The fatalities due to Helene have escalated to at least 225 in six different regions.
Hurricane Helene, ranked as one of the second most deadly to hit the United States mainland in the past half century, is following in the footsteps of Hurricane Katrina, which claimed at least 1,833 lives in 2005.
Currently, extensive relief operations are underway in the affected area. The objectives are to restore power, repair damaged water and cellular infrastructure, and deliver supplies to regions that have been isolated due to the destruction wrought by Helene upon roads and bridges.
Search and rescue efforts continued on Saturday.
As of Saturday, the death toll attributable to Helene by state is as follows:
- North Carolina: 113 fatalities
- South Carolina: 46 fatalities
- Georgia: 33 fatalities
- Florida: 20 fatalities
- Tennessee: 11 fatalities
- Virginia: 2 fatalities
Here's what we know about the ongoing recovery efforts following Helene:
- Closure of Blue Ridge Parkway: The 400-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway, which spans across North Carolina and Virginia, remains closed as crews carry out damage assessments. With no set reopening date, there has been significant and catastrophic damage reported along various portions of the parkway. Pictures shared by the National Park Service show downed trees and a road washout near Gooch Gap. The parkway was the most visited National Park Service (NPS) site in 2023, with 16.75 million visits, according to CNN.
- Emergency responders from across the US in North Carolina county: Hard-hit Buncombe County, North Carolina, is receiving assistance from several hundred emergency responders from various national agencies. The New York Fire Department also has personnel on the ground, as reported by county spokesperson Lillian Govus during a Saturday press conference. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed more than 3,000 federal responders to North Carolina, according to MaryAnn Tierney, FEMA's National Incident Management Assistance team lead.
- Power outages continue to affect more than 500,000 customers: More than half a million customers in five states are still without electricity a week post-Helene, says poweroutage.us. As of Saturday afternoon, approximately 562,007 customers in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Virginia are still waiting for the power to be restored. Over 74,000 people are without power in Buncombe County, according to county manager Avril Pinder.
A breakdown of power outages by state:
- South Carolina: 183,231
- North Carolina: 216,128
- Florida: 8,518
- Virginia: 5,414
- Georgia: 151,636
- Biltmore Estate sustains significant damage: Portions of America's largest privately owned mansion and popular tourist attraction in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, were affected by Helene. Some low-lying areas experienced “significant flooding and damage to buildings,” according to the Biltmore Estate. The 250-room house, as well as the estate’s winery, conservatory, and hotels, “received minimal or no damage from the storm,” according to the Biltmore. However, the forested areas, which account for a large part of the estate, have suffered extensive wind damage. As crews work to clear roads for repairs, there's also been damage to grounds and certain structures. “We sadly lost a few of our animals during the storm, but the vast majority are safe and accounted for,” the estate said.
- Emotional tribute by Black Mountain community member: Community members in Black Mountain, North Carolina, heavily impacted by Helene, are working together to distribute supplies to their own neighborhoods and hard-to-reach areas. Nathan West, a member of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, told CNN that the congregation has been deploying into the outlying communities and the mountains, providing water, water filtration systems, and food to residents. “It’s really been about the local folks,” West told CNN. “We were operational and deploying supplies the day after the hurricane … our local first responders were out tirelessly going and going and going.” He added, "There’s a lot of kids lost, a lot of parents lost, a lot of entire families lost. And to see people that you know and have to see that in the aftermath, of all this has been pretty difficult."
The recovery team is working closely with emergency responders from various parts of the US, including the New York Fire Department, to aid the affected areas, particularly Buncombe County in North Carolina. Despite the efforts of more than 3,000 federal responders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, over 74,000 people in Buncombe County are still without power.
In light of the extensive damage to the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a major tourist attraction and the most visited National Park Service site in 2023, recovery efforts are focusing on clearing roads and repairing damaged infrastructure to restore services for the affected communities, including us.
