The U.S. Southeast struggled on Sunday as the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene became more apparent and authorities issued warnings about a protracted and challenging reconstruction.
The region was also dealing with increasing death tolls, a shortage of essential supplies in remote, flood-affected areas, and severe property and housing damage.
According to a Monday morning update from a North Carolina county that encompasses the mountain city of Asheville, 35 people had died as a result of the storm. Officials said on Sunday that two deputies from separate counties were among the state’s fatalities.
Black Mountain’s city manager, John Harold, told on Sunday that the number of unaccounted-for persons in Buncombe County was reduced from 1,000 immediately following the storm to around 600.
“It’s pretty bad, pretty rough,” Harold said Sunday about the community recovering from the hurricane. “We’re pretty isolated due to the interstate being closed but we are starting to get resources in.”
According to Harold, Buncombe County’s fatalities were dispersed over the entire county. He did not know if any Black Mountain deaths were included in the numbers on Sunday.
Related News About Helene
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- Asheville in Crisis: Helene’s Aftermath Leaves Roads Impassable and Power Down
- Death Toll from Helene Climbs to 84, Aid Sent to North Carolina as Florida Recovers
Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina projected that once rescuers and other emergency personnel arrived in regions cut off by crumbling infrastructure, extensive floods, and destroyed roads, the number of fatalities will increase.
He pleaded with people living in western North Carolina to stay off the highways for emergency vehicles and for their own safety. Search parties for trapped individuals sprang out over the region, numbering in the more than fifty.
According to Cooper, “many people are cut off because the roads are impassable.” Airlifts carrying supplies were being sent to the mountains surrounding Asheville, a well-known artistic, cultural, and scenic city in western North Carolina.
