95 confirmed dead, 26 missing in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene
by WLOS Staff
Tue, October 22nd 2024 at 4:46 PM
Updated Tue, October 22nd 2024 at 4:47 PM
VIDEO EMBEDDED HERE
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina officials confirmedthat 26 people remain unaccounted for and 95 are confirmed dead from Hurricane Helene's impact in North Carolina.
Gov. Roy Cooper and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joined other state officials during a visit to the Community Care Station in
Asheville on Monday.
The governor provided updated information about the state and federal response to Helene and called for the spread of misinformation to stop, arguing it only hurts the victims who need help the most.
Many survivors of this storm lost everything. They want help, and they want the truth. We should work together to give them both," Cooper said. "Storm recovery can not be partisan. To truly help people, we must check party
politics at the door and get this job done."
In a
press release after Monday's news briefing, Cooper listed improvements and relief efforts since Helene ripped through the mountains three weeks ago.
As of Oct. 21, the state said about 5,000 customers are still without power. That's down from more than 1 million on Sept. 27 just after the storm.
Cell phone coverage in the region has primarily been restored after it was wiped out at the end of September. According to the governor's office, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has reopened 789 roads of the approximately 1,200 roads that were closed after being washed out or damaged in the storm. NCDOT is using 900 pieces of equipment and has more than 2,000 employees working to reopen the remaining roads closed.
The governor's office said while seven school districts remain closed, 28 districts across the mountains are back in the classroom. Two more districts were expected to return to instruction this week.
As many as 765 people were rescued by the North Carolina National Guard soldiers and other military personnel in conjunction with first responders and swift water teams who rescued hundreds more, according to Monday's news release.
The state has confirmed 95 fatalities, a number which has remained stable since Monday, Oct. 14. There are still 26 people unaccounted for, according to numbers from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Because road access was limited, the state, local, and federal governments, working with nonprofits and volunteers, used a system for aerial delivery of supplies and commodities like water, food and medicine. The governor's office said supplies were brought into the Asheville Regional Airport by plane and then delivered to other parts of Western North Carolina by helicopter. At the height of this operation, more than 30 planes and helicopters and 1,200 ground vehicles were in use. More than 27 million pounds of food and water were delivered by the state and federal government, with more being brought by nonprofits and charities, according to the news release.
95 confirmed dead, 26 missing in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene