Thirty people were confirmed dead after Tropical Storm Helene slammed into Buncombe County, North Carolina, Sheriff Quentin Miller said early Sunday evening.

“We are still conducting search operations and we know that this may include recovery operations,” he said at a news conference.

The district remains in a state of emergency. Officials say they are working hard to help those affected by Helene, which hit Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane before moving over Georgia and the Carolinas as a tropical storm.

Officials said at Sunday night’s news conference that ongoing rescue efforts were underway in affected areas such as Fairview, Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Barnardsville.

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said emergency services are aware of the community’s needs.

“We hear you. We need food and we need water,” said Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder. “My staff has made every possible request 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 and you will have more information before the end of the day.”

Duke Energy’s Bill Norton discussed power restoration efforts and highlighted the impact of infrastructure damage from the storm.

“The mountainous region of North Carolina is really inaccessible due to mudslides and flooding in many areas,” he said. “We are using helicopters and drones to assess the damage, but it will be an effort lasting several days.”

Authorities say Buncombe County faces other serious challenges, including the risk of landslides.

Earlier in the day, Pinder said the county launched a web-based form to help families contact missing loved ones, available at www.buncombeready.org.

“We have already received over 1,000 reports,” Pender added, encouraging anyone who has located their family members to call the county at 828-820-2761 to update records.