Hundreds Missing as Hurricane Helene Death Toll Reaches 135 in US Southeast

Hurricane Helene, now downgraded to a tropical storm, has left a devastating toll across the US southeast, with 135 confirmed dead and hundreds still missing. The storm has caused widespread destruction, flooding towns, destroying infrastructure, and cutting power to over a million homes. The death toll is expected to rise as recovery operations continue across six states.

Western North Carolina has been particularly hard hit, with at least 40 confirmed deaths. Recovery efforts are being hampered by the closure of 300 roads, limiting the delivery of vital supplies like food and water. In Statesville, a town two hours east of Asheville, volunteers have transformed an old brick building into a supply hub. Beth Kendall, one of the organisers, described the overwhelming community response, with stacks of water, toilet paper, and other essentials rapidly filling the space since Monday.

The storm’s destruction has also forced the closure of quartz mines in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, the world’s largest source of high-purity quartz, adding economic strain to the already devastated region.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit North Carolina on Wednesday, with plans to also survey storm damage in Georgia and Florida. Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, will tour the damage in Georgia on Wednesday, having canceled a campaign event in Pennsylvania.

The storm has left communities struggling to locate missing loved ones, and the recovery effort continues amidst heartbreaking destruction and loss.