportions," Biden told emergency managers in North Carolina on Wednesday. "The damage is still being assessed, but many people are still unaccounted for. So, I’m here to say, the United States – the nation – has your back."
Search and rescue operations are ongoing in areas of western North Carolina that were isolated after catastrophic flooding destroyed hundreds of roads and bridges, cutting off escape routes and ways to get essential supplies to those who remain trapped.
As access is gained to areas that have not been reachable since the hurricane, more victims are being located.
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At least 202 deaths have been reported across six states – Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. And as more areas are searched for the first time, that number is expected to rise.
North Carolina has so far seen the most deaths, with a majority of the statewide number coming from one area – Buncombe County. The Asheville area within the county was devastated by the flooding, with raging rapids destroying homes, businesses and other critical infrastructure across the region.
Numerous people are also reported missing or unaccounted for, but an exact number has not yet been released.
"First – search and rescue continues now for a seventh day. We’re continuing to find people," Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said on Thursday. "We know we have pockets of people who are isolated due to landslides and bridges out. So, they are disconnected but not missing."
Men with chainsaws walk along Route 9 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Bat Cave, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Pinder said that once search and rescue operations end, the true number of missing will be known.
"With our Family Assistance Center, the initiative of our Register of Deeds Office, they have deployed 840 volunteers to check on 6,065 high-priority households with over 700 care packages being distributed," Pinder continued.
She said that 2,885 people have so far been found safe by volunteers, and 1,828 were confirmed safe through email and texts as of Wednesday.
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Harrowing stories of tragedy and triumph are starting to emerge from that area as work to clear debris and make repairs continues.
An Asheville mother told FOX Weather her heartbreaking story of the loss of her 7-year-old son who was swept away by the raging floodwaters. She also lost her parents.
Emily Ogburn, right, hugs her friend Cody Klein after he brought her a meal on October 2, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Ogburn's home was spared and she spent the morning of the storm helping and comforting neighbors who had found shelter on a n
Another woman told FOX Weather about her experience surviving Hurricane Helene as floodwaters surrounded and entered her camper while she was camping, calling the experience "horrific."
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In Avery County, North Carolina, a harrowing video provided by Vlado Novakovic showed his home in Newland being swept away by powerful currents on Friday.
Others narrowly escaped the wrath of the flash floods. A couple in Lake Luna, North Carolina, had to run for it when floodwaters started pouring into town.
A local police car is seen half engulfed in mud, in a flooded area of Lake Lure, North Carolina, October 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP via Getty Images)
To the east in Tennessee, an investigation has been launched into allegations involving Impact Plastics in Erwin after numerous employees were swept away by floodwaters last week.
At least two people died, and five others remain missing.
Videos from the area captured eerie images of a casket floating down a river during the historic flooding in Erwin.
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Dozens of people were rescued from the roof of a hospital in town as water surrounded the facility, and there were even fears that a dam in Greenville would fail.
On Wednesday night, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a temporary water contact advisory, warning the public to avoid all contact with bodies of water affected by the catastrophic flooding.
A damaged property stands in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 2, 2024 in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
"In the aftermath of unprecedented flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, several wastewater treatment plants have been compromised and are temporarily unable to completely treat effluent before it enters receiving waters," TDEC said in the advisory. "In addition, sewer line crossings may have been severed or damaged, allowing raw sewage to enter streams, and individual septic systems may be compromised across the region."
The advisory applies to "all surface waters in the Nolichucky, French Broad, Pigeon, Doe, and Watauga River watersheds as well as any other waters affected by the flooding," TDEC added.
TDEC said it would continue to assess the situation and will lift the advisory when it's appropriate to do so.
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Micah Drye (Meghan Drye via FOX Weather)
Destruction was also reported farther south in Georgia.
At least 25 people were killed in Georgia because of Helene, and Atlanta saw its first-ever Flash Flood Emergency due to the record rainfall.
And as the rain fell and water rose, FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen found himself in the middle of a harrowing rescue operation.
While covering the storm, Van Dillen, who is from the area, heard a woman’s desperate cries for help along Peach Tree Creek. She had driven into floodwaters and was trapped in her car before sunrise. Without hesitation, he waded into the chest-deep water, battling the strong currents to reach the woman. He pulled her to safety, carrying her on his back through the floodwaters to dry land.
Widespread damage was also found in cities like Augusta and Valdosta.
Among the dead in Georgia are a 27-year-old mother and her 1-month-old twin boys who died when a tree fell onto their mobile home outside Augusta.
Helene made landfall along Florida's Big Bend region last Thursday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said a lot of progress has been made.
DeSantis said 2.4 million power outages have been restored, and only about 9,000 outages remain in the week since the storm hit.
"This is the fastest power restoration after a major hurricane that we've ever had," he said.
DeSantis also said that search and rescue operations have finished in the state, and those assets were sent to North Carolina to assist with cleanup and recovery operations there.
He also issued three executive orders and the recovery continues. One of those orders is to ease restrictions on rentals for residents who need a place to stay while homes are being repaired. The second executive order pertains to the upcoming election to ensure residents will be able to vote.
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The third order directs members of the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard to ports to maintain order due to ongoing strikes at ports on the East Coast. He said the Florida Department of Transportation would waive tolls and other fees for commercial vehicles, and the Florida Highway Patrol would escort those vehicles from ports and onto roads and highways if requested.
Helene is now the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland U.S. in the last 55 years, topped only by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the most since Hurricane Camille hit the Gulf Coast in August 1969.
Helene has exceeded the devastation caused by the "Great Flood of 1916" in North Carolina.