Hurricane Helene leaves ‘biblical devastation’ in North Carolina as death toll passes 80: Latest

North Carolina’s Buncombe County, which includes the mountain town of Asheville, reported 30 deaths from the storm, bringing the overall death toll to at least 84 in several states.

Supplies were flown to the area around Asheville. Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder promised to have food and water to the city – known for its arts, culture and nature tourism – by Monday.

“I heard. We need food and we need water,” Pinder said on Sunday’s phone call with reporters. “My staff has made every request to the state for support and we’ve worked with every organization we’ve reached out to. What I promise you is that we are very close.”

In Buncombe County, North Carolina, authorities say about 1,000 people are still unaccounted for.

“We have biblical destruction through the county,” said Ryan Cole, emergency official for the county, which contains the mountain town of Asheville — which collapsed after Helene. “This is the most significant natural disaster we have ever seen.”

Asheville, home to about 94,000 people and a popular tourist destination, was largely cut off by flooding on Saturday after Helene tore through the region as a tropical storm.

Horrifying footage on social media showed how the water tore through the village, leaving a “path that didn’t exist.”

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says the massive flooding and subsequent damage caused by Hurricane Helene is related to the climate emergency.

Deanne Criswell said rising temperatures in the Gulf have led to conditions that have led to “significant infrastructure damage” affecting the multi-state region.

Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the severe flooding caused by Helene is related to the climate emergency.

“These storms take a while to develop, but once they do they’re developing very quickly – and it’s because of the warm water in the Gulf that’s creating more storms that reach this major category level,” he said.

Those conditions, Criswell said, created a larger storm surge in coastal areas and increased rain as the storm moved north.

“Right now, the damage from hurricanes is mainly wind damage, but now we’re seeing more water damage and that’s a result of the warm water that’s a result of climate change,” he told CBS’s Face The Nation.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the “historic flooding” in North Carolina from the remnants of Hurricane Helene has exceeded what anyone in the region had planned for.

“I don’t know if anyone can be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that we’re experiencing right now,” Criswell said Sunday, during an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have led a call for donations to fund relief efforts in Florida communities affected by Helene.

A statement shared on social media by club chairman and owner Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, read: “The flooding caused by Hurricane Helene has devastated many across the country and specifically in the Tampa Bay community.

“There are many areas in our community that need additional time and resources to begin recovery. We offer our full support to those affected and are extremely grateful for the heroic and courageous efforts of the many first responders and utility workers who are working so hard to ensure the safety and well-being of the community during this difficult time.

NHL team Tampa Bay Lightning also donated about $2 million, according to reports.

Two other weather systems are being monitored by the National Hurricane Center, as damage from Helene continues to be assessed.

Hurricane Isaac is a few hundred miles west-northwest of the Azores and Tropical Storm Joyce is located in the middle of the tropical Atlantic. Nothing is expected to affect the land.

Also in the Atlantic is a tropical wave with a medium chance to develop in the next week.