Hurricane Helene Ground Zero: Inside Asheville where one third of storm deaths occurred in an 'unprecedented tragedy' as total toll surges past 100
The death toll surged past 100 after Hurricane Helene caused destruction, with a third of deaths occurring in Asheville.
The death toll surged past 100 after Hurricane Helene caused destruction, with a third of deaths occurring in Asheville.
Thirty people have been confirmed dead in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, as rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, Sheriff Quentin Miller told reporters last night.
Authorities said there is also a threat of landslides, adding to the challenges Buncombe County is facing due to damage from Hurricane Helene.
County Manager Avril Pinder said she was asking the state for emergency food and drinking water. Streets in picturesque city Asheville were submerged in floodwater.
This is a devastating catastrophe of historic proportions, Governor Roy Cooper told CNN. People that I talk to in western North Carolina say they have never seen anything like this.
He added: This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response.
Hurricane Helene knocked out power for millions, destroyed roads and bridges and caused dramatic flooding from Florida to Virginia and left at least 116 dead, CBS News reports.
A handout photo made available by the North Carolina Division of Aviation showing flood damage caused by the storm that started as Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, September 29, 2024
Relief efforts continue in Asheville area where a major disaster due to Hurricane Helene has left communities devastated, roads impassable and thousands without power
Heavy rains from hurricane Helen caused record flooding and damage on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina
The North Carolina mountain town of Asheville has faced a massive amount of destruction following Hurricane Helene
A drone view shows a damaged area in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 29, 2024
A resident and her dog walk around the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina
Search and rescue teams from 19 states and the US government have converged on North Carolina, Cooper said, adding that some roads could take months to repair.
In Flat Rock, North Carolina, there were widespread blackouts, and people waited hours in line for gas.
Grocery stores are closed, cellphone service is out, Chip Frank, 62, said as he entered his third hour waiting in line. It all depends on these gas stations. Youre not going to be able to go nowhere, and its just a scary feeling.
Hurricane Helene left a lot of infrastructure damage in its wake in North Carolina, according to Bill Norton from Duke Energy.
The mountain zone of North Carolina is really inaccessible in many areas due to mudslides and flooding. Were using helicopters and drones to assess damage, but this is going to be a multi-day effort, he told ABC News.
The Southeastern US began a huge cleanup and recovery effort on Sunday, while cellphone towers across the region are still down,with hundreds of people having yet to make contact with loved ones and being listed as unaccounted for.
Damage estimates ranged from $15billion to more than $100billion, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend, as water systems, communications and critical transportation routes were affected.
Property damage and lost economic output will become clearer as officials assess the destruction.
Roughly 2.7 million customers throughout the South were without power on Sunday, a US Energy Department official said, down 40 per cent from Friday after unprecedented storm surges, ferocious winds and perilous conditions extended hundreds of miles inland.
President Joe Biden plans to visit affected areas this week, once he can do so without disrupting emergency services, the White House said.
Members of the FEMA Massachusetts Task Force 1 conduct search and rescue in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Helene in Haywood County, North Carolina
Residents walk along Catawba Avenue while debris is cleared in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Old Fort, North Carolina
A trailer hangs off a bridge in Asheville, North Carolina on Sunday
A passerby checks the water depth of a flooded road in Morganton, North Carolina. Torrential rain left many area streets flooded. In addition, traffic lights are broken due to powercuts
Residents wait in line with gas cans at a Gas Plus gas station in North Augusta, South Carolina
Damage and residual flooding from Mill Creek is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on in Old Fort, North Carolina
Its tragic, Biden told reporters on Sunday, pledging recovery assistance after declaring major disasters in Florida and North Carolina and emergencies for Florida, North Carolina Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama. You saw the photographs. Its stunning.
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris planned to cut short a campaign trip in Nevada on Monday to take part in briefings in Washington on the hurricane response and will visit the region when doing so wont impede the response, a White House official said.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday to receive a briefing on storm damage and facilitate the distribution of relief supplies, his campaign said.
Helene slammed into Floridas Gulf Coast on Thursday night, triggering days of driving rain and destroying homes that had stood for decades.
In Horseshoe Beach, on Floridas Gulf Coast about 70 miles west of Gainesville, Charlene Huggins surveyed the debris of her blown-out house, pulling a jacket out of the rubble on Saturday.
Five generations lived in this house, from my grandmother, my father, myself, my daughter, son and my granddaughter, Huggins said, holding a chipped glass cake stand. So theres a lot of memories here. It just breaks your heart.
Not far away, James Ellenburg stood on the property where his own family has lived for four generations. I took my first step right here in this yard.
Vehicles damaged from flooding and debris are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Old Fort, North Carolina
An aerial view of a home that was destroyed by fire as a result of storm surge as Hurricane Helene passed off shore in the Davis Islands neighborhood in Tampa, Florida
Workers clean and gut a property that was flooded from the storm surge, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Steinhatchee, Florida on Sunday
Two vehicles lie upended from flooding in Old Fort, North Carolina
A vehicle sits outside of its garage after storm surge in Madeira Beach, Florida
An uprooted tree landed on a pickup truck in front of a home on East Main Street in Glen Alpine, North Carolina
A sign advising residents to boil their tap water is seen after Helene passed offshore in St. Petersburg, Florida
The roof of one home sat flat in the dirt, its walls blown away.
In coastal Steinhatchee, a storm surge – a wall of seawater pushed ashore by winds – of eight to 10 feet moved mobile homes, the weather service said.
Other areas saw a storm surge of 15 feet.
In the nearby tiny community of Spring Warrior Fish Camp, people were surveying the damage on Saturday and still waiting for emergency or first responder aid.
No one thinks of us back here, said David Hall, as he and his wife dug through seagrass and dead fish in the office of the hotel they owned. Many of the communitys homes are built on stilts because of a local ordinance and survived heavy damage.
Kristin Macqueen was helping friends clean up after their house was destroyed in nearby Keaton Beach. Its complete devastation, she said. Houses have just been ripped off their slabs.
