Updates on deaths, damage and recovery

An analysis shows the cost of Helene’s tour of destruction across the southeastern United States is expected to exceed $30 billion.

The estimates take into account wind damage, insured and uninsured storm surge, and inland flood damage for residential and commercial properties in 16 states, according to CoreLogic, a California-based financial and consumer analytics firm that determined the losses. Helene, which first hit Florida on September 26 as a Category 4 hurricane, was estimated to cause $10.5 billion to $17.5 billion in insured losses alone.

Helene’s path has led to widespread flooding in several uninsured areas, said Monica Ningen, CEO of US Property & Casualty Reinsurance at Swiss Re, adding that this will “make rebuilding the affected communities even more difficult.”

Take Buncombe County, North Carolina, which includes Asheville, where much of the devastation occurred in a mountainous region far from the Atlantic Ocean. According to Swiss Re, a global insurance and reinsurance company, only 941 of 140,000 housing units in the county had active flood insurance.

On Saturday, the USA TODAY Network’s analysis of Helene deaths increased to 228.

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center reported that another hurricane was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. The strengthening storm could soon reach Florida in the coming days.

Helene victims have another concern: Bears

Developments:

According to park officials, the Blue Ridge Parkway will remain closed indefinitely.
A scar of power outages still runs across the South, where the Helene flooding devastated communities, according to USA TODAY’s outage tracker Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of outages were reported, mostly in the Carolinas and Georgia.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering assistance to both homeowners and small business owners affected by Helene. Payment can be in the form of a check or direct deposit, but it can only be used for certain accommodation, repairs and generator expenses. The Asheville Citizen-Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports on what residents are covered.
North Carolina will receive $100 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund emergency road work caused by flood damage in Helene, the federal agency announced Saturday. The storm washed away roads and caused bridges to collapse, including along I-40, the Department of Transportation said.
On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris visited North Carolina to learn about continued recovery efforts in the state. She is expected to meet with people affected by Helene, look at the distribution of relief supplies and provide information about the federal response. Former President Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina on Friday and supported a GoFundMe fundraiser that had raised over $6 million as of Saturday for people affected by Helene.

Forecasters expect another tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico to quickly strengthen into a hurricane (likely Hurricane Milton) and head toward Florida in the next few days.

The system in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to develop into a “near major hurricane,” the National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning. The forecast shows the storm approaching Florida’s Gulf Coast with winds of 110 mph before making landfall near Tampa, possibly by midweek.

(Read the full story here.)

– Mike Snider, USA TODAY

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Not even Habitat for Humanity, headquartered on the Swannanoa River, was able to avoid damage from Tropical Storm Helene. The nonprofit is suspending operations while it cleans up its Asheville-area property.

But in the long run, Habitat for Humanity will be there to help Asheville rebuild, said CEO Andy Barnett.

“That’s really Habitat’s niche, and unfortunately after the disaster, as an organization we were able to demonstrate that across the country,” Barnett said.

(Read the full story here.)

—Evan Gerike, Asheville Citizen-Times

At the height of Helene’s anger, Jefferson Energy lost service to 100% of the 37,000 service locations in its 11-county territory. More than a week after the storm, more than 14,700 customers were still in the dark on Saturday afternoon.

“It will be a multi-week process,” said Wayne Gossage Jr., president of Jefferson Energy.

Jefferson Energy serves a section of rural Georgia 90 miles north to south, from north of Swainsboro to Clark’s Hill Lake, and about 60 miles east to west, from the Savannah River in Augusta to the east side of Warrenton.

On Friday evening, Augusta city officials announced that the boil water advisory for residents and businesses had been lifted. The city’s supply office issued the recommendation on Monday.

– Parrish Howard and Alexandra Koch, Augusta Chronicle

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Helene has been looting businesses along the French Broad River, but the owners of three popular hangouts are determined not to mark the end of her story.

In the week following the unprecedented storm, leaders at DayTrip, High Five Coffee and Zillicoah Beer Co. are busy assessing damage and supporting unemployed employees, among other business and personal challenges. Nevertheless, they remain resilient and optimistic.

“Asheville will be changed forever, but the beauty of our community is that it is full of small business owners who started just like us,” said Jeremy Chassner, co-owner of Zillicoah Beer Co.

(Read the full story here.)

—Tiana Kennell, Asheville Citizen-Times

CANTON, N.C. — A light drizzle fell on Donna Rymer’s tarp-covered belongings. It was enough to scare her.

“April showers bring May flowers — I don’t want to see rain until April,” Rymer said Friday afternoon as she stood near her basement door.

Just a week ago, rain and mud hit the door, and Tropical Storm Helene brought greater flooding than she ever expected to the home she has lived in since childhood. As the water rose and receded along with her shock, Rymer wondered, “Is our little town coming back?”

Canton has grappled with this question over several difficult years.

Tropical Storm Fred flooded and damaged the city in 2021. Last year, more than 1,000 people lost their jobs when the 115-year-old paper mill in Canton closed.

Seeing how the community has come together after the storm – neighbor helping neighbor – Rymer believes the city will come back. This also applies to Governor Roy Cooper, who visited Canton on Friday.

(Read the full story here.)

– Douglas Sole, Asheville Citizen-Times

Frustrated survivors are still searching for cell service days after the destruction

BURNSVILLE, N.C. – The ongoing loss of cell phone service in areas affected by Hurricane Helene is raising questions among survivors about safety, missed emergency warnings and an inability to reassure far-flung friends and family.

Helene has cut power to large parts of the south due to strong winds and flooding. The destruction also destroyed cell phone towers, disrupting communications for potentially millions of people. The lack of service is evident across the region, as frustrated residents crowd near the few locations that offer Wi-Fi or spotty cell service.

After the storm, the town of Red Hill’s 355 residents were unable to call to check on their loved ones. They couldn’t get news about road closures, who had gas or generators, and who needed help.

“Nobody knew if we were dead or alive,” said Kacie Smith, 28, who runs the Red Hill General Store.

(Read the full story here.)

‒ Trevor Hughes and Chris Kenning, USA TODAY

In Upstate South Carolina, recovery is a marathon, not a sprint

GREENVILLE, S.C. − Driving through Greenville a week after Hurricane Helene, two sights become almost immediately familiar: trees everywhere — on the streets, on houses, on interstate medians — and traffic lights with normally normal cycles known as four-way -serve stops.

However, residents know that this is only half the story.

The exact damage assessments are still ongoing. It is reported how many felled trees hit cars, tore off roofs and cost lives. Some still spend nights in pitch black and days in stuffy air, wondering when their light switches, ovens and air conditioners might work again. Many people wonder – and worry – about friends in North Carolina who they can’t reach.

Above all, Upstate residents are preparing for the marathon – not the sprint – that is, for severe weather relief and recovery.

(Read the full story here.)

-Sarah Clifton, Greenville News

Updates on deaths, damage and recovery

ByJasper

Frustrated survivors are still searching for cell service days after the destruction

In Upstate South Carolina, recovery is a marathon, not a sprint

By Jasper

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