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Hurricane Helene death toll in US rises to 227 with more feared dead

Efforts to recover bodies continues week after deadly storm ripped six states, killing hundreds

By Web Desk
October 06, 2024
A man uses a chainsaw to cut up a tree that lays on top of a shed as the area recovers from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Augusta, Georgia on October 05, 2024. — AFP
A man uses a chainsaw to cut up a tree that lays on top of a shed as the area recovers from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Augusta, Georgia on October 05, 2024. — AFP

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.

An aerial view of flood-damaged tractor trailers wrought by Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River in Asheville, North Carolina on October 4, 2024. — AFP
An aerial view of flood-damaged tractor trailers wrought by Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River in Asheville, North Carolina on October 4, 2024. — AFP

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.