Death rate from Hurricane Helene rises to 130 in southeastern US
Date
10/1/2024 4:15:36 AM
(MENAFN) The death toll from Hurricane Helene rose to 130 by Monday night as rescue teams in the southeastern United States urgently continued their search for survivors. This grim number is expected to increase in the coming days as operations gain access to areas severely impacted by extensive flooding caused by the storm. North Carolina has faced the most significant devastation, with officials confirming at least 56 deaths, primarily in Buncombe County, near Asheville, where flash floods and landslides buried homes and structures. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer described the scene as chaotic, stating, "We are seeing just piles of people's houses that were destroyed... It really feels like a post-apocalyptic scene."
Rescue and recovery efforts are being severely hindered by the floodwaters, which have shut down hundreds of roads and blocked emergency crews from reaching devastated areas. Many individuals have been trapped on the rooftops of their homes for days, desperately awaiting rescue. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper characterized the disaster as "an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response," acknowledging that further casualties are likely as teams access isolated regions that remain cut off from help.
Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late Thursday night, leaving a 650-mile (1,046-kilometer) path of destruction extending to the Atlantic coastal states of the Carolinas. So far, South Carolina has reported 30 deaths, while Georgia has seen at least 25 fatalities. Additionally, 13 deaths have been confirmed in Florida, along with four in Tennessee and two in Virginia. As of now, over 1.6 million people are still without electricity, and officials warn that some communities may face prolonged outages lasting weeks.
In response to the ongoing crisis, emergency operations have begun airlifting essential supplies, including food, water, and medical aid, to residents stranded in their neighborhoods. In North Carolina alone, at least 600 people have been reported missing, and disrupted telecommunication services have hindered families from contacting their loved ones. To assist with communication, emergency officials have activated disaster roaming on all cell service providers. President Joe Biden, expressing hope for those unaccounted for, stated, "God willing, they're alive," and announced plans to visit North Carolina on Wednesday to assess the devastation and meet with state and emergency officials. The federal government has already deployed over 3,500 emergency personnel to aid recovery efforts, with an additional 1,250 search and rescue workers set to arrive in the coming days, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
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