Desperate individuals seek clarification as loved ones continue to be missing for several days following the destruction of Helene.
In the aftermath of Helene, hundreds of individuals are reportedly missing across the Southeast, as per authorities. This destructive hurricane, considered the deadliest on the U.S. mainland in nearly 20 years, has led to at least 213 fatalities across six states by Friday. Loved ones of the missing individuals are desperately hoping they haven't become part of the increasing death toll.
The rescue operation continues on Friday, as crews battle through roads washed out by the hurricane, destroyed bridges, swollen rivers, and flooded towns. The efforts are hampered partially due to ongoing cellular service issues.
It's unclear exactly how many individuals are missing. FEMA is still collaborating with local and state officials to ascertain the exact number following Helene, according to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who shared this information with CNN's Jim Acosta.
Meanwhile, relatives and friends are actively searching for their missing loved ones.
A concerned individual posted on a recent Facebook post from North Carolina's Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, asking about how to find missing family members in the area, as their brother was unaccounted for. Similar messages from anxious relatives have overwhelmed social media over the past few days.
As of Thursday night, more than 200 individuals were reported missing in Buncombe County, while the county's death toll stood at 72. North Carolina has the highest death toll so far with 106 fatalities reported.
Below are some of the individuals still missing after Helene, according to their relatives:
Steven Cloyd
Steven Cloyd is described by his son, Matthew Cloyd, as a jovial individual who enjoys making people laugh. He is tough but has a heart of gold, according to Matthew Cloyd, who spoke to CNN News Central.
Steven Cloyd went missing in North Carolina after Helene's fury ravaged the home of Steven and Keli Cloyd, who have been married for 36 years and reside in the Appalachians, at approximately 1,700 feet above sea level.
On Friday, as heavy rain from Helene drenched the Cloyds' community, Keli headed to her job as a beauty supply store's manager 20 miles east of her home.
Steven Cloyd kept his wife, with whom he celebrated an anniversary a week prior, updated on the rain at home. His updates soon escalated from a rapidly growing puddle outside to flooded streets and an almost completely water-filled basement.
He informed his wife that he and their dog, Orion, had waded to the Jeep in knee-high water. He advised against her coming home. "About to go," Steven Cloyd texted. Keli Cloyd responded, "Jeep moving?" to which her husband texted back, "Yes."
And then... "About out of power," he wrote. In the following terrifying update, he texted his wife, "Starting to float away."
Keli Cloyd called her son Matthew in Rockford, Illinois, to warn him that his father was in trouble. The 35-year-old and his younger brother then drove approximately 700 miles south to search for their father.
Steven Cloyd's Jeep was later found a quarter mile southwest of their home, but he was not.
Kim Ashby
Kim Ashby, a North Carolina teacher of 20 years, is described as the "glue that holds everyone together" by her daughter, Jessica Meidinger.
Her disappearance after floodwaters from Helene washed away her and her husband's home with them both inside has left their family devastated.
Kim and Rod Ashby have been building a house in Elk Park, North Carolina, near the Tennessee state line, for about two years and frequently visited to apply the finishes.
The couple resided in Sanford, about 45 miles southwest of Raleigh, but went to the house on Thursday to handle a few things before the storm.
Rod Ashby had taken special care in building the house "with his own two hands," making efforts to minimize flood risk from the nearby Elk River, Meidinger said.
"When he was building the house, he marked the trees where the typical flooding gets to, and also to the highest historical level of flooding, and then he built the house above that," Meidinger explained. "So it was like 20 feet above the ground."
It was barely raining when the couple arrived. They felt safe.
Jessica's wife, Lauren Meidinger, said her in-laws were enjoying breakfast on Friday morning when Rod realized something was amiss.
"He heard a crack. He went outside again and saw that the foundation of the home was gone," Lauren said. "He ran in and told Kim, 'Hey, we need to get dressed. We need to evacuate.'''
Their house was swept away into the river within seconds. A neighbor took a picture of it floating downstream.
Jessica Meidinger said her stepdad grabbed her mom and their three dogs and held onto a mattress as their home floated down the river. The house collided with the river bank at a bend, breaking apart.
Rod Ashby was able to grab Kim Ashby and the dogs. They clung to a section of wall until it broke apart.
"The last time anyone has seen my mom," Jessica Meidinger said.
Rod Ashby was able to grab onto a tree and pull himself out of the water. He wandered up and down the bank shouting for his wife, ultimately seeking help from a neighbor's house.
Jessica and Lauren Meidinger managed to bring Rod Ashby to their residence on a Tuesday night. Subsequently, he was taken to the hospital on Wednesday for non-life threatening injuries.
"Obviously, he's not in the best emotional state right now. He's trying to find Kim," Lauren Meidinger stated. "He just needs to be surrounded by family at this point, but he's eager to return up there and continue searching."
They mentioned that search parties are currently searching for her, and they've been inundated with offers of assistance.
"She's a fighter. You know, Kim fought through breast cancer and emerged victorious, and she's battled her entire life," Lauren Meidinger added.
Isabela Alvarez
The last time Ana Martinez heard from her 29-year-old cousin, Isabela Alvarez, they were talking on the phone as the water levels in the streets began to rise. This happened around six days prior, when Alvarez had left her workplace at a plastics facility in Erwin, Tennessee, and hasn't been seen or heard from since.
In an interview with CNN affiliate WVLT, Martinez described Alvarez as a loving individual.
During their last phone call on Friday, martinez recalled Alvarez's fear as the streets were flooded.
"That's when she totally lost it," Martinez said. "She knew she wouldn't be able to escape, especially since she doesn't know how to swim."
By the time Alvarez left the facility, "it was already too late because the cars were being carried away by the water," Martinez told WVLT.
The flooding swept away 11 employees of the plastics facility, leaving two dead and four still missing, according to the Associated Press.
The county's emergency management officials claimed they were able to rescue four individuals from the facility, but they were stretched thin as they handled several rescue operations, CNN affiliate WCYB reported.
"Our amazing emergency services in the county were maxed out," Unicoi County Emergency Management Director Jimmy Erwin said. "They used everything they had to save lives that day. Some were saved. We're still looking for some. We're still holding out hope that we'll find more alive."
Miguel Lopez
Miguel Lopez's location remains unknown to his family over a week after Helene hit Asheville, North Carolina, where video footage showed his home being swept away by floodwater.
His neighbor, who prefers to be referred to by her initials, L.P., for her privacy, told CNN that she's riddled with guilt over not being able to save him.
"His face just won't leave my thoughts," L.P. said.
Lopez was trapped on his apartment building's balcony along with two other neighbors, pleading for help, according to L.P.
"We all did our best to get to him from this side," she said. "But the water moved too quickly."
L.P. and her family made numerous attempts to contact the police but struggled with poor cell signal. They tried to reassure Lopez that help was on the way.
But by noon on that day, she watched as Lopez's small apartment building drifted off its stilts and floated down the road due to the heavy flooding.
"Once the building shifted and moved, all we heard was a scream, and that was it," L.P. said. "I just want everyone to know we tried our best to help. We tried."
The last time Maria Lopez, his separated wife, spoke with him was a text message she received on Friday morning. She informed CNN that her husband, who lived in a separate residence, sent a message stating, "I love you and the kids. Please tell them that. I hope you're both okay."
The couple shared 7- and 9-year-old sons.
Since then, Maria Lopez has been searching for her husband everywhere.
"I drove all over town. I went to every single evacuation site. I kept asking, 'where else, where else, where else can I go?'" she told CNN while crying.
Neighbors told Maria Lopez that individuals in the apartment complex evacuated at 5 a.m. on Friday when the sirens went off. But on Sunday, L.P. told her that Lopez did not evacuate before the storm and was trapped on his balcony.
Maria Lopez soon learned that Lopez's apartment building had been destroyed, and the L.P. and her family informed her that they couldn't "find a way he could have survived."
However, she hasn't given up her search.
"I just told them we're searching. We're going to keep searching. We're just going to keep searching for daddy," Maria Lopez sobbed.
"We're still putting our main focus on rescue operations, operating round-the-clock to find missing individuals," authorities declared in a Facebook post yesterday. "Our initial endeavors primarily centered on locating individuals who were straightforward to contact and appeared to require immediate aid."
"Now, our squads are undertaking supplementary searches, leveraging specialized tools such as search dogs and drones to meticulously examine locations previously deemed clear," they added. "This ensures that any missing or challenging-to-reach individuals aren't overlooked."
Meanwhile, Le Roux's hunt continues, and the family holds out hope for her safe return, with Norwood currently hospitalized due to injuries causing an infection, as reported by CNN affiliate WRAL, according to his uncle Robert Martin.
"We won't rest until we've accounted for all our residents and guests, ensuring everyone's fundamental needs are catered to," said Will Kehler, the director of county emergency services. "Every passing day, we're making headway in protecting and saving lives. This community's spirit is one of determination and resilience, and we won't falter."
CNN contributors Andy Rose, Steve Almasy, Melissa Alonso, and Emma Tucker aided in compiling this report.
After sharing messages of concern on social media, the missing individuals' relatives join the search efforts.
In the face of ongoing cellular service issues, authorities use specialized tools like drones and search dogs to locate the missing individuals.
