Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller updated media Sunday evening to say that there are 30 confirmed deaths from Hurricane Helene, a number that is rising as rescue and recovery units get to areas of Western North Carolina that had been cut off by collapsed roads and mudslides. Rescue operations are still underway across the region after the storm dumped up to 29 inches of rain on some areas.
Gov. Roy Cooper held a press conference from Raleigh Sunday saying he’d activated 500 soldiers and airmen from the North Carolina National Guard to assist, along with 200 vehicles and aircraft. Rescue crews from Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, Iowa, Florida, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania are helping in the effort. As of Sunday evening, 115 air missions have rescued 41 people in Buncombe County.
“Our prayers and condolences go out to those families in this terrible time,” said Cooper on Sunday. “Even as the rain and the winds subside, the challenge for people there increases. People are desperate for help and we are pushing to get it to them. It is a massive effort.
People are cut off because roads are impassable. They don’t have power or communications.”
“Our air assets have moved more than 34,000 pounds of cargo, including food, water, and medical supplies to distribute,” the NCNG X account reported.
Connectivity has been a major issue with no power or internet getting to the area. Those with limited access are using social media to call for help.
More than half a million customers remain without power as of Sunday evening, and those in the region who have water service are advised to boil it. As the catastrophe unfolded over the weekend, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system got big praise as residents who already had the systems realized they worked and offered the service to their neighbors and rescuers. One reporter and a storm chaser coordinated setting up more Starlink systems for public use.
Leaders in the North Carolina General Assembly say lawmakers are in communication as the scope of the devastation becomes apparent, and say they are ready to take the legislative action needed to help in recovery.
“The images and reports we’re getting from Western North Carolina are heartbreaking and devastating,” said North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, in a media release Sunday.
“I’ve been in contact with the senators in the area and other state and local officials as they continue to assess the damage and impact of Hurricane Helene,” he added. “It will take time to know the full catastrophic nature of this storm, but the General Assembly stands ready to take the necessary steps to help our neighbors in Western North Carolina.”
The federal government, at the request of Cooper, has granted a Federal Major Disaster Declaration in 25 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The declaration means that FEMA will be able to speed additional help to the state, and reimburse local governments, state agencies, and non-profits or other eligible organizations for funds spent repairing facilities and infrastructure.
Universities in the area have closed for the week including Appalachian State University and Western Carolina. UNC-Asheville and Montreat College are closed until October 9th and October 6th respectively.
Officials report 84 deaths from Helene across North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. The John Locke Foundation, publisher of the Carolina Journal, has assembled a list of trusted resources where people can donate to help Western North Carolina neighbors.
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