Nearly a week after the monster Hurricane Helene made landfall in the United States, the death toll soared to 227 on Saturday, as the devastating storm claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed homes in six states.
The deadly hurricane, which hit the US on September 26 as a Category 4 storm, caused widespread devastation as it made its way northward from Florida, NBC News reported.
The death toll from the hurricane, which etched itself in history as the deadliest hurricane to hit the US since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is expected to rise as many people are still unaccounted for.
North Carolina became the area which suffered the most impact with half of the hurricane's victims belonging to the state, while Georgia and South Carolina also suffered significant casualties.
Particularly, the city of Asheville, in North Carolina, was battered, with workers cleaning up mud and debris from affected businesses and households, a week after the hurricane hit.
So far, North Carolinians have received over $27 million in individual assistance approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said MaryAnn Tierney, a regional administrator for the agency.
In Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, FEMA-approved assistance has surpassed $12 million for survivors, Tierney said Saturday during a news briefing.
"This is critical assistance that will help people with their immediate needs, as well as displacement assistance that helps them if they can’t stay in their home," she said, before encouraging residents impacted by the storm to register for disaster assistance.
"It is the first step in the recovery process," she said. "We can provide immediate relief in terms of serious needs assistance to replace food, water, medicines, other life safety, critical items, as well as displacement assistance if you cannot stay in your home."
In Newport, an eastern Tennessee town of about 7,000, residents continued cleaning up Saturday from the destruction caused by Helene's floodwaters.
Locals in 39th US president's hometown set to celebrate his birthday with military flyover, concert and more
Japanese PM vows to protect country while tensions running high after incursions into airspace by China, Russia
US president's defence comes after Trump accused his govt of ignoring disaster
More than 4,000 people rescued, says Nepal army as at least 35 of those killed were buried alive
With cellphone towers down across region, hundreds of people have yet to make contact with loved ones
Floods bring life to standstill in Kathmandu valley, where 37 deaths were recorded in home to four million people