Hurricane Helene wreaks havoc in Asheville, North Carolina; National Guard deployed, 119 people rescued

As the death toll continues to rise in Southern states, first aid and assistance to those suffering from Hurricane Helen is arriving across the country.

On Sunday morning, the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) activated more than 500 Soldiers and Airmen and more than 200 vehicles and aircraft, including emergency lifting and aviation assets as well as emergency response vehicles. case of flood waters.

The NCNG reported carrying out 16 aerial missions, resulting in the rescue of 119 citizens and 11 pets.

“Our National Guard air assets identified people on the ground and used social media and emergency calls to locate, identify and evacuate citizens in western North Carolina,” the NCNG wrote in an update on X.

RESCUE MISSIONS UNDERWAY IN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER HURRICANE HELENE BRINGS “HISTORIC” FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES

The NCNG said the largest mission saw the rescue of 41 people north of Asheville in Bumcombe County.

“Our air assets have moved more than 34,000 pounds of cargo, including food, water and medical supplies, for distribution. Over the past 48 hours, we have been reinforced with personnel and air assets Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, Iowa, Florida, South Carolina and Pennsylvania,” the NCNG message continues.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper provided an update during a morning press briefing, thanking everyone for their hard work.

“North Carolina is strong and our first responders are the best in the country. I am grateful for their hard work and for risking their lives to protect all North Carolinians. This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response,” Cooper wrote on X.

At his rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, former President Trump began with a prayer to all those suffering from Hurricane Helene.

“Before we begin, I would like to send my love and prayers to the families of those who have died, many who have died, and to all those who are displaced and suffering as a result of the hurricane destruction in the South. “It is including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and especially western North Carolina which have been hit hard,” Trump said.

“It’s been absolutely devastating. And God be with all of you. It’s been tough. It was a big monster hurricane and it was much… harder than anyone thought possible. So we just want to offer our best wishes to everyone,” he continued.

PANTHERS OWNERS DONATE $3 MILLION TO HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS; BUCS ALSO GIVES 7 FIGURES

An Asheville salon owner gave an update on the damage to her salon.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts and the sickest of stomachs that I publish this post…Balm Salon has been completely destroyed by the UK floods,” the Balm Salon owner wrote.

“This haven and sanctuary that was my business and workplace will have to be completely rebuilt. I started a GoFundMe to help support myself and my stylists since we lost our workplace and our income as we try to rebuild and replace what has been lost,” the message continues.

The owner of Balm Salon thanked everyone for their support and asked for continued prayers for his community.

“Anything helps, I know our entire community is hurting and we all have a lot of things to replace. So many people have been affected by this completely devastating storm. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. I hope everyone is safe, and that our community will come together to get everything back to normal for everyone involved I love you all,” the salon owner wrote.

On Sunday, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a public health emergency (PHE) for North Carolina to address the health impacts of Hurricane Helene.

“We will do everything we can to help North Carolina officials respond to the health impacts of Hurricane Helene,” Becerra said. “We are working closely with state and local health officials, as well as our federal government partners, and stand ready to provide additional medical and public health support.”

The public health emergency declarations followed President Biden’s emergency declarations for Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina And Tennessee. Public health emergency declarations give health care providers and suppliers at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services greater flexibility to meet the emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

“ASPR will continue to deploy teams to assist in the federal and multistate response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and other impacted states,” said Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O ‘Connell. “We are assessing the impacts of the storm and requests for federal assistance as they come in.”

Country music star Luke Combs also offered his condolences to everyone in the storm’s path and said he had “something special in the works” to help them.

“Absolutely heartbroken for everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. Especially my parents in Western North Carolina. My team and I have made a few calls and I think we have something really special planned for help the Carolinas as much as we can. More details will come as soon as possible,” Combs wrote in an article on X.

Chase Rice, another country music artist, echoed Combs and offered help to people in the Carolinas.

“I want to participate, God bless Carolina,” Rice wrote in a replay of Combs’ statement.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM STUCK ON BUSES ON FLOODED INTERSTATE AMID HURRICANE HELENE’S DESTRUCTION

“I have authorized the Florida National Guard to send air assets to North Carolina to support North Carolina’s response to Hurricane Helene,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote in an article on X .

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cooper said at a news conference Sunday that the death toll of 11 is expected to rise as search teams reach isolated areas from the storm.

He asked residents to avoid driving on western North Carolina roads to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.

Stephen Sorace of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.