Helene aftermath: Death toll climbs to 227
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Workers clear a damaged road in Bat Cave, North Carolina, on October 3, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. Photo: Allison Joyce / AFP via Getty Images
Efforts to restore power, water and cell service and to deliver lifesaving resources to people in western North Carolina continued throughout the weekend, more than a week after Helene made landfall.
The latest: The overall death toll across the Southeast had climbed to 227 Saturday evening, the Associated Press reported. Helene is now the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina, the AP said, citing National Hurricane Center statistics.
- In North Carolina, at least 113 people have died. The majority of those deaths are in Buncombe County, home of Asheville, according to the Asheville Citizens-Times. They have not provided an update on how many people were still unaccounted for.
Zoom out: While nearly 300,000 people remained out of power in the western Carolinas and Georgia on Friday, that was a marked decrease compared to previous days, when outages numbered well over 1 million.
Keep reading: How to support western N.C. communities devastated by Helene
Over the weekend, the Department of Transportation approved North Carolina's request for the first $100 million in emergency funding to help restore roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Helene.
- "Further support will follow as the administration works with states and communities at every step along the path to recovery," Transporation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was in Charlotte Saturday to meet with state and local officials — including Gov. Roy Cooper and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer — to discuss ongoing relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
- The VP praised "the heroes among us" and pledged continued federal support, the AP reported.
