U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyHeavy rains from Storm Helen battered parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, the latest states in the southeastern United States to be hit by a disaster that has killed at least 63 people.
The North Carolina mountain town of Asheville was largely cut off from the outside world due to flooding on Saturday, according to BBC America partner CBS News.
More than 400 roads remain closed in the state and 10 people have died. The state’s governor, Roy Cooper, said supplies were being flown to residents.
Officials continued daring rescue operations using boats, helicopters and large vehicles to help those trapped in floodwaters, including about 50 workers and patients huddled on the roof of a flooded hospital in Tennessee.
Many gas stations in North Carolina are closed, but those that are still open are seeing long lines. At least 3 million customers in five states were affected by outages.
The storm, which began as a hurricane and was the strongest ever to hit Florida’s Big Bend, moved north into Georgia and the Carolinas after making landfall Thursday night.
In pictures: Destruction caused by Hurricane Helene
Although Helen has weakened significantly, forecasters warned that the threat of strong winds, flooding and tornadoes could persist.
Losses are estimated at between $95 billion and $110 billion (£71 billion and £82 billion). Governor Cooper called the storm that hit North Carolina “one of the worst storms in modern history.”
Asheville, a popular tourist and arts center with a population of about 94,000, was packed and unusually quiet on Saturday, CBS reported.
The search for survivors continues and six states, including Florida and Georgia, have declared a federal state of emergency.
Fifty-eight patients and staff were trapped on the roof of a hospital in Irvine, Tennessee, on Friday. The strong currents in the Nolichuki River made it impossible for boats to carry out rescue operations, and strong winds hampered helicopter operations.
The group was later brought to safety after the Tennessee National Guard and Virginia State Police helicopters intervened.
“The devastation we witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene was monumental,” President Joe Biden said Saturday.
He was briefed by Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, directing the agency to accelerate support for storm survivors, including deploying additional teams to North Carolina.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned earlier this year that there could be as many as 25 named storms in 2024.
Eight to 13 of these storms have the potential to become hurricanes, and a few, including Helene, have already become hurricanes.
Officials warn that with hurricane season not officially ending until November 30, more storms may be coming.
