Rescue footage was misrepresented as the aftermath of the North Carolina flood

“In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the breathtaking vistas reflect the beauty of God’s creation reflected in the hearts of the hard-working, reverent people who call the Blue Ridge home. The devastation we are experiencing is heartbreaking, but I believe God’s love goes deeper than the floods,” reads the caption of a September 2024 TikTok video

The post shares footage of flooded areas with keywords across western North Carolina, where flooding caused by Helene caused widespread devastation.

Helene made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on September 26 as a massive Category 4 hurricane, stranding residents, destroying homes and knocking out power to millions. The National Weather Service warned of “catastrophic and potentially life-threatening” flooding as the storm moved inland.

More than 210 people died after the storm, officials said Oct. 3. A compilation of official figures from AFP confirmed 212 deaths in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and the United States .

The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has deployed emergency response teams in several states – including North Carolina.

However, the images shared on TikTok, Threads and X do not all show the condition.

Czech footage

Using a reverse image search on Google, AFP found that the first video showing a helicopter over a flooded area was taken in early September in Krnov, Czech Republic, where there was widespread flooding and torrential rain following the storm (here archived).

Local firefighter Lukas Vejvar first posted the clip on September 15 (archived here).

“Together with the crew of the Czech Army helicopter, we rescued four members of the volunteer fire department from Krnov who themselves needed help rescuing people from flooded houses in white water; the rescue of our colleagues was only possible by rescue helicopters,” said the Czech Caption says.

The name of a Czechoslovak soft drink manufacturer also appears on the trucks crossing the bridge.

Destruction in Tennessee

Other footage shared online shows the aftermath of Helene, but was not taken in North Carolina.

A clip shows a bridge collapse in Afton, Tennessee. On September 27th, news channel 11 published the drone footage taken by a viewer (archived here).

Another image of an ambulance stuck underwater was taken in Erwin, Tennessee and shared on Facebook by local resident Shannon (archived here).

“This is Unicoi County Memorial Hospital!!!! About 60 people, including my husband, are on the roof waiting to be evacuated,” her Sept. 27 caption said.

FEMA announced a disaster declaration for Tennessee on February 2 (archived here).

Impact on North Carolina

Several images shared in the TikTok clip show North Carolina — specifically, damage to the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge near Asheville.

Local resident Kendal first posted the full video on Facebook on September 27 (archived here). She also started a fundraising campaign to help rebuild the bridge (archived here).

FEMA issued a disaster declaration on the 28th for North Carolina, the state hardest hit by Helene (archived here).

fact-checked other claims about the storm here.