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A third of the deaths from Hurricane Helene occurred in one county in North Carolina
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A third of the deaths from Hurricane Helene occurred in one county in North Carolina

At least 30 people have died in just one North Carolina county after Hurricane Helene caused historic flooding in the southeastern states over the weekend.

Helene made landfall Thursday evening as a Category 4 storm, hitting the Big Bend region of Florida and moving north through the American South. The death toll in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia rose to 91 by Sunday evening, the Associated Press reported.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he expects the Tar Heel State’s death toll to continue rising for the foreseeable future. “Tragically, we know there will be more,” Cooper said at a news conference earlier Sunday.

Flooding in Asheville

Heavy rains inundated Buncombe County in the Appalachian Mountains with floodwaters over the weekend.

Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

Most of the deaths in North Carolina have been reported in and around the state’s western city of Asheville. Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller confirmed that at least 30 people in the county died as a result of the storm, and Buncombe County Manager Avril Pender told reporters Sunday that the county is still conducting search and rescue operations for missing persons.

Sheriff Miller told reporters the 30 deaths in the region were spread “throughout Buncombe County.”

“We know there are areas in Fairview, Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Barnardsville where the devastation is unimaginable,” Pender said in a news conference. “These communities no longer resemble what they were a week ago, and our loved ones are still trapped.”

Flooding in Asheville

After Hurricane Helene, trucks lie scattered in the parking lot of a Lowe’s in North Carolina.

Marco Bello/Reuters

The county manager also said residents of Asheville and surrounding towns are struggling to find food and fresh water. The city’s water system suffered significant damage, requiring “extensive repairs” to the “treatment plants, underground and above-ground water pipes, and washed-away roads that prevent water personnel from accessing portions of the system,” the city government announced.

A boil water warning remains in effect for residents who still have working running water.

“We hear you,” Pender told Buncombe County residents. “We need food and we need water. My staff has made all possible requests for assistance to the state and we have worked with every single organization that has contacted us. I promise you that we are very close.”

Flooding in Asheville

The remains of a Walgreens in Asheville were captured by a drone Sunday morning.

Marco Bello/Reuters

Pender said authorities are working to set up food and water distribution sites throughout Buncombe County, and the county will announce the locations later Sunday.

The area remains under a state of emergency, which authorities say will last until further notice. Pender told Buncombe County residents that the risk of additional landslides remains and warned residents who have not yet evacuated to seek shelter.

More than 98,000 customers in Buncombe County were still without power as of Sunday evening, according to online tracker poweroutage.us. Cell service was also disrupted in western North Carolina, and Pender told reporters that the city of Asheville, with help from Verizon, would erect a “temporary satellite tower” to provide temporary reception to the struggling city.

The White House said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell visited Florida over the weekend to assess the damage to the state where Helene landed Thursday evening. She also visited parts of Georgia and will travel on Monday to North Carolina, the White House said, to “determine what more can be done to accelerate support to those who need it most in remote communities.”

President Joe Biden told reporters on Sunday he would visit areas affected by Helene as quickly as possible without disrupting rescue operations.

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