• Climbing death toll: At least 162 people have died across six states and officials fear the death toll could rise following Hurricane Helene. Many more remain missing, perhaps unable to leave their location or unable to contact family where communications infrastructure is in shreds.
• Power and infrastructure outages: Hundreds of roads remain closed, especially in the Carolinas, hampering the delivery of badly needed supplies. Some areas are so inaccessible supplies are being delivered by mules and by air and people are hiking hours to try to help loved ones.More than 1.5 million customers remain without power, according to poweroutage.us.
• Climate disaster: Scientists found climate change, primarily caused by fossil fuel pollution, exacerbated the severity of Helene. The new findings align with previous scientific research, which has shown that storms are intensifying more quickly and producing more rainfall.
• Resources: For ways to help those left in Helene’s aftermath, visit CNN Impact Your World. Bookmark CNN’s lite site for fast connectivity.
Florida resident spends nearly 5 days stranded at North Carolina lodge
From CNN’s Sara Smart
Stefanie’s Jeep was stuck after a landslide. Location: Little Switzerland, North Carolina
Courtesy Stefanie Scarfia
A St. Petersburg, Florida, resident was in North Carolina when Helene made landfall in Florida. The storm found her anyway.
For nearly five days, Stefanie Scarfia – a travel nurse who has been working in North Carolina – has been stranded at the place she’d been staying during her work assignment: The Big Lynn Lodge in Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
She was unable to go to work on Friday when her vehicle became stuck because of a landslide that happened that morning. she said.
Since being stranded at the lodge, Scarfia has offered her medical experience to anyone who may need it, she said.
Scarfia said the lodge’s owner, Hoyt Johnson, has taken care of everyone staying there or seeking refuge at the lodge. On Monday night, Scarfia was speaking with Johnson in the lobby with flashlights as the sole light source when someone came to the door seeking a hot shower, “and of course he let them,” Scarfia said.
Scarfia’s vehicle was dug out on Monday night, and she says she will attempt to drive into Asheville on Wednesday to head back to work.
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More than 800 men evacuated from prison in western North Carolina
From CNN's Dianne Gallagher and Taylor Romine
More than 800 men incarcerated at a prison in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, were evacuated Tuesday to other prisons due to “long timeframes for water and power restoration,” officials said.
The men were transferred to seven prisons in and out of North Carolina, a news release from North Carolina Department of Adult Correction said. An online offender locator will be updated within 24 hours with information about where each relocated person has been temporary moved, the department said.
The department did not give an estimate of how long the inmates will be at their temporary locations.
More than 400 women also were evacuated from two prisons in western North Carolina Monday because of damage to water and power infrastructure, the department said.
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Clearwater Beach has sand and smell issues, so officials tell tourists to stay away
From CNN's Steve Almasy and Amanda Jackson
Clearwater’s famous beach isn’t ready again for visitors or for people coming to gawk at the damage, officials in the Florida city said on social media Tuesday.
“The public bathing beach is closed and is filled with dirty sand and debris, and dead marine life is causing it to smell,” the city said on Facebook. There aren’t places to park because lots are being used for staging equipment and keeping sand piles.
Restrooms don’t have power. Roadways are still being cleared of sand, according to the city.
“The city of Clearwater asks you … please do not come to the beach to galivant and satisfy any sense of curiosity. If you do, this would be at the expense of our residents and businesses that have already lost so much,” the social media post says.
The roads to the barrier island are open and police checkpoints are gone, but traffic was “insane” Tuesday, according to one Facebook user commenting on the post.
“Everything is lost,” Alex Greco, the general manager of Kings Pizza and Grill, said.
Greco said he planned to reopen after cleaning out the building, but in the meantime the business was going to do what it could, when it could, for the people working on the island. Right now, all he can do is give away drinks.
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Lodge becomes safe haven for about 80 stranded people in North Carolina
From CNN’s Sara Smart
A mountaintop lodge near Little Switzerland, North Carolina, has become a safe haven for about 80 stranded residents and travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway after floodwaters wreaked havoc on the state.
Hoyt Johnson, who has been the owner of Big Lynn Lodge for 14 years, said some people have been able to move out of the area, but more people continue to flow into the lodge seeking shelter. The 42-room inn, which is more than 100 years old, sits at an elevation of 3,100 feet and is located between Asheville and Boone off the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the lodge’s website.
Johnson says they’ve had hot water, and a helicopter delivered a generator on Tuesday, but they don’t have much else. The lodge has also received a few helicopters full of supplies including water, food, diapers and medical supplies. Johnson said they are “slowly powering back up.”
The inn has about eight rooms set up for showers, and there’s a charging station for cell phones, Johnson said. He added that the lodge hopes to be serving two hot meals a day starting Wednesday.
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"It doesn't feel real," says son looking for his father who disappeared trying to escape floodwaters
From CNN's Sharif Paget
Matthew Cloyd’s mother called Friday afternoon while Helene’s rain was battering East Tennessee. “Your dad’s in trouble,” she told him.
Based in Rockford, Illinois, Cloyd was confused, he recalled to CNN. “What do you mean dad’s in trouble?” he remembered asking her. He knew a hurricane was expected to hit the Southeast, but never thought it would greatly impact Jonesborough, Tennessee, a town nestled in the Appalachian region.
“Your father just called me and said it’s flooding really bad, the home is flooded,” Cloyd said his mother, Keli Cloyd, told him.
Matthew Cloyd said his father, Steven Cloyd, continued communicating with Matthew’s mother (Steven’s wife) through text messages and phone calls until he could no longer.
With this cell phone running low on power and flood waters continuing to rise, he grabbed the family dog, Orion, and got into his Jeep.
He told his wife that the floodwaters were so powerful that they caused his brother’s truck to float and smack into his Jeep, Matthew told CNN.
Kelly wrote back to say she was coming home. “No,” Steven texted. “Too deep Listen to me.”
And then, to Kelly’s surprise, Steven texted that he was about to go. “Jeep moving???” she asked. “Yes,” replied Steven, who added that he was about to run out of power.
“Please let me know when you are safe,” she wrote. “I love you so much it hurts.”
That night, Matthew and his younger brother drove from Rockford, Illinois, and arrived in Jonesborough on Saturday evening. Matthew said that it was close to impossible to get there since almost every bridge was washed out. Luckily, he found a functioning bridge free of debris that he was able to cross.
He linked up with his mom, and they searched for his dad. They found his Jeep stranded in a field about a quarter mile southwest of his home. But there was no sign of him or their dog Orion. The Jeep’s removable roof panel was taken off, so the family is hoping he got to safety.
After posting on social media about his missing dad and dog, a woman reached out to let them know that she had found Orion alive. The woman’s home was about 3 miles down the road, Matthew said.
Matthew used the word “helplessness” to describe how he and his family are feeling. They have reported their father missing to authorities and are posting on social media, hoping someone will message them to say he’s safe.
Matthew is asking anyone who lives along the Nolichucky River to check their backyards and surrounding areas to see if anyone has washed up along the banks. He stressed that it’s not just about finding his father but also the many others who are still missing.
He said he wants to eventually create a support group for all those affected. “I think right now we are the only people who know what each of us is going through,” Matthew said.
“It doesn’t feel real,” he added.
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Travel in western North Carolina and upper east Tennessee remains dangerous, officials say
From CNN's Brammhi Balarajan
Power line poles lean after Hurricane Helene caused widespread damage to infrastructure in Lake Lure, North Carolina, on Tuesday.
Jonathan Drake/Reuters
Driving in western North Carolina remains dangerous after Helene hit the area and should be limited to storm response, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said Tuesday.
Closures remain on parts of interstates 40 and 26, and North Carolina drivers will not be able to get to Tennessee through these roads, the department said.
Also, in upper east Tennessee, “all roads … should be considered potentially hazardous, and motorists should avoid traveling in these areas unless seeking higher ground,” with many roads and bridges in the area compromised, a message on the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s website read Tuesday.
“The storm has caused historic destruction,” the Tennessee Department of Transportation said in a news release Tuesday. “We anticipate hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and months of closure.”
In North Carolina, other closures include: The Blue Ridge Road in Black Mountain, the US 176 at Camp Creek Road and the NC 9 Black Mountain, which should not be used except for hurricane response, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said.
Five bridges in Tennessee have been destroyed. Eight other bridges were also originally closed, but seven have now been reopened, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said.
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World Central Kitchen says it has served 64,000 meals to storm victims in four states
From CNN's Steve Almasy
World Central Kitchen, a relief organization that provides meals after humanitarian crises and weather disasters, said Tuesday it has served more than 64,000 meals in the aftermath of Helene.
Thirty-five food trucks are in operation, and the group is setting up field kitchens in Asheville, North Carolina, and Clearwater, Florida, according to an email from World Central Kitchen. Thirty-two of the trucks are in Georgia and Florida where more than 41,000 meals and 2,600 sandwiches have been served.
“These moments are hard for everybody, but every day I believe will get better, every day will be a little bit better than yesterday,” World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday night from Asheville. “This (effort) is massive. We are going to places that by car will take us four and five and six hours. We’re using helicopters because we can get there in 10 or 20 minutes.”
The organization is working with 16 restaurant partners in North Carolina and Tennessee, according to the email. More than 23,000 meals have been served in Tennessee and North Carolina.
“We’ll be ramping our hot meal distribution up very shortly as our kitchens come online,” World Central Kitchen said in the email.
Andres said relief efforts at the Asheville airport, which includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard, “is something quite frankly I’ve never seen” in his 15 years running the organization.
Five water tankers capable of carrying 6,200 gallons were sent to western North Carolina because shortages caused by infrastructure damage, according to World Central Kitchen.
Arthur Blank, owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United, recently donated $2 million to the organization.
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Helene death toll rises to at least 162
From CNN staff
The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 162 across six states, according to CNN’s tally, after two more deaths were announced in Pinellas County, Florida.
Helene is already the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the US mainland in the past 50 years, following Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,833 people in 2005.
Here’s the breakdown of deaths from Helene by state:
North Carolina: 73 people
South Carolina: 36 people
Georgia: 25 people
Florida: 17 people
Tennessee: 9 people
Virginia: 2 people
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More than 100,000 in North Carolina's Buncombe County remain without power Tuesday, officials say
From CNN's Emma Tucker
Power crews work along Riverside Drive in the destroyed River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina, on Tuesday, October 1.
Thomas Costello II/USA Today Network
More than 100,000 people in North Carolina’s Buncombe County, which includes the city of Asheville, still were without power on Tuesday, officials said at a news conference.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing but continue to be challenged by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, including bridge closures, no power, no water and “complete infrastructural failure,” Scott Dean, representing a FEMA National Urban Search & Rescue team helping in the area, said at the news conference Tuesday afternoon. “We are working very hard to find everybody who is missing.”
“In this county alone, it’s miles and miles of complete devastation,” Dean said. “There’s no place we’ve been where there hasn’t been severe flooding.”
Dean stressed local authorities responding to the tragedy are suffering the same impacts as their neighbors but are putting their neighbors first.
“You really got to understand the emotional part of this for those first responders in your communities,” he said. “They have the same issues at home but they’re not dealing with that so they can help their neighbors.”
Drinking water and ready-to-eat meals are being provided at four distribution centers, and residents are encouraged to bring empty containers to fill up with water, Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said.
Pinder said the county is in discussions about using mobile morgues, which they have in inventory from the Covid-19 pandemic, for the deceased.
“A regional conversation has been happening around how do we treat our loved ones who have lost their life in this tragedy,” Pinder said.
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"We have an unprecedented situation in our state," Gov. Bill Lee says while touring hard-hit areas of Tennessee
From CNN's Michelle Watson
Bill Lee attends a Tennessee Titans ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 29.
George Walker IV/AP
The devastation Helene brought to Tennessee is “unprecedented,” Gov. Bill Lee said Tuesday during his tour of hard-hit areas.
“We have an unprecedented situation in our state – frankly all throughout the Southeast,” Lee told reporters. “It’s evident that something historically horrific has happened here.”
The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 160 across six states, according to CNN’s tally, with at least nine in Tennessee alone. An estimated 85 people are missing in the state, a spokesperson with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told CNN earlier Tuesday.
“There is a lot of work being done and there is a lot of work yet to do,” Lee said.
Lee noted preparation can be hard, when there’s no clue of what’s coming.
“It’s hard to imagine preparation for something that’s never happened and certainly, this has never happened here,” the governor said.
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Helene is second-deadliest mainland US hurricane in past 50 years
From CNN's Brandon Miller
With the death toll climbing to 160, Hurricane Helene is the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the US mainland in the past 50 years. The deadliest – Hurricane Katrina in 2005 – killed at least 1,833 people.
The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 160 across six states, according to CNN’s tally, after the death toll in North Carolina reached 73.
Here’s the breakdown of deaths by state:
North Carolina: 73 people
South Carolina: 36 people
Georgia: 25 people
Florida: 15 people
Tennessee: 9 people
Virginia: 2 people
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North Carolina county discourages tourists, but tells people who are coming to bring these things
From CNN's Steve Almasy
Henderson County, home to many of North Carolina’s apple orchards and beautiful fall foliage, is advising people who want to come that it cannot accommodate leisure travelers because of Helene’s impact.
“However, if you want to come to our county, please do come to help and bring supplies. We need non-perishable food items, bottled water, baby items, and toiletries. For a complete list go to www.visithendersonvillenc.org/helene-relief,” it said in a Facebook post.
Officials also said people can use the address to send donations for delivery.
While the county cannot accept donations of clothes or perishable foods, many other types of items can be donated at a warehouse at 118 McAbee Court, Flat Rock NC 28731.
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President Biden approves Georgia disaster declaration ahead of trip to affected states
From CNN's Aileen Graef
Andy Brown takes a break on top of what remains of a tree that destroyed his SUV when it fell during Hurricane Helene in Augusta, Georgia, on Tuesday.
Jeffrey Collins/AP
President Joe Biden has approved the federal disaster declaration for the state of Georgia as it continues to recover from Hurricane Helene. Biden will visit Raleigh, North Carolina, while Vice President Harris will visit Augusta, Georgia, ahead of a trip to North Carolina later this week.
Biden has previously approved major disaster declarations for Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina to assist with destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
Biden will visit Raleigh where he will “visit the state emergency operations center to meet with local officials and also first responders,” White House press aecretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
She added Vice President Harris will travel to Augusta, Georgia, Wednesday and North Carolina “in the coming days.”
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the locations of the president’s and vice president’s visits were made to avoid interference with rescue operations.
“So the decision of where to go and when to go is a decision that must be calibrated according to the capabilities and needs on the ground, and so the president and the vice president have been quite deliberate to take those sensitivities into account, to work with state and local authorities and ensure that their visit is constructive and not in any way interfering with the urgency of search and rescue operations and the work underway on the ground,” he said.
Jean-Pierre said the president would also like to visit Florida and Georgia and the White House would have more to share later in the week.
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FEMA chief will stay in North Carolina as feds fly in supplies
From CNN's Ella Nilsen
President Joe Biden speaks with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell about the federal response to Hurricane Helene on Monday.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
The federal government is deploying a wide response across four states badly hit by Hurricane Helene, according to an update from a Biden administration official.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is currently in North Carolina at the direction of President Joe Biden and will remain there until the situation in the devastated state has stabilized, the official said. FEMA and other agencies have over 1,200 personnel in North Carolina, with more set to arrive. There are also 10 search and rescue teams on the ground in North Carolina, with nine more set to arrive on Tuesday.
A massive C-17 cargo plane full of food, water and emergency supplies arrived at an operating base in Asheville on Tuesday, after Asheville residents struggled to get emergency supplies via truck due to washed-out highways. In addition, 25 trailer-loads of meals and 60 trailers-loads of water were delivered to the state, and the flow of supplies will continue daily, the official said.
In addition, Biden approved a major disaster declaration in Georgia, and FEMA is supplying hundreds of thousands of meals to impacted areas in that state. FEMA teams are also on-site in impacted communities in Florida and South Carolina, helping disaster survivors apply for assistance and assessing damage.
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Terrifying video captures North Carolina landslide
From CNN's Sarah Dewberry and David Williams
Rachel Wilkes was standing outside her parents’ home in Sugar Grove, North Carolina, as Helene’s gushing rain deluged the western part of the state late last week, when the unthinkable happened.
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Terrifying wall of water crashes down North Carolina hill
A wall of water and mud suddenly surged down the hill and through the property with such force that it knocked part of the house off its foundation.
“I mean, it was a crazy coincidence that I got it on video because I was just, you know, looking at the water coming down our backyard, and then I noticed that half the hillside has come loose and is coming at me,” Wilkes said. “It picked up my husband’s car … and threw it on the roof of my parent’s house, and entirely, like, flattened their garage. It’s completely smashed.”
Fortunately, no one was in that part of the house at the time and everyone was able to get to safety, according to Wilkes.
The landslide was one of many that tore through North Carolina’s mountains last week after 30 inches of rain fell in the region less than three days.
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Hurricane Helene inflicts the “ultimate irony”on North Carolina climate city
From CNN's Rachel Ramirez
Debris is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Mike Stewart/AP
A North Carolina city that is ground zero for climate science is now ground zero for a climate disaster those same scientists have been informing the public about for decades.
Days of relentless flooding in part from Helene have reshaped Asheville’s Buncombe County, leaving dozens dead and many more stranded and in urgent need of supplies and resources. It’s also impacting the work of climate scientists there.
Asheville “likely has more scientists working on climate change per capita than any other town or city in America,” according to Edward Maibach, the director of George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. The city is home to NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information which oversees the National Climatic Data Center that “maintains the world’s largest climate data archive.”
But the “data center is currently down and it will likely be several days before service resumes,” John Bateman, a meteorologist and spokesperson for NOAA, told CNN. That’s because the NCEI federal building in downtown Asheville has electricity, but no running water and the building “will not be inhabited fully until that is resolved,” Bateman added.
The agency also creates the annual list of billion-dollar extreme weather and climate events in the US, which Hurricane Helene is likely to fall under this year.
That one of those disasters has come to roost here is a twist Maibach and many other climate communicators find “deeply ironic.”
Susan Hassol, a climate change communicator and veteran science writer of National Climate Assessments, lives in Asheville. Hassol said she and other climate experts in western North Carolina “have labored under the illusion that we live in a relatively climate-safe place.”
“We’re at the highest elevation in the Southeast, making it cooler than the rest of the region. It’s a moist area, making it less prone to drought and wildfire than other regions,” she told CNN. “But I’ve always felt that our aging water infrastructure made us vulnerable to just the kind of torrential rain and flooding we’re experiencing.”
“Though I’ve always said there’s no place to hide from the ‘new abnormal,’” Hassol added. “It really is the ultimate irony: that a place some call ‘climate city’ … would be the site of an unnatural disaster of biblical proportions.”
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Helene death toll rises to at least 143 after 3 additional deaths in South Carolina
From CNN's Joe Sutton
The death toll in South Carolina has increased from 33 to 36, according to an update from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 143 across six states, according to CNN’s tally.
Here’s the breakdown of deaths by state:
North Carolina: 56 people
South Carolina: 36 people
Georgia: 25 people
Florida: 15 people
Tennessee: 9 people
Virginia: 2 people
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Gov. Ron DeSantis sends rescue resources to western North Carolina, as rescue efforts in Florida have ended
From CNN's Michelle Watson
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said rescue operations in Florida are complete, so he’s sent resources to hard-hit western North Carolina.
“Very quickly after the storm, our rescue mission concluded rapidly. The rescue efforts were made; they were successful,” the Republican governor said in a news conference Tuesday.
“Because that mission has been completed, I have sent rescue operations and rescue assets to western North Carolina to help with that.”
The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 140 across six states, according to CNN’s latest tally, including at least 56 dead in North Carolina.
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Aerial footage reveals extent of damage in western North Carolina
From CNN staff
Video captured by CNN’s Isabel Rosales shows just how severe Helene’s damage is in Biltmore Village in the Asheville, North Carolina area.
The area is one of the hardest-hit by the storm. Downed power lines and debris litter and fill the street. Major roads are crumbled and restaurants, businesses and homes area all destroyed as a result of the severe flooding from the storm.
CNN's Isabel Rosales
Some of the hardest hit communities in western North Carolina include: Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and Spruce Pine.
The video below captures damage in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock where floodwaters eroded massive sections of earth, washing away roadways, homes and vehicles.
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Helicopter flight captures Helene's destruction in western North Carolina
Homes in Chimney Rock look like they were blown apart while others teeter on the edge of newly formed, massive cliffs left behind by the raging floodwaters.
Early reports: How Helene was worse because of climate change
From CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller
Flooding is seen in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 28.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images
Two separate climate analysis of Hurricane Helene have found that fossil fuel pollution worsened what would have already been a disastrous situation.
Scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, using methods from previously published attribution studies, found that “climate change caused over 50% more rainfall during Hurricane Helene in some parts of Georgia and the Carolinas.”
The study also concluded the rainfall which fell in these regions “was made up to 20 times more likely” because of global warming.
A different analysis comparing Helene to similar weather set-ups also found the warmer ocean and atmosphere worsened the storm’s impacts.
The analysis from ClimaMeter, a network of European climate scientists that help to frame extreme weather in historical climate perspective, found storms like Helene are now about 20% wetter over the Southeast US and that Gulf of Mexico hurricanes are up to 7% windier than those that occurred decades ago.
Both independent analyses found that Hurricane Helene was a largely unique event that would have been a major disaster even without the additional heat in the ocean and atmosphere.
Analyses done in the immediate aftermath of weather and climate disasters — known as “rapid attribution” studies — look at the meteorological variables at play and compare them to previous storms or modeled situations where human-caused warming was not influencing the outcome. This allows scientists to tease out the estimated role that climate change played in the events and impacts.
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An estimated 85 people are missing in northeast Tennessee after Helene
From CNN’s Michelle Watson
An estimated 85 people are missing following the recent flooding in the northeast Tennessee area after storm Helene, a spokesperson with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told CNN on Tuesday.
The numbers below are as of 7 a.m. CT Tuesday, the spokesperson said.
That’s a significant drop from Monday, when the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation received more than 500 calls regarding missing individuals.
Carter County: 55
Johnson County: 4
Unicoi County: 4
Washington County: 22
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"Significant replacement of infrastructure" required to restore outages in the Carolinas
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess and Carolyn Sung
Power crews work in the River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina, on Tuesday.
Thomas Costello II/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
About half of the power outages caused by Helene in upstate South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina, will require “significant replacement of infrastructure,” a new statement from provider Duke Energy provided to CNN said on Tuesday.
“This is evolving from a repair or restore effort into a major asset replacement and construction effort,” the company said. “There are still parts of those areas impacted by this unprecedented storm that we have not been able to access to assess the damage.”
Duke Energy is currently reporting around 640,000 customers without power in the Carolinas. It’s unclear how many of these customers are impacted by the announcement, but it said it expects to have “the majority” of its customers’ power restored no later than Friday.
Duke Energy did not provide a specific timetable for restoration to these hardest-hit areas, but said it would update these customers on restoration times when “we have them available.”
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Helene's death toll rises to at least 140
From CNN's Joe Sutton
The death toll in Tennessee has risen to nine, according to information from CNN’s tally and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).
The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 140 across six states.
Here’s the breakdown of deaths by state, according to CNN’s tally:
North Carolina: 56 people
South Carolina: 33 people
Georgia: 25 people
Florida: 15 people
Tennessee: 9 people
Virginia: 2 people
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3,500 federal personnel are helping with Helene recovery, FEMA says
From CNN's Eric Levenson
Thousands of federal personnel are deployed across the United States to respond to Helene, a “widespread and historically devastating disaster,” FEMA officials said in a Tuesday news briefing.
In all, there are 3,500 federal personnel helping with Hurricane Helene recovery across several states, including 1,000 people from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 1,250 people with urban search and rescue teams, according to Frank Matranga, the Director of Individual Assistance at FEMA.
FEMA has provided 1.9 million meals, 1 million liters of water, 95,000 tarps, 150 ambulances and 30 generators to areas affected by the storm, he added.
The storm system caused a “widespread and historically devastating disaster,” Matranga said. “We’re committed to being there every step of the way, and it’s a long way.”
The comments came Tuesday as part of a media call featuring speakers from several federal agencies responding to the storm, including the Coast Guard, the EPA and the Department of Agriculture.
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Hurricane Helene kills several first responders
From CNN's Caroll Alvarado
From left, Saluda County Fire Chief Chad Satcher, Jim Lau and Blackshear Assistant Fire Chief Vernon Leon Davis
Milton Shealy Funeral Home/Volusia Sheriff's Office/Pearson-Dial Funeral Home
Hurricane Helene has claimed the lives of at least five first responders and a K-9 officer, according to several agencies across the Southeast.
Two South Carolina first responders lost their lives on Friday. Saluda County Fire Chief Chad Satcher, 53 and firefighter Landon Bodie, 18, died when a tree fell on their fire truck while they were responding to a structure fire during the hurricane, the fire department said.
Blackshear, Georgia, assistant fire chief Leon Davis died “in the line of service” according to the Pierce County Government. Davis had over 30 years of service, and according to his obituary, died “doing what he loved, helping our community, as Hurricane Helene ravaged our city.”
One of the officers was Jim Lau, who was a courthouse security officer in Macon County. Prior to joining the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Lau worked at the Volusia Sheriff’s Office in Florida, the sheriff’s office said.
An Erwin, Tennessee, K-9 Officer, “Scotty” also fell victim to Helene’s flooding, the Erwin Police Department said on Facebook.
Erwin Tennessee Police Department K9 Scotty
Erwin Tennessee Police Department
“Please be on the lookout. Our K9 Scotty has been missing from the Bumpass Cove area since yesterday’s flood,” the agency initially wrote on Facebook. The post was later updated with the announcement that “Scotty has been located and is no longer with us. Please pray for his handler and all who loved him.”
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Helene's power proof of "effects of climate change" Tampa's mayor says
From CNN's Eric Zerkel
Helene flooded “several thousand” homes with feet of storm surge in the Tampa area, the city’s mayor told CNN’s Jim Acosta, while also counting the city’s relative luck compared to other places in the direct path of a storm fueled by climate change.
“I don’t know that there’s anyone that anyone can deny the effects of climate change on the sheer power of the storms we’re seeing now,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor told Acosta on CNN Newsroom. “And the quickness of them: We had three days, and we were hit by Helene.”
Helene rapidly intensified into a Category 4 Hurricane in the exceptionally warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. It was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region.
Scientists have previously said that more hurricanes are rapidly intensifying, particularly ahead of landfall, as the atmosphere warms from fossil fuel pollution giving residents less time to prepare.
“These storms just in the last year or so, gain speed and power so quickly,” said Castor. “And the breadth of Helene, just the sheer width and the effect it had, it never came closer than 120 miles from our coast and look at the devastation you saw here.”
The mayor said the greater Tampa Bay Area is still working to clear out streets and homes choked with sand and water from the storm surge.
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6 states, 500 miles, 1 storm: A timeline of Hurricane Helene’s destruction
From CNN's Rachel Ramirez, Sharif Paget, Aaron Fisher and Curt Merrill
Hurricane Helene laid waste to the southeastern United States. Its sheer wind force and deadly floods left behind a path of destruction stretching over 500 miles from Florida to the Southern Appalachians.
In just 48 hours, vast swaths of the region became unrecognizable. The storm has caused at least 133 deaths, and officials fear the toll could rise as many people remain unaccounted for.
Communities were cut off and stranded as floodwaters washed away hundreds of roads, buildings, homes and vehicles. Communication infrastructure is in shreds. Millions of people have also lost power and access to water across at least six states.
Helene’s path of devastation started on Florida’s Gulf Coast, as it traveled to the Big Bend. At 11:10 p.m. on September 26, it made landfall near the city of Perry as a powerful Category 4 hurricane and brought record-breaking storm surge late into the night.
The region saw up to 15 feet of surge, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service.
"Communities were wiped off the map," North Carolina governor says
From CNN's Alisha Ebrahimji
Emergency responders are still rescuing people and trying to get aid to the mountains in North Carolina, five days after Helene made landfall, the governor said during a Tuesday news conference.
There are 460,000 North Carolinians without power, access to water remains difficult for some, roadways remain dangerous and more than 1,100 people are being housed in 29 shelters across the state, Gov. Roy Cooper said.
“The devastation brought by Hurricane Helene is beyond belief,” he said. “Communities were wiped off the map.”
Despite the challenges, the governor said he’s been encouraged to see how people are working together through the tragedy, including many first responders and medical workers who left their own families and damaged homes to take care of the community.
So far, more than 57,000 people have applied for FEMA individual assistance and are already beginning to receive relief funds, Cooper said.
Cooper, along with other officials, continued to emphasize the importance of keeping the roadways clear unless travel is essential.
With downed power lines and unstable ground, the risk for landslides remains, said William Ray, North Carolina’s director of emergency management. He also urged people to refrain from flying drones in western North Carolina, as it poses a hazard to aircraft involved in the response effort.
As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, North Carolina’s attorney general’s office had received more than 70 complaints about price gouging on fuel, groceries and hotel rooms across the state. North Carolina has an anti-price gouging law in times of disaster.
“We simply will not allow price gougers to take advantage of you when you’re in need,” North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said. “Times like this ask the best of us … we take every opportunity to lend a helping hand to those in need. It’s our moment to step up for our neighbors.”
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Volunteers knock on hundreds of doors looking for Buncombe County residents unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Volunteers in Buncombe County, North Carolina, continue trudging through mud and damaged roads trying to answer the key question of so many people outside of the community: Did my loved one survive the storm?
“Yesterday, our volunteers… knocked on more than 300 doors,” Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said in a briefing Tuesday morning. She said they found “a majority” of the people in those home searches and, thankfully, none of the people they have encountered were hurt.
The door knocks were organized by the Register of Deeds, which maintains the vital records of county residents. The county set up a website where people could report on friends or family they’ve been unable to contact. Pinder said over the weekend that the number of missing people had dropped below 600 as of Sunday afternoon, but she declined to give a more specific update Tuesday.
Officials have confirmed that 40 Buncombe County residents were killed in the storm. “We are still very much in active search and rescue” in addition to recovery operations, Pinder said.
Two federal urban search and rescue teams arrived in Asheville Monday, according to the fire chief.
“They’ve come with canine search capability. They have advanced medical treatment from ER physicians and are capable of doing minor surgery in the field,” Chief Michael Case said Monday. “They also have hazardous materials response capabilities, and they can do swift water rescue in the most austere environments.”
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Hurricane Helene floodwaters destroyed every building and home in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, mayor says
From CNN's Caroline Jaime
A destroyed house with a car under it is seen in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, on September 29.
Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer/Reuters
In the small town of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, there is no single building or home left untouched by Hurricane Helene floodwaters, Mayor Peter O’Leary told CNN affiliate WSOC-TV.
“Everything you take for granted has been washed away, literally. Every single business, every single building has been destroyed or severely damaged,” O’Leary said.
Derek Hennessey watched his deli sink into the river on Friday. The deli was attached to Carter Lodge, which he had spent 14 months renovating.
“We bought a place here to retire and relax,” Hennessey said. “Unfortunately, it is just catastrophically unsafe.”
The Bubba O’Leary’s General Store is sitting on its side, houses on the other side of the river are in ruins, roads are broken, and balconies that overlook the water have been destroyed, according to WSOC-TV.
Rescue crews told WSOC-TV they plan to bring cadaver dogs as the search and rescue moves into the next phase.
The town’s economy is based on tourism and will likely stay empty for months as it recovers, O’Leary said. Despite the devastation, the mayor said the townspeople are dedicated to reviving the community.
“The life in Chimney Rock is strong, like the rocks,” Hennessey said. “Boulders may be moved but we will come back together.”
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Helene death toll rises to at least 137
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
The death toll in Florida has jumped to 15 after new deaths were reported in Pinellas County.
That means the death toll from Helene has risen to at least 137 people across six states.
Here’s the breakdown of deaths by state, according to CNN’s tally:
North Carolina: 56
South Carolina: 33
Georgia: 25
Florida: 15
Tennessee: 6
Virginia: 2
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Asheville airport resumes commercial flights
From CNN's Artemis Moshtaghian
Asheville Regional Airport has resumed commercial flights into and out of Western North Carolina after they were disrupted by a host of impacts from Helene, according to an announcement made Tuesday morning.
“The airport has remained open and operational since Saturday,” airport spokesperson Tina Kinsey told CNN Tuesday morning. “However, because of many other issues, road closures and gas shortages preventing staff from getting to the airport, internet and cell connectivity failures, high winds – initially, airlines could not resume operations right away.”
Located about 9 miles south of downtown Asheville in Fletcher, airport authorities said that flights on Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines are operational but that there could still be cancellations.
The airport has been serving as a drop point for aid to be distributed across the hard-hit area. The North Carolina Air National Guard transported over 100,000 pounds of emergency relief supplies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Monday using a C-17 cargo aircraft.
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South Carolina death toll rises to 33, bringing Helene death toll to 133
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
The death toll in South Carolina has risen to 33, according to a news release from the state department of public safety.
That means the death toll from Helene has risen to at least 133 across six states.
Here’s the breakdown of deaths by state, according to CNN’s tally:
North Carolina: 56
South Carolina: 33
Georgia: 25
Florida: 11
Tennessee: 6
Virginia: 2
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I-40 East reopened in hard-hit Buncombe County
From CNN's Rebekah Riess
Buncombe County, North Carolina, announced the reopening of I-40 eastbound out of the county – welcome news for the region as residents remain trapped and unable to reach loved ones amid crumbled and washed out road conditions.
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President Biden will fly over Asheville Wednesday because the highways are too damaged for his motorcade
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
The destruction left by Hurricane Helene is seen in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday.
Mike Stewart/AP
President Joe Biden is expected to fly over Asheville, North Carolina, Wednesday, where the damage from Hurricane Helene has so severely narrowed access to the city that the president’s motorcade cannot make it in, the mayor says.
“The only highway into Asheville – of the four highways into Asheville – that’s open, is the one near our airport, and we can’t shut it down for a motorcade,” Mayor Esther Manheimer said during an interview on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins Monday.
The mayor said by flying over the city, Biden will be able to see the magnitude of the damage.
Asheville still does not have power, water or cell phone service in most areas, and residents are in need of basic supplies, she added.
The city’s rivers have never been as high as they were in this storm, and the flooding has prompted an unprecedented number of swift water rescues, Manheimer said.
In addition to federal and state help the city is now receiving on an emergency basis, she said the community will need longer term federal assistance to rebuild.
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More than 1.5 million customers are still without power
From CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert
A vehicle drives underneath low-hanging power lines in Elk Park, North Carolina, on Sunday.
Sean Reed via Reuters
Power is still out for more than 1.5 million homes and businesses from Florida to West Virginia four days after Helene roared through late last week, according to PowerOutage.us.
Georgia and the Carolinas account for most of these outages: 1.3 million total.
Here’s how the outages stand as of 8 a.m. ET:
South Carolina: 612,000+
Georgia: 468,000+
North Carolina: 292,000+
Virginia: 75,000+
Florida: 67,000+
West Virginia: 17,000+
Temperatures from the Southeast through the mid-Atlantic will remain near or just above normal for much of the week as rescue and recovery efforts continue.
High temperatures will be in the 80s from Florida to southern North Carolina Tuesday while 70s will be more common from western North Carolina — where some of the most catastrophic damage is — into Virginia. Overnight lows will dip into the 60s for much of the affected region, with upper 50s possible in western North Carolina and low 70s in Florida’s Big Bend region.
Overnight lows will dip into the 60s for much of the affected region, with upper 50s possible in western North Carolina and low 70s in Florida’s Big Bend region.
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Mules trek heavy storm destruction to bring supplies to North Carolina residents
From CNN's Melissa Alonso
Mules are helping deliver supplies to North Carolina residents devastated by Hurricane Helene, according to Mountain Mule Packer Ranch.
In a series of posts to Facebook Monday, the ranch said it is working to coordinate packs of mules to deliver supplied to areas affected by the storm.
Mules from the Mountain Mule Packer Ranch.
Mountain Mule Packer Ranch
Mike Toberer told the AP he decided to bring a dozen of his mules to deliver food, water and diapers to hard-to-reach mountainous areas.
The ranchers and mules “headed out” Monday morning, “and will continue to reply as quickly as possible to those in need,” his posts said. “We are planning to head to Weaverville, NC…but available to go to other areas of need as well,” said the post.
“We’ll take our chainsaws, and we’ll push those mules through,” he told the AP, noting each mule can carry about 200 pounds of supplies.
Mountain Mule Packer Ranch is located in Raeford, about 110 miles east of Charlotte and about 245 miles from Weaverville.
“We have two fully loaded trucks and 20’ stock trailers heading to” western North Carolina for assistance, according to the post.
“We have been overwhelmed with the amount of support and encouragement received about our efforts to pack supplies in by mule trains to those affected by Hurricane Helene,” a post said.
Supplies collected by the Mountain Mule Packer Ranch to distribute.
Mountain Mule Packer Ranch
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About 600 Asheville residents are still unaccounted for, mayor says
From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe
People gather at a fire station to access WiFi in Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images
Approximately 600 people were still unaccounted for in Asheville, North Carolina, Monday afternoon as the city suffers from washed out roads and bridges, cell service outages and blackouts, the mayor told CNN.
Extensive damage to roads and infrastructure has isolated many remote communities and prevented crews from reaching residents with vital supplies, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said on “The Source” Monday night.
The devastation wrought by Helene in the city is “catastrophic,” the mayor said. “The pictures don’t do it justice”
President Joe Biden will fly over the city on Wednesday to survey the damage, she added.
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At least 130 dead in the Southeast following Helene, officials say
From CNN’s Amy Simonson
The death toll from Helene continues to rise as authorities across six states slowly access communities that have been isolated by cell service outages and inaccessible roads.
At least 130 deaths have been confirmed so far in the Southeast.
Here is the breakdown of deaths by state, according to CNN’s tally:
North Carolina: 56
South Carolina: 30
Georgia: 25
Florida: 11
Tennessee: 6
Virginia: 2
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Intense rain events are making 1-in-100-year floods much more frequent, report found
From CNN's Ella Nilsen
Intense rain events like Hurricane Helene are making the idea of a “1-in-100-year flood event” obsolete, according to a 2023 report from the First Street Foundation, a non-profit focused on weather risk research.
The report found half the American population lives in a county where a 1-in-100-year flood is at least twice as likely now as past years, coming once every 50 years, on average, rather than 100.
First Street found parts of Western North Carolina hit by Helene could get a 1-in-100 year flood every 11 to 25 years. Stronger storms could impact all areas of the country. In much of the Northeast, the Ohio River Basin, Northwestern California, the Texas Gulf Coast and the Mountain West, the rainfall depths for a 1-in-100-year event could happen at least every 5 to 10 years.
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Helene is already among the deadliest US hurricanes — and the death toll will likely climb
From CNN's Brandon Miller
The streets of Asheville, North Carolina, are seen flooded on Saturday.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images
Hurricane Helene will rank among the deadliest hurricanes to strike the mainland United States in the past 50 years – and the death toll, which is already more than 100, will likely continue to climb.
Helene is currently third on the list, already surpassing Hurricane Irma from 2017, which killed 92 in the US, mostly in Florida.
Hurricane Harvey and Superstorm Sandy resulted in between 60-75 fatalities in the US.
Note: This list only includes mainland US hurricanes, so Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is not included.
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There could be more tropical trouble coming in the Caribbean and Gulf
From CNN Meteorologists Monica Garrett and Mary Gilbert
Another storm could develop this week in the western Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico, which isn’t what anyone in the US wants to hear in the wake of Helene.
But unlike Helene, this potential storm could have more obstacles in its path to development.
A large and disorganized area of low pressure with showers and storms over the western Caribbean has been given a medium chance of developing into a tropical system in the next seven days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical development is possible in the next seven days.
CNN Weather
Environmental conditions could become conducive for gradual development, and a tropical depression could form later this week or this weekend while the system is over the southern Gulf of Mexico or northwestern Caribbean Sea, according to the NHC. Helene first organized over the northwestern Caribbean about a week ago.
Weather models are hinting at a possible tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico early next week, though it is too early to be certain. Until an area of low pressure forms, any forecast modeling on the potential storm will likely continue to vary widely with its ultimate strength and track.
Given this, anyone near the Gulf is advised to monitor the forecast.
