Hurricane Helene is proving to be one of the deadliest storms in American history after it made landfall last week.
According to CNN, at least 133 people are dead across the Southeast following the hurricane’s strike. In North Carolina, 56 deaths have been confirmed. Hurricane Helene left at least 33 people dead in South Carolina, 25 in Georgia, and 11 in Florida. Six deaths have also been reported in Tennessee and two in Virginia.
The death toll will likely continue to climb as communities remain isolated by power outrages and inaccessible roads. From Florida to West Virginia, 1.5 million homes and businesses are still without power as of Tuesday (October 1). Georgia and the Carolinas are facing most of the outages, accounting for 1.3 million.
Asheville, North Carolina Mayor Esther Manheimer said Monday (September 30) that approximately 600 people were still unaccounted for. There’s extensive damage to roads and infrastructure that have prevented crews from reaching residents with resources, Manheimer added.
“There’s still a lot of folks that we need to be able to reach, so that is the priority,” Manheimer told CNN. “But we also are in a situation where we don’t have water and power in most areas, and we do need resources like drinking water and food and other household supplies and personal supplies people might need.”
The mayor noted that the damage is “catastrophic” and “pictures don’t do it justice.” President Joe Biden is set to fly over the city to survey the damage on Wednesday (October 2).
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