The death toll from Hurricane Helene reached 200 on Thursday and could rise even higher, as searchers made their way to the hardest-to-reach places in the mountains of western North Carolina, where the storm destroyed roads and knocked out power, water and cellphone service.
Officials in Georgia and North Carolina added grim numbers to their states, adding to the total that has made Helene the worst storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
A week after the storm hit Florida before carving a path of destruction through the Southeast, connections between friends, neighbors and even strangers have given hope to the worst-affected areas.
As government cargo planes brought food and water to the area and rescue crews waded through rivers looking for survivors, those who made it through the storm supported each other.
Sarah Vekasi, who makes and sells pottery from her shop Sarah Sunshine Pottery in Black Mountain, North Carolina, said she is struggling with the trauma of Hurricane Helene and uncertainty about the future of her business.
“I can only say that I am still alive. I’m not doing great. I’m not good. But I am very grateful to be alive, especially when so many are not,” said Vekasi.
The only thing that made him feel better was the daily partnership of the town meeting in the square.
“It’s amazing to meet people,” said Vekasi, who hasn’t been able to cross the street for days. More than 150 people gathered for Wednesday’s session, as local leaders stood atop picnic tables shouting updates.
Pictured: The Rage of Hurricane Helene
Martha Sullivan took careful notes so she could share the information — roads reopened, progress on restoring power, efforts to get water flowing again — with others.
Sullivan, who has lived in Black Mountain for 43 years, said his children invited him to come to Charlotte after the storm, but he wants to stay in the community and look after his neighbors.
“I’ll stay as long as I feel I’m useful,” Sullivan said.
In a remote mountainous area, helicopters lifted stranded people to safety while search teams moved through fallen trees to look door-to-door for survivors. In some places, the houses are on the slopes of the mountains and the banks of the river.
Power was restored slowly, as the number of homes and businesses without power fell below 1 million for the first time since last weekend, according to poweroutage.us. Most outages in the Carolinas and Georgia, where Helene was struck after barreling through Florida’s Gulf Coast on September 26 as a Category 4 hurricane. Deaths have been reported in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, in addition to the Carolinas.
Robin Wynn lost power at her Asheville home early last Friday and was able to grab a bag of cans and water before heading to a shelter even though the water was knee-deep.
“I didn’t know where I was going, I didn’t know what was going to happen next. But I got out and I’m still alive,” Wynn said Wednesday.
Now that he is home, the neighbors are watching. Many people came to make sure everyone had hot food and water, he said.
Eric Williamson, who works at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, usually makes home visits to members who can’t attend church. This week, they are a lifeline, delivering food that meets dietary restrictions and throwing out spoiled food.
Beyond essential checks, she says it’s important to socialize with people at times like these to help them know they’re not alone.
He had a handwritten list of everyone to visit. “They don’t have phone service, even though they have landlines, a lot of them don’t work,” Williamson said. “So we bring food and water, but we also bring smiles and prayers to give us comfort.”
Volunteers in Asheville gathered Wednesday before heading out to find people they couldn’t reach because of phone and internet outages. He took a box of drinking water and instructions to return with the results.
Even informing the relatives of those who died in the storm has been difficult.
“That’s our challenge, to be honest, there’s no cell service, there’s no way to reach relatives,” said Avril Pinder, an official in Buncombe County where at least 61 people died. “We have a confirmed body count, but we don’t have any identification of everyone or any further news.”
Thursday marked the seventh day of search and rescue operations, Pinder said, adding that the county does not have an official count of people missing or missing.
“We continue to look for people. We know we have pockets of people isolated because of landslides and bridges out,” he said. “So they are disconnected but not lost.”
President Joe Biden spoke to survivors and first responders and surveyed the devastation in Keaton Beach, Florida, past mountains of broken wood, destroyed homes and large pieces of paper crumpled like paper. Biden meets with people who have lost their homes; one couple lived out of a trailer near the wreckage of their house, personal belongings strewn on the ground.
The president will also visit Georgia on Thursday.
Biden flew over the damage in North and South Carolina on Wednesday. The administration announced a federal commitment to pay bills for debris removal and emergency protection measures within six months in North Carolina and three months in Georgia. The money will address the impact of landslides and flooding and cover the costs of first responders, search and rescue teams, shelters, and mass feeding.
Employees at a plastics factory in rural Tennessee who continued to work last week until water flooded the parking lot and power went out at the plant were among the dead. The flood killed 11 workers, and only five could be rescued. Two confirmed dead.
Tennessee state authorities said they were investigating the company that owns the plant after some employees said they were not allowed to leave in time to avoid the effects of the storm.
Hospitals and health care organizations in the Southeast have largely remained open despite blackouts, wind damage, supply issues and flooding. Many hospitals are ending elective procedures, but few are closing.
In Florida, officials turned to “low-risk” state prisoners to help clean up the debris left behind.
“The Department of Corrections, they’re doing prison work. So they brought him in to clear the debris,” Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters on Wednesday.
Published – 04 October 2024 02:50 IST
