It’s been one week since Hurricane Helene made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast, decimating communities across the Southeast and leaving more than 190 people dead in six states.
Life-saving aid continues to flow into regions that were hit hard by the deadly storm, and President Joe Biden vowed to provide resources to aid in the recovery operations as he directed the Department of Defense to deploy 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of essential food, water and other commodities to those who need it most.
“I don’t have to tell this group that Hurricane Helene has been a storm of historic proportions,” Biden told emergency managers in North Carolina on Wednesday. “The damage is still being assessed, but many people are still unaccounted for. So, I’m here to say, the United States – the nation – has your back.”
Search and rescue operations are ongoing in areas of western North Carolina that were isolated after catastrophic flooding destroyed hundreds of roads and bridges, cutting off escape routes and ways to get essential supplies to those who remain trapped.
As access is gained to areas that have not been reachable since the hurricane, more victims are being located.
At least 192 deaths have been reported across six states – Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. And as more areas are searched for the first time, that number is expected to rise.
North Carolina has so far seen the most deaths, with a majority of the statewide number coming from one area – Buncombe County. The Asheville area within the county was devastated by the flooding, with raging rapids destroying homes, businesses and other critical infrastructure across the region.
Harrowing stories of tragedy and triumph are starting to emerge from that area as work to clear debris and make repairs continues.
An Asheville mother told FOX Weather her heartbreaking story of the loss of her 7-year-old son who was swept away by the raging floodwaters. She also lost her parents.
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Another woman told FOX Weather about her experience surviving Hurricane Helene as floodwaters surrounded and entered her camper while she was camping, calling the experience “horrific.”
In Avery County, a harrowing video provided by Vlado Novakovic showed his home in Newland being swept away by powerful currents on Friday.
Others narrowly escaped the wrath of the flash floods. A couple in Lake Luna had to run for it when floodwaters started pouring into town.
Helene’s path of destruction
- Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend coastline Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane, pounding the state with 155-mph gusts and killing at least 13.
- Helene moved northeast into Georgia, where it was downgraded to a tropical storm by Friday morning, but winds and floods left 25 dead in the state.
- By Friday afternoon, Helene had moved over parts of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, where at least 29 died.
- Relentless rain drenched Appalachia Friday night, sending floodwaters and mudslides crashing through mountain towns.
- In North Carolina, at least 35 people died in the Asheville area, and a tornado injured 15 in Rocky Mount.
- Over the weekend, rescuers struggled to clear roads and recover bodies. The death toll is 192 and counting.
To the east in Tennessee, an investigation has been launched into allegations involving Impact Plastics in Erwin after numerous employees were swept away by floodwaters last week.
At least two people died, and five others remain missing.
Videos from the area captured eerie images of a casket floating down a river during the historic flooding in Erwin.
Dozens of people were rescued from the roof of a hospital in town as water surrounded the facility, and there were even fears that a dam in Greenville would fail.
On Wednesday night, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a temporary water contact advisory, warning the public to avoid all contact with bodies of water affected by the catastrophic flooding.
“In the aftermath of unprecedented flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, several wastewater treatment plants have been compromised and are temporarily unable to completely treat effluent before it enters receiving waters,” TDEC said in the advisory. “In addition, sewer line crossings may have been severed or damaged, allowing raw sewage to enter streams, and individual septic systems may be compromised across the region.”
The advisory applies to “all surface waters in the Nolichucky, French Broad, Pigeon, Doe, and Watauga River watersheds as well as any other waters affected by the flooding,” TDEC added.
TDEC said it would continue to assess the situation and will lift the advisory when it’s appropriate to do so.
Destruction was also reported further south in Georgia.
At least 25 people were killed in Georgia because of Helene, and Atlanta saw its first-ever Flash Flood Emergency due to the record rainfall.
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And as the rain fell and water rose, FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen found himself in the middle of a harrowing rescue operation.
While covering the storm, Van Dillen, who is from the area, heard a woman’s desperate cries for help along Peach Tree Creek. She had driven into floodwaters and was trapped in her car before sunrise. Without hesitation, he waded into the chest-deep water, battling the strong currents to reach the woman. He pulled her to safety, carrying her on his back through the floodwaters to dry land.
Widespread damage was also found in cities like Augusta and Valdosta.
Among the dead in Georgia are a 27-year-old mother and her 1-month-old twin boys who died when a tree fell onto their mobile home outside Augusta.
Helene is now the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland U.S. in the last 55 years, topped only by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the most since Hurricane Camille hit the Gulf Coast in August 1969.
Helene has exceeded the devastation caused by the ‘Great Flood of 1916’ in North Carolina.