Rescuers search for missing after Helene rips southeast

(NewsNation) — Helene caused indescribable destruction across the Southeast, killing more than 130 people across six states. Now, search-and-rescue crews urgently search for those unaccounted for.

From Florida to Virginia, tens of thousand remained without power Monday night — days after Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, reaching up to 140 mph wind speeds. The system was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone Saturday, with catastrophic flooding a concern as its remnants scattered rain throughout the Northeast on Monday.

Rescue crews continue to work tirelessly to reach areas that have been isolated by the storm.

Helene wreaks ‘biblical devastation’

At least 133 are dead following Helene’s sweep that inundated Florida’s Big Bend Region, trapped thousands in Asheville, North Carolina, and stirred up tornadoes as it moved eastward. Communities were left underwater as floods washed away houses and cut off towns from relief efforts.

President Joe Biden said he will visit Hurricane Helene-impacted areas this week as long as it does not disrupt rescue and recovery operations. He approved emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Biden was briefed again Sunday evening about the impact of the devastating storm. In a brief exchange with reporters, he described the storm’s impact as “stunning” and said his administration is giving states “everything we have” to help with recovery efforts.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced she would cut a campaign trip in Nevada short to meet with FEMA officials in Washington on Monday.

Biden plans to land in Raleigh on Wednesday and embark on an aerial tour of Asheville so as not to interrupt “access to help there.” He will then travel to Georgia and Florida.

“The president and I have told state and local leaders we will provide whatever help they need in the days and weeks ahead,” Harris said.

Former President Donald Trump also promised to survey Helene’s damage. He is expected to hand out supplies in Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday.

President Joe Biden gives federal relief update

In an address from the Oval Office on Monday, Biden expressed his sympathy for the millions displaced by Hurricane Helene.

“I want to express condolences to all the families — to all the families whose loved ones have died or are missing. … And to the survivors, I want you to know the administration is going to be there, and we just talked about this, until we finish the job,” Biden said.

“It’s going to take a hell of a time and a serious amount of assets,” he added.

He said, with federal support, North Carolina has reopened 220 roads to help responders reach those in need, with thousands deployed in communities to help search and rescue, power restoration and debris removal.

That includes Department of Defense helicopters to bring food, water and supplies to communities like Asheville, which has been isolated since Helene first swept across the state.

The administration has also deployed 30 of Elon Musk’s Starlink receivers — with 10 more on the way — to western North Carolina in hopes of getting cell service restored.  

Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C., thanked the administration for the aid, pointing out water will be “critical” for affected cities like Asheville.

“We’ve talked about a lot of resources that we need. Medical, making sure that we are getting additional helicopters for land bridges, search and rescue,” Cooper said.

It’s how to transport supplies, Biden said, that is causing delays in aid: “It’s hard to get it from Point A to Point B. It’s hard to get in if some of these roads are wiped out, communities are wiped out. There’s no ability to land.”

“They need things immediately, and they’re getting things immediately,” Biden added.

Helene devastates Asheville, North Carolina

In North Carolina, floodwaters rendered cell service and local roads useless in the state’s largest mountain city, Asheville. On Sunday, officials reported that 30 people were killed due to the storm. An additional five deaths were reported Monday, bringing the total number of fatalities in the Asheville area to 40.

Supplies were airlifted to the region. Sources told NewsNation on Sunday that there were no plans yet for public distribution of food and water due to delays in supply relief. There were hourslong lines for bottled water at the few open grocery stores.

Mayor Esther Manheimer told NewsNation her city badly needs resources in the wake of Helene, saying the area has hit “a point of desperation.”

“It has been frustrating in terms of how long it takes to get something like this up and running when we’re cut off from the world. I understand that. I think, generally speaking, people have been patient to a point,” Manheimer said. “But I think now, people are feeling afraid. They need resources. They need help.”

There was significant damage to water infrastructure and treatment facilities and Duke Energy reported some power substations were entirely underwater. Officials have said it could take weeks for full services to be restored.

North Carolina National Guard Brig. Gen. Charles Morrison confirmed that more than 700 airmen and soldiers, 250 vehicles and 22 aircraft are helping provide relief in the state — and they will stay “until the mission is finished.”

Some rescue efforts include saving 41 people and an infant in one mission north of Asheville. The teams were finding people through both 911 calls and messages on social media, North Carolina Adjutant General Todd Hunt said.

”I’ve seen houses float down the river, I’ve seen campers float down the river, I’ve seen automobiles float down the river,” one resident told NewsNation.

Asheville received 13.15 inches of rain. Combined with rainfall from a different storm in the days immediately prior to Helene, the area received 17.31 inches of rain over three days, far surpassing the previous record of 13.71 for the entire month of September.

At least five tornadoes across the state were confirmed, according to NewsNation local affiliate WNCN. One, an EF-3 that tore through Rocky Mount, injured 15 people and destroyed a shopping center with winds of 140 mph.

“I was looking out over here and I just started seeing like a giant dust bowl. And all the leaves, like, around here started circulating on the ground,” a resident told WNCN.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was among U.S. officials who deployed National Guard soldiers to North Carolina, as well as three heavy lift helicopters and generators to support Helene’s recovery efforts.

Helene in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rapidly deployed recovery assistance to counties along Florida’s Gulf coast and other states affected by Helene, including North Carolina and Tennessee. By Monday night, SR789/Gulf Drive in Bradenton, Florida, was cleared and temporarily repaired, DeSantis announced.

Florida’s emergency response team has successfully completed 974 missions and is actively fulfilling 1,500 more, DeSantis said Monday morning.

Some residents returned to their communities Sunday, three days after Helene first made landfall in Florida. At least 11 people died in the state, NewsNation local affiliate WFLA reported.

Many of the reopened communities, including Longboat Key, still have curfews, water boil advisories and only partial power. At nearby Anna Maria Island, residents must show proper documentation and ID in order to access their now-destroyed homes.

DeSantis said by the end of Monday, all state roads would be open. He also noted that Florida rescue crews who weren’t needed in the state were being sent to Western North Carolina to assist with rescue and recovery efforts.

“It was shocking driving in and seeing all the piles of sand, and seeing how much sediment was moved by the surge. It’s shocking to see what has happened,” resident Chad Bannick said.

“Worst I’ve ever seen. We had sandbags over a foot high, and the water came in up to 2 feet in our house and took everything out,” another neighbor said.

The entire community in Taylor County, Florida, still does not have power. Andrew Morgan, the county’s emergency management public information officer, said crews have worked tirelessly to clear 90% of all major roads, and once the roads are clear, they can begin fixing power lines.

“We’re going to continue to just move forward and clear out the debris and keep searching, and we’ll get back to where we were before this,” Morgan said.

Helene in Georgia

Helene was the most destructive hurricane in Georgia history, Georgia Power determined on Monday. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency confirmed 25 people had died in the state as of Sunday.

“This storm spared no one,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday, explaining that a 27-year-old mother and her one-month-old twin boys were killed by a fallen tree.

Intense flooding has left multiple counties under water boil advisories and without power Sunday, a constant refrain for the Peach State since Helene’s arrival.

Within 48 hours, Atlanta received a record 11.62 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center data.

Valdosta, Georgia, was directly hit. A 135-year-old shopping mall, which housed over 50 businesses, was torn apart brick by brick. The owner told NewsNation that rebuilding is not an option.

One Georgia resident, Aaron Jameson, told NewsNation’s Mills Hayes that Helene has impacted his community more than 2023’s Hurricane Idalia.

Residents have lined up at the few open gas stations to get fuel, water and, potentially, food.

“Everything is pretty much down. They got a lot of food trucks kicking up, but most everybody I’ve seen is pretty much outdoor grilling and stuff,” Jameson said. Kemp toured Valdosta on Saturday.

“The winds were really, really strong and picked up a lot of trees … motorcycles, cars were moving around,” said Valdosta resident Vonquez Garland. “Houses were shaking. It’s a lot of oak trees completely out of the ground.”

“When I woke up, there was stuff everywhere. I ain’t never seen anything like this, not since the last time (Hurricane Idalia in 2023), but this one was worse,” said Valdosta-area resident Rodrick Steward.

At least two died from a suspected tornado in Georgia.

Helene in South Carolina

Two dozen deaths across seven South Carolina counties have been confirmed by local coroner’s offices, NewsNation’s local affiliate WSPA reported. Gov. Henry McMaster corroborated that number on Sunday, telling officials there were 25 confirmed deaths so far.

Those include the death of a security officer at the Macon County courthouse and a deputy from Madison. A man in Spartanburg County died after running a generator inside his home, while another person died after their vehicle became submerged in the extensive floods.

Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt with the North Carolina National Guard told WSPA that more than 500 National Guard soldiers have completed 100 rescue operations in western North Carolina.

“As of this morning, our soldiers and airmen have conducted numerous rescues. And a lot of those have been air rescues,” Hunt said Sunday. “Of those we rescued over 119 citizens of NC and their pets.”

Search and rescue crews logged 252 hours of flight time on Friday and Saturday. They continued on Sunday.

“Even as the rain and winds have subsided, the challenges for people there increases. People are desperate for help and we are pushing to get it to them, a massive effort,” Cooper said at Sunday’s press conference.

Nearly 750,000 customers remained without power in the impacted areas Monday morning, with provider Duke Energy warning customers to expect multi-day outages. Many upstate schools closed operations Monday.

Helene in Tennessee

One of the hardest hit areas, Unicoi County, was the site of a dramatic rescue Friday when 54 people were saved from the roof of a hospital.

Officials said Sunday that 73 people remained unaccounted for in Unicoi.

Emergency management in the county confirmed “deaths” following flooding in the county Saturday, though a spokesperson clarified during a Sunday news conference that no official flooding deaths have happened.

The county’s wastewater treatment plant remains inoperable and has added to the flooding, with wastewater flowing directly into waterways.

Helene in Virginia

On Sunday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office reported 70 rescues across the state in the wake of Helene and one confirmed death.

Flooding, dangerous storms and deadly tornadoes ransacked the southwest portion of the state.

“We’ve immediately started the initial damage assessment process necessary to request a federal disaster relief declaration and I will immediately make that request once this work is completed. The grit, courage, and perseverance of Southwest Virginians will guide us through this difficult time,” Youngkin said during a visit to Damascus on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of work ahead, but together, I know Southwest Virginia will rebuild stronger than ever. May God continue to be with everyone affected, and may we continue to uplift and support one another in this time of need,” he added.

Analyzing Helene

Helene was recorded as the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, and it was the third hurricane to hit the area in 13 months, according to the Weather Channel. The Category 4 hurricane is estimated to have brought historic storm surge, peaking at an estimated 10.33 feet in Cedar Key, Florida.

Parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina saw upward of a foot of rain, and nearly 30 inches were recorded near Busick, North Carolina, the Weather Channel reported. Virginia also experienced heavy rainfall and severe flooding.

Each governor declared a state of emergency to receive federal assistance.

Multiple deaths across those states have been attributed to drowning, while some were the result of downed trees or other hurricane-related incidents, like carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.

Some of the worst destruction occurred in the storm’s center in Florida’s Big Bend region and South Georgia. Inland cities like Atlanta and Asheville were not shielded from the storm’s impact, with flooding trapping residents and leaving them isolated from contact.

AccuWeather has increased its estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene from $145 billion to $160 billion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.