The death toll rises to over 90 as millions remain without power after a hurricane makes landfall on Sunday in the Big Bend region of Florida
The Florida death toll rose to nine people on Sunday, after a storm turned the peninsula into the nation’s deadly epicenter. All deaths took place in a mandatory evacuation zone. The majority of the deaths were from rising waters, according to the sheriff.
Three days after the landfall of the Big Bend region of Florida, large sections of the region remained dark with power out to more than 2 million customers in five states. Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult.
President Biden described the impact of the storm as “stunning” and said he would visit the area this week as long as it does not disrupt rescues or recovery work.
Hours before Helene made landfall on Thursday in the sparsely populated areas of Florida’s Big Bend region, its 120-mph winds produced a storm surge that sent more than 5 feet of water — reaching 16 feet in some areas — along large swaths of Florida’s west coast.
Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed.
Many areas of western North Carolina experienced communications, power, fuel, and water shortages over the weekend. Floodwaters remained, impeding travel.
Cooper implored residents in western North Carolina to avoid travel, both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. The search teams are looking for people who are stranded.
One rescue effort involved saving 41 people north of Asheville. A mission focused on saving an infant. The teams found people through both 911 calls and social media messages, North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Todd Hunt said.
Augusta, Georgia: A storm hit hardest, and a hundred people were killed in Greenville County after a flood prompted by debris in the Savannah River
Georgians are being asked to conserve water in Augusta after trash and debris in the Savannah River had clogged the city’s water filtration systems. Emergency management officials said at a press briefing Sunday afternoon that water services should be restored within 24 to 48 hours.
Georgia Gov. Kemp said it looked like a bomb went off when he viewed splintered homes and debris-covered highways. Kemp stated that the stretch of Augusta to Valdosta was very hard hit, with 115 structures taking serious damage.
Power outages were widespread in the western half of the state. In Greenville County, the state’s most populous, more than 200,000 people lacked power on Sunday evening.
73 people were listed as missing by Unicoi County officials on Sunday. There were no confirmed deaths, an Incident Management Team spokesperson said at a press conference.
More than 50 people got stranded on the roof of a small hospital in East Tennessee after flooding from a storm, and the county saw the most dramatic rescue from the storm.
An official for Unicoi County Schools said during the conference that it’s “unlikely” schools will be back in session by the second week of October, but that the district is working to get schools reopened as soon as possible.
A Hot Spot Trailer for the Missing Families of Turbo Tetterton in Buncombe County, North Carolina, After Hurricane Helene
Family members have turned to social media to get the word out about the missing. A community-sourced list with almost 2,000 names of people thought missing was created. Since Helene hit, many names have gone from “missing” to “found.” Family and friends are using a public Facebook page to post photos and details of their missing loved ones from East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
Among the missing are employees from a plastics plant in Erwin, Tenn. After intense rain Friday, Impact Plastics says it dismissed employees after its parking lot flooded and the plant lost power. Some media reports allege those employees were threatened with termination if they left the building or otherwise didn’t understand they were allowed to leave. Impact Plastics denies that any threat was made and said a bilingual employee explained the situation to workers.
In Buncombe County alone, at least 600 people are not accounted for after the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in Western North Carolina. Search and rescue teams are still out looking for people in the county’s remote mountain towns. In Tennessee, officials said 100 people were still missing on Monday.
County officials hope that as more people come to hot spots like that trailer, they will reconnect with loved ones and get off the long list of people missing after Helene.
Tetterton was flooded with messages asking, “Hey have you heard from this person?” Hey, I haven’t heard from that person. Are they OK? Do they have power? Does she have water? Are you alive?” she recounted tearfully.
The residents of Tetterton’s neighborhood were using a hot spot trailer to get their internet back up. Some contacted friends and family for the first time in days. They either lost their jobs or tried to apply for federal aid.
Turbo Tetterton found out Sunday night that people outside her storm-beaten neighborhood in Asheville, N.C., were reporting her missing after no one could reach her following Hurricane Helene’s destructive path through her mountain community.