Aftermath of Helene: Pleas on social media turn tragic as death toll rises

ASHEVILLE, N.C – More than 1,000 miles from the deadly destruction of Hurricane Helene, Jessica Drye Turner pleaded on Facebook for someone to save her family members who were stranded on their roof in Asheville, North Carolina, surrounded by rising floodwaters.

“They are watching 18-wheelers and cars go by,” Turner wrote in an urgent Facebook post Friday.

But in a heartbreaking follow-up message, Turner said help did not arrive in time to save her parents, both in their 70s, and her six-year-old nephew. The roof collapsed and the three drowned.

“I cannot express in words the sadness, heartache and devastation my sisters and I are going through, nor can I imagine the pain that lies ahead,” she wrote.

Turner’s sister became trapped between objects and was rescued an hour later, she said.

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“She is alone with no means of communication and we don’t know when we will get to her,” Turner said.

Unfortunately, Turner’s story is not an isolated incident: appeals on social media from people unable to reach their loved ones have proven tragic as Helene’s devastation comes to light and the death toll rises. The storm triggered the worst flooding in North Carolina in a century.

As of Sunday, at least 64 people have died in five states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

There have been at least 10 deaths in Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, officials said at a news conference Sunday. Downed cell phone towers have hampered efforts to contact next of kin.

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About 40 miles northeast of Asheville, a woman desperate to find her parents received an outpouring of support from strangers across the country.

Katie Pate posted just before 6 a.m. Saturday that she hadn’t heard from her parents in about 24 hours. She later said it had been more than 48 hours since her last contact.

She said they were in the Spruce Pine and Burnsville area of ​​western North Carolina and asked if anyone had any information about rescue efforts in that area since there was virtually no cell service.

On Sunday morning, she said she still hadn’t heard from them.

Dozens of people said in their comments that they, too, were still waiting to hear from their loved ones. Others offered hope, saying they had started receiving text messages from loved ones after hours of no communication.