The search for victims of Hurricane Helene enters its second week as the death toll rises

The search for victims of Hurricane Helene enters its second week as the death toll rises

The search for victims of Hurricane Helene entered its second week on Friday, with rescue teams and volunteers still trying to reach those cut off by the storm’s destruction.

Sheriff Quentin Miller of Buncombe County, North Carolina, reassured residents at a news conference Thursday evening. He said: “We know these are difficult times but please know that we are coming. We’re coming to get you. We’re coming to pick up our people.”

Helene was confirmed to be the deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Katrina in 2005, with a death toll of at least 215. The number of people still missing remains uncertain, with estimates varying between dozens and hundreds.

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North Carolina accounts for about half of the deaths, with additional casualties reported in South Carolina and Georgia.

In Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, a major tourist destination and the region’s largest city, the death toll reached 72 as of Thursday evening, according to Sheriff Miller. Despite the grim statistics, he expressed hope that many of the missing could still be found alive.

Regarding those still missing, Miller said: “Your safety and well-being are our top priority. And we will not rest until you are safe and cared for.”

Now, more than a week since the storm hit Florida’s Gulf Coast, the lack of phone service and electricity continues to hamper efforts to contact the missing. That means search parties have to trek through the mountains to find out if residents are safe.

A woman walks to her damaged home after Hurricane Helene, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Pensacola, North Carolina (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)A woman walks to her damaged home after Hurricane Helene, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Pensacola, North Carolina (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A woman walks toward her damaged home – Photo credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

In the Blue Ridge Mountains along North Carolina’s Cane River, the Pensacola Volunteer Fire Department fought through dense forests Thursday, nearly a week after severe flooding devastated the area.

Pensacola Parish, located just a few miles from Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, has lost an unspecified number of its population, according to fire chief Mark Harrison.

“We’re starting to recover,” Harrison announced. “We got the most critical people out.”

At the Tennessee border, emergency crews have begun navigating the maze of backroads after finally clearing major highways, with conditions even more challenging. These smaller routes are full of tight curves and finely constructed bridges, which pose a major challenge, especially in adverse weather.

“Everything is fine and then they come around a bend and the road is gone and it’s one big ravine or the bridge is gone,” Charlie Wallin, a Watauga County commissioner, said of the disheartening scene. “We can only go so far.”

A volunteer collects food for families at the volunteer fire station after Hurricane Helene, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Pensacola, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)A volunteer collects food for families at the volunteer fire station after Hurricane Helene, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Pensacola, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A volunteer collects food for families at the Pensacola Volunteer Fire Station – Photo credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Every day there are more requests to verify people who have not yet made contact, with no clear result of the search efforts in sight. “You’re hoping you’re getting closer, but it’s still hard to know,” Mr. Wallin added.

According to poweroutage.us, power is being gradually restored, with the number of homes and businesses without power falling below one million on Thursday for the first time since last weekend.

Most of these outages are in the Carolinas and Georgia, where Hurricane Helene hit after hitting Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26.

President Joe Biden surveyed the damage in North and South Carolina from the air on Wednesday. The government has pledged federal assistance to cover debris removal and emergency response costs for six months in North Carolina and three months in Georgia. These funds are intended to address the impacts of landslides and floods and cover the costs of first responders, search and rescue teams, shelter and mass catering.