Helene’s survivors endure catastrophic loss and destruction after the storm leaves at least 213 dead

CNN
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More than a week has passed since Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast and began leaving a deep scar of loss and destruction from there to Virginia, killing at least 213 people and destroying countless homes, businesses and precious lives became possession.

The search for missing relatives is becoming more desperate by the day, as authorities say hundreds are missing and rescue workers are hampered by cell phone outages and destroyed roads and bridges.

People have reported walking for hours to check on trapped relatives and spending agonizing moments searching sodden riverbanks for those swept away with their homes. In North Carolina’s Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, more than 200 people were missing as of Thursday and 72 people have been found dead so far, the county’s sheriff said.

The extent of the destruction is becoming increasingly clear as people slowly regain access to their neighborhoods and find their homes in ruins or completely washed away by floodwaters.

A couple in Swannanoa, North Carolina, say they narrowly escaped last week when floodwaters surged into their home, turning the neighborhood into a river and dragging their truck across the street. When they returned, they found that the inside of their house had fallen over and was covered in mud, and almost everything was destroyed.

“We lost almost everything we owned, including vehicles,” Joe Dancy told CNN’s Laura Coates on Thursday evening. “But we have the most important thing: our lives. And for that we will forever and ever be grateful.”

Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the death toll is rising daily. North Carolina has the most reported deaths with 106, followed by 41 in South Carolina, 33 in Georgia, And 20 in Florida, 11 in Tennessee and two in Virginia, according to a CNN tally.

Massive relief efforts are underway across the region to restore devastated power grids and rebuild damaged water and cellular infrastructure.

Transportation infrastructure across the region suffered “unprecedented damage” after Helene tore up and washed out roads and shot through bridges, U.S. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Polly Trottenberg said Thursday.

Hundreds of roads remain closed, making it difficult to deliver relief supplies to the hardest-hit communities. And for those who left before Helene, the closures have delayed their return to check on family, friends and the condition of their homes. Some areas are so inaccessible that supplies are delivered by mule and by air.

More than 3.3 million homes and businesses have had power restored, Frank Matranga, FEMA’s director of individual assistance, said Thursday. According to PowerOutage.us, more than 700,000 energy customers were still in the dark on Thursday evening.

“We know that for many families, the road to recovery begins with turning the lights back on and reconnecting with their loved ones. Restoring power and communication isn’t just about making things more comfortable; It’s about ensuring people are safe, informed and have access to the services they need,” Matranga said.

Cell service is also slowly being restored, with fewer than 50% of cell sites still down as of Thursday, he added. Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, announced that it would offer free service for 30 days in regions affected by Helene.

Bathing and washing dishes have also become luxuries in places where drinking water is scarce.

In Buncombe County, North Carolina, residents get drinking water from tank trucks and bottled water deliveries, but there is a lack of water for other daily activities. And in Tennessee, due to damage to water treatment and wastewater plants, officials have urged residents in parts of the state to conserve non-essential water and boil their drinking water.

An influx of federal funding and personnel has bolstered recovery efforts. Nearly 7,000 National Guard members have been activated to assist, including by participating in flood rescues, debris removal, search and rescue operations and relief distribution. In North Carolina, security guards have airdropped supplies and brought people and pets to safety.

FEMA has enough money to provide immediate disaster relief after Hurricane Helene, an agency spokesman said, but with the road to recovery still long — and more hurricanes possible this season — the agency could be at the bottom of its wallet grab.

“FEMA has everything it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” FEMA spokeswoman Jaclyn Rothenberg wrote on X on Thursday, adding: “But hurricane season is not over yet, so we must keep a close eye on it. “

The assessment came after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters on Wednesday that “we don’t have the resources” with another hurricane expected in the coming months. FEMA doesn’t have the resources to get through the season.”

So far, FEMA has provided more than $20 million in aid to those affected by Helene, Matranga said Thursday.

President Joe Biden suggested earlier this week that he might ask Congress to reconvene during its October recess to pass additional emergency funding for storm recovery efforts.

“It can’t wait. It can’t wait. People need help now,” Biden said Thursday when asked about the timeline he would like to see.

Local entrepreneurs could bear the brunt of the funding shortfalls. The coffers of the Small Business Administration’s disaster relief programs, which were boosted after the Maui fires in 2023, are nearly empty.

The White House warned last month that a Republican-led short-term government funding bill failed to increase funding for the SBA, suggesting the agency’s disaster loan program, which provides low-interest lifelines of up to $2 million US dollar offers, “operations” would “effectively cease” due to lack of funding.

When Helene passed by, neighbors and onlookers jumped into action to help each other.

What began Friday as preparation for a wedding rehearsal in Grassy Creek, North Carolina, quickly turned into a water rescue when Eddie Hunnell, the groom’s father, heard that a woman was trapped in her home near the River House Inn .

Hunnell asked the inn owner for a life jacket, a rope and an oar, he told CNN. After rushing outside, he encountered the woman’s husband, Phil Worth, who explained that his wife, Leslie, was stuck in their house and couldn’t get out.

Hunnell and Phil grabbed a canoe and tried to reach Leslie but were unsuccessful.

“We were trying to figure out how to get them out and we were running out of ideas,” Hunnell said. “I was pretty sure the house was going to collapse at some point, and my biggest worry was that it was going to collapse on Leslie.”

Eventually, the wedding party noticed the roof of another house floating downstream toward Worth’s house. Video provided by the Hunnell family shows debris from the roof hitting the home where Leslie Worth was trapped. Soon, their house began to tilt under the force of the floodwaters and part of the house came loose.

“Leslie was right there, standing in it, waist deep in the water,” Hunnell said.

Everyone shouted for her to jump.

“I jumped into the canoe to try to get to her. I couldn’t maneuver it well enough. The water was too fast and the wind was too strong,” Hunnell said.

“So, I jumped in and started swimming to her,” he said. “I had been looking for a solution for 30 minutes, but I didn’t have one. So I ran out of ideas and just thought my wife was going to kill me and jumped.”

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Hunnell reached Leslie, grabbed the back of her life jacket and instructed her to push toward shore with all her might. The two were eventually thrown into slower water so they could swim to land.

Those waiting on the shore burst into tears as the couple returned safely to shore.

Despite the chaotic afternoon, Hunnell invited the Worths to the wedding rehearsal dinner. “They came in the clothes they wore. I think we actually got Leslie some clothes and I think we got Phil some pants,” he said.

The wedding continued the next day with about half the guest list and no electricity – lit by more than 100 candles. Neighbors used chainsaws to clear streets.

“The wedding turned out great. “Everything leading up to the wedding was kind of a disaster,” Hunnell said.

CNN’s Kayla Tausche, Sam Fossum, Haley Talbot, Sara Smart, Emma Tucker, Andy Rose and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.