The death toll from Hurricane Helene reaches at least 213 as survivors endure catastrophic loss and destruction

CNN
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More than a week has passed since Helene slammed Florida’s Gulf Coast as a major hurricane and began leaving a deep scar of loss and destruction as far away as Virginia. At least 213 people died and countless homes, businesses and valuable possessions were destroyed.

The search for missing relatives is becoming more desperate by the day, as authorities say hundreds are missing. Rescue workers are being hampered by cell phone outages and destroyed roads and bridges, as federal officials warn that money to help people get back on their feet is slim with 57 days left in the official hurricane season.

While stories of resilience continue to emerge – such as a woman rescued from waist-deep flooding by a wedding party last Friday – people have also since reported walking for hours to check on trapped loved ones and riverbanks searching for those washed away People were looking. In North Carolina’s Buncombe County, home to Asheville, more than 200 people were missing Thursday and 72 people were found dead, the county sheriff said.

The extent of the destruction is becoming clearer as people slowly regain access to neighborhoods, often finding their homes in ruins or completely washed away.

A couple in Swannanoa, North Carolina, narrowly escaped last week when flooding turned their neighborhood into a river, pouring into their home and dragging their truck down the street, they said. When they returned, they found the contents of their house overturned and covered in mud, and almost everything was destroyed.

“We lost almost everything we owned, including vehicles,” Joe Dancy told CNN’s Laura Coates on Thursday evening. “But we have the most important thing: our lives. And for that we will forever and ever be grateful.”

Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the death toll is rising daily. North Carolina has the most reported deaths with 106, followed by 41 in South Carolina, 33 in Georgia, 20 in Florida, 11 in Tennessee and two in Virginia, CNN notes.

Massive relief efforts are underway across the region to restore devastated power grids and rebuild damaged water and cellular infrastructure. Transportation infrastructure across the region also suffered “unprecedented damage” after Helene tore up and washed out roads and shot through bridges, U.S. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Polly Trottenberg said Thursday.

Hundreds of roads remain closed, making it difficult to deliver relief supplies to the hardest-hit communities. And for those who left before Helene, the closures have delayed their return to check on family, friends and the condition of their homes. Some areas are so inaccessible that supplies are delivered by mule and air.

More than 3.3 million homes and businesses have had power restored, Frank Matranga, FEMA’s director of individual assistance, said Thursday. According to PowerOutage.us, more than 700,000 energy customers were still in the dark as of Friday morning.

“We know that for many families, the road to recovery begins with turning the lights back on and reconnecting with loved ones,” Matranga said. “Restoring power and communication is not just about making things more comfortable; It’s about making sure people are safe, informed and have access to the services they need.”

Cell service is also slowly being restored, with fewer than 50% of cell sites still down as of Thursday, he added. Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, announced that it would offer free service for 30 days in regions affected by Helene.

Bathing and washing dishes have also become luxuries in places where drinking water is scarce. In Buncombe County, residents get drinking water from tank trucks and bottled water deliveries, but it is in short supply for other daily activities. And in parts of Tennessee, damage to water treatment and wastewater plants led officials to urge residents to conserve non-essential water and boil their drinking water.

An influx of federal funding and personnel has bolstered recovery efforts. Nearly 7,000 National Guard members were activated and participated in flood rescues, debris removal, search and rescue operations, and relief distribution. In North Carolina, security guards have airdropped supplies and brought people and pets to safety.

FEMA has enough money to provide immediate disaster relief after Helene, an agency spokesman said. But with a long road to recovery ahead and more hurricanes possible this season, the agency may have to dig deep into its wallet.

“FEMA has everything it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” FEMA spokeswoman Jaclyn Rothenberg wrote on X on Thursday, adding: “But hurricane season is not over yet, so we must keep a close eye on it. “

The assessment came after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters on Wednesday that “we don’t have the resources” with another hurricane expected in the coming months. FEMA doesn’t have the resources to get through the season.”

So far, FEMA has provided more than $20 million in aid to those affected by Helene, Matranga said Thursday.

President Joe Biden suggested this week that he might ask Congress to reconvene during its October recess to pass additional emergency funding for storm recovery efforts. “It can’t wait. It can’t wait. People need help now,” Biden said Thursday when asked about the timeline he would like to see.

Local entrepreneurs could bear the brunt of the funding shortfalls. The coffers of the Small Business Administration’s disaster relief programs, which were boosted after the Maui fires in 2023, are nearly empty.

The White House warned last month that a Republican-led short-term government funding bill had failed to increase funding for the SBA and suggested the agency’s disaster loan program, which provides low-interest lifelines of up to $2 provides millions of US dollars, “would de facto cease operations”. ” due to lack of funding.

When Helene passed by, neighbors and onlookers jumped into action to help each other.

What began as preparation for a wedding rehearsal in Grassy Creek, North Carolina, quickly turned into a water rescue last Friday when Eddie Hunnell, the groom’s father, heard that a woman was trapped in her home near the River House Inn was.

Hunnell asked the inn owner for a life jacket, a rope and an oar, he told CNN. After rushing outside, he encountered the woman’s husband, Phil Worth, who explained that his wife, Leslie, was stuck in their house and couldn’t get out.

Hunnell and Worth grabbed a canoe and tried to reach Leslie but couldn’t.

“We tried to figure out how to get them out, but we ran out of ideas,” Hunnell said. “I was pretty sure the house was going to collapse at some point, and my biggest worry was that it was going to collapse on Leslie.”

Eventually, the wedding party noticed the roof of another house floating downstream toward Worth’s house. The debris from the roof struck the home where Leslie was trapped, a video from the Hunnell family shows.

Soon, their house began to tilt under the force of the floodwaters and part of the house came loose.

“Leslie was right there, standing in it, waist deep in the water,” Hunnell said.

Everyone shouted for her to jump.

“I jumped into the canoe to try to get to her. I couldn’t maneuver it well enough. The water was too fast and the wind was too strong,” Hunnell said.

“So, I jumped in and started swimming to her,” he said. “I had been looking for a solution for 30 minutes, but I didn’t have one. So I ran out of ideas and just thought my wife was going to kill me and jumped.”

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Hunnell made it to Leslie, grabbed the back of her life jacket and instructed her to kick toward shore as hard as she could, he said. The two were eventually thrown into slower waters and swam to shore.

Those waiting on the shore burst into tears as the couple returned safely to shore.

Despite the chaotic afternoon, Hunnell invited the Worths to the wedding rehearsal dinner.

“They came in the clothes they wore. I think we actually got Leslie some clothes and I think we got Phil some pants,” he said.

The wedding continued the next day with about half the guest list and no electricity – lit by more than 100 candles. Neighbors used chainsaws to clear streets.

“The wedding turned out great,” Hunnell said. “Everything leading up to the wedding was kind of a disaster.”

CNN’s Kayla Tausche, Sam Fossum, Haley Talbot, Sara Smart, Emma Tucker, Andy Rose and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.