Over 200 dead in Helene one week after landfall; 1M without power: live updates

ASHEVILLE, N.C. − The death toll reached 200 as demand for power and water surged for hundreds of thousands of Southeastern residents Thursday, a week after Hurricane Helene began its deadly, destructive march through the region.

Nearly 1 million homes and businesses were left without power in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Tens of thousands of residents, most in western North Carolina, were left without running water.

According to a USA TODAY Network analysis, the number of confirmed deaths in the region passed the 200 mark as North Carolina officials reported Thursday that the state’s total had risen to 97. Additionally, South Carolina reported 39 deaths: Georgia 33, Florida 19, Tennessee 11 and Virginia two, for a total of 201.

Helene is now the fourth deadliest hurricane to hit the continental United States since 1950 and the deadliest since Katrina in 2005.

The situation remains dire in and around Asheville, a city of nearly 100,000 people in Buncombe County that is a metropolitan area of ​​more than 400,000 people in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Helene arrived here as a tropical storm, drenching the already swampy area with more than a foot of rain. Hundreds of houses and dozens of roads were damaged or destroyed. Many districts have no electricity or running water.

Buncombe County distributed ready-to-eat meals and bottled water under a daily limit of two meal packets per adult and one per child. Water for flushing toilets was available at the distribution point on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Nevertheless, life goes on. Brandon Mashburn was tired of staying at home without power, water or internet, so he headed to Malvern Hills Park on Wednesday. With the help of a hacksaw and a few neighbors, he cleared away the debris so the children had a safe place to play.

“It’s one of those things where communities came together and said, ‘If nobody does anything about it, we’ll do it,’” Mashburn said.

Storm Tracker: See the path of Hurricane Kirk as it strengthens in the Atlantic

Development:

∎ Duke Energy officials in Florida said power restoration to the barrier islands in Pinellas County may not be completed until Sunday.

∎ President Joe Biden, who visited North and South Carolina on Wednesday, traveled to Florida and Georgia on Thursday.

Heartbreak in 6 states: Here are some of those who lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Helene

Florida will soon “bear the brunt” of another storm

AccuWeather meteorologists warn that a storm gathering over the southern Gulf of Mexico is certain to bring heavy rain and flooding to the Florida Peninsula next week. “Almost all indicators” suggest the storm will form mid-next week and move northeast across the Florida Peninsula. AccuWeather says a wave of heavy rainfall is likely to flood Florida, especially the central and southern parts of the peninsula.

“While the exact pattern and intensity of the event in the Gulf have yet to be determined, Florida will bear the brunt this time,” said Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist.

National Guard assignment brings some members home

On Wednesday, members of the North Carolina National Guard continued to deliver desperately needed supplies to areas devastated and cut off by Helene. For some of them, this effort was a homecoming.

Chief Warrant Officer Marcus Wilkerson and his crew stopped by the Black Hawk helicopter at their local church in the hard-hit Fairview area. The pastor and fellow parishioners greeted him with hugs as he and his crew unloaded supplies. As children waved and took photos of the Black Hawk, Wilkerson said he was happy to personally deliver the supplies.

“It’s hard to see them like this,” he said, fighting back tears. “But they can do it.” More information can be found here.

− Kelly Puente

Ukrainian refugees among missing in North Carolina

Lysa Gindinova last spoke to her aunt on the night of September 26, when heavy rains and winds began to hit Helene across western North Carolina. Gindinova told USA TODAY that her aunt joked that she “hopes their Titanic – referring to their house – will hold up.”

Since the brief phone call, Gindinova has been unable to contact her aunt, uncle, cousin or grandmother – all of whom fled Kherson in southern Ukraine in May 2022 due to the Russian invasion. The family was accepted into the American humanitarian program and moved to the mountain suburb of Micaville to be close to relatives. Gindinova, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, refreshes local Facebook groups for the names of residents she discovers. She also contacted local emergency services, hoping for good news.

“It went on 24/7,” Gindinova said. “I just talk on the phone all the time. I can’t function normally. That’s all I think about.” Read more here.

− Krzysztof Cann

Double heartache: flood damage, insurance claim rejection

Kayla Ward was drinking coffee on her porch in Jonesborough, Tennessee, on Friday afternoon when she noticed water levels were rising rapidly in the nearby Nolichucky River. She and her husband had to flee when Helene made her way across the road, leaving their animals and clothes behind as their house was severely damaged. Ward, like many other homeowners affected by last week’s storm, did not have flood insurance and found that her insurance company denied her husband’s claim.

This came as a surprise to Ward, 61, who worked as an insurance claims specialist at a full-service insurance agency in neighboring Johnson City.

“We’re finding out that everyone in our area is behaving the same way. No one is protected,” she told USA TODAY. And “we lost everything. Everything.” Read more here.

− Bailey Schulz

No Flood Insurance: A double hit after Hurricane Helene’s attack

How did we get here?

Helene made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend near the town of Perry a week ago as a Category 4 hurricane, producing sustained winds of about 150 mph. Winds quickly abated, but heavy rains flooded more than 800 kilometers of an already saturated region.

Flash floods from streams and rivers that merged with mudslides in the Appalachian Mountains swept away dozens of people, destroyed homes and businesses, collapsed roads and devastated entire communities.

Miracles in the mud: Heroes helping hands out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene

In rural North Carolina, families are divided about the future

MEAT CAMP, N.C. — Carolyn and Clifford Coffee’s home is less than 10 miles from Boone, a popular North Carolina college town nestled between a creek and steep slopes. The two-lane road leading to it along Meat Camp Creek is now dotted with washed out sidewalks and bridges, downed power lines and damaged homes.

Carolyn, 77, and Clifford, 80, have lived here for 40 years. Clifford built his house himself by combining two trailers. But Hurricane Helene’s heavy rains, which caused deadly landslides and flooding, terrified Carolyn.

“We just prayed to God,” she said, adding that while her husband wants to rebuild the apartment, “I want to move.” Read more here.

− Chris Kenning

“So much screaming”: The remote terrain of Appalachia slows Helene’s recovery

Biden says US ‘has your back’

Biden visited Greenville, South Carolina, on Wednesday and later got a bird’s-eye view of the extensive destruction in Asheville. Vice President Kamala Harris also traveled to the hard-hit state, meeting with local officials and first responders in Augusta, Georgia.

“I want to say that the United States – the nation – has your back,” Biden said at an emergency command center in Raleigh alongside North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. “We’re not leaving until you’re completely back on your feet.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live updates on Helene’s aftermath: 1 million still without power