Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (2024)

Table of Contents
Vigil held for dead and missing Impact Plastics employees Biltmore assessing damage to properties after storm House Speaker Johnson visits Florida after hurricane Yellow jackets swarm after North Carolina floods, prompting need for Benadryl and EpiPens North Carolina hospitals search for missing employees days after Helene Pack mules deliver supplies, including ice for insulin, to remote areas of North Carolina FEMA and Homeland Security officials respond to funding criticism 4 workers from Tennessee plastics plant now confirmed dead 'Complete devastation' of transportation and water infrastructure in western North Carolina, governor says Rural North Carolina residents are still waiting for Helene relief Georgia agriculture devastated; governor says cotton and pecan crops are nearly a 'complete loss' Helene survivor says her street ‘was already a river’ when evacuation order came Map: Close to 1 million still without power Tennessee speedway to serve as disaster relief center Video shows NASCAR star spotting person stranded in mountains as he delivers aid in helicopter Huge craters, walls of mud and total destruction inSwannanoa Helene's death toll tops 200 Tennessee OSHA opens investigation into plastics factory More rainfall on the way for Gulf Coast and parts of Florida North Carolina prisons move more than 800 inmates due to lack of power South Carolina couple killed after tree fell on home in Helene found hugging one another Hurricane Kirk in the Atlantic to bring 'life-threatening' swells to U.S. East Coast on Sunday Photos show damage in Lake Lure, N.C., days after Helene brought record rainfall Biden to tour storm damage in Florida and Georgia NBC affiliate raises $650,000 for Helene victims 'I felt like I'd gotten beat up': Tennessee National Guardsmen on Unicoi County hospital rescue East Tennessee residents urged to avoid open water Helene death toll nears 200, deadliest in mainland U.S. since Katrina A North Carolina mountain town is wrecked by Hurricane Helene As the first victims are identified, North Carolina sheriff warns of 'a lot more to come' At Asheville’s Mission Hospital, workers describe the dire conditions after the storm Flood insurance coverage lowest in counties hit hardest by Helene Pregnant North Carolina woman survived by clinging to a mattress for eight hours More than 1 million energy customers without power one week after Helene made landfall Biden, Harris tour storm-ravaged regions in the Southeast

Vigil held for dead and missing Impact Plastics employees

Alexandra Chaidez

Reporting from Erwin, Tenn.

Behind a grocery store in Erwin, Tennessee, a small town was united in grief.

Families of missing and dead Impact Plastics employees held a vigil to honor loved ones who died in last week’s catastrophic flooding at the plastics factory. Officials confirmed today that four people from the factory have died in the Hurricane Helene floodwaters.

At tonight's vigil, the crowd announced each of the victims’ names as their families lit candles in remembrance, some breaking down in sobs as they knelt before their photos.

Guadalupe Hernandez Corona, the sister of one of the dead workers, Monica Hernandez, tearfully paid tribute to her sister.

“I just want each one of you to remember our families with a smile and remember the good memories you have with them,” Hernandez Corona told vigil attendees. “My sister was a hard worker, a fighter and was always looking out for everyone else.”

She also urged people to work together to find those still missing from the factory.

“Together they went to work, and together they must return,” she said.

Rosa Andrade Reynoso is one of the workers still missing. Anabel Andrade, a relative, said after the vigil that she has been praying hard for closure and for change.

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (2)

“They are just normal people like you and me, who just happened to go out to work,” she said.

“What we want from this [is] for things to change, for every workplace to have an evacuation plan for anything ... so that this does not happen again, so families are not left wondering.”

Biltmore assessing damage to properties after storm

NBC News

The historic Biltmore Estate said today that it was still assessing damage after major flooding struck the Asheville, North Carolina, area where it sits.

“Like all of this region, the damage varies by location across our 8,000-acre property. In forested areas, which is a large portion of the estate, wind damage is extensive to grounds and some structures,” it said in a statement.

“The entrance to Biltmore, located in Biltmore Village, and other low-lying areas of the property, such as our farm, experienced significant flooding and damage to buildings.”

A few animals died. Biltmore House, Conservatory, winery, gardens and hotels suffered minimal or no damage.

House Speaker Johnson visits Florida after hurricane

Phil Helsel

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, visited northern Florida today to talk to first responders and see the damage from Helene, which struck the Big Bend region of the state on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane.

Johnson said in a statement that Congress on Sept. 25 approved $20 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for damage from the storm, which devastated parts of the South.

Congress that day passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open that gives FEMA access to $20 billion for its disaster relief fund. That stopgap funding bill keeps the government open for three months.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said yesterday that FEMA has funding for immediate needs but faces a funding shortfall for expected costs through the rest of the season. Mayorkas said FEMA “made a significant request of Congress with respect to stable funding for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which should not be a political issue.”

Yellow jackets swarm after North Carolina floods, prompting need for Benadryl and EpiPens

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (4)
Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (5)

Aria Bendix

Erika Edwards

Aria Bendix and Erika Edwards

Severe floodingin western North Carolina as a result ofHurricane Helenehas stirred up colonies of yellow jackets, raising the risk of stings.

The rain and floodwater most likely destroyed the insects’ underground nests, in addition to toppling trees or stumps that held nests, said Chris Hayes, an extension associate in urban entomology at North Carolina State University.

“Now they’re out of a home, just like many people are,” Hayes said.

North Carolina health officials said they have bought large amounts of Benadryl and EpiPens to address the problem.

Read the full story here.

North Carolina hospitals search for missing employees days after Helene

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (8)

Lauren Dunn

Marina Kopf

Lauren Dunn and Marina Kopf

In the days leading up to Hurricane Helene, Dr. Lisa Kaufmann worked around the clock to make sure her North Carolina hospital system was as prepared as possible, stockpiling supplies like water, food, medication and equipment.

But nearly a week after thestorm’s ferocious floodwatersdestroyed so much of the western part of the state, Kaufmann, the chief medical officer for UNC Appalachian Regional Healthcare System’s three hospitals, said they’re now dealing with another crisis.

Forty-two hospital employees are stillunaccounted for, unreachable by phone and possibly stuck in places that are inaccessible.

Read the full story here.

Pack mules deliver supplies, including ice for insulin, to remote areas of North Carolina

NBC News

Video shows a team from Mountain Mule Packer Ranch — an organization in North Carolina that specializes in "high altitude, crew-served weapons, and extreme terrain pack animal supply trains" — delivering ice this week to help a man store his insulin.

Mountain Mule Packer Ranch said on Facebook that it is delivering supplies to the mountainous region of Buncombe County, which includes the cites of Asheville and Swannanoa, that was devastated by Hurricane Helene.

The group posted photos of its mule team climbing mountain roads that had been split and washed away by the storm.

FEMA and Homeland Security officials respond to funding criticism

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (10)

Laura Strickler

Denise Chow

Laura Strickler and Denise Chow

FEMA has responded to criticism from Republicans about the agency’s availability of funds for the rest of this year’s hurricane season after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said FEMA can meet immediate needs but “does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

Critics seized on Mayorkas’ statements to reporters yesterday on Air Force One, saying the Department of Homeland Security spent $600 million on shelters and services for migrants.

A DHS spokesperson responded today to the criticism, saying the claims are “completely false.”

“As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters,” the spokesperson said. “The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams.”

Jaclyn Rothenberg, FEMA’s director of public affairs, reiterated that the agency “has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts.”

“As [FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell] has said,she has the full authority to spend against the President’s budget,but we’re not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it,” Rothenberg posted today on X. “We may need to go back into immediate needs funding and we will be watching it closely.”

4 workers from Tennessee plastics plant now confirmed dead

Tavleen Tarrant

Four people who were working at Impact Plastics, a facility in Erwin, Tennessee, are now confirmed dead, the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency said at a news conference today.

One of them was Johnny Peterson, 55, of Erwin. Peterson, whose body was found Monday, died in river flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, according to an obituary hosted by Ledford Funeral Homes. The Nolichucky River is close to the facility where he worked.

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (13)

His daughter, Alexa Peterson, confirmed her father’s death to NBC News.

Impact Plastics is under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation amid allegations from workers that they weren’t allowed to leave before the flooding began. The company denies the allegations.

'Complete devastation' of transportation and water infrastructure in western North Carolina, governor says

Denise Chow

Helene was an “unprecedented, devastating storm” for western North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said today in a news briefing, adding that “complete devastation” to the area’s transportation and water infrastructure is likely to cost billions.

“It’s going to take billions of dollars to make sure that we bring this transportation back up where it needs to be, butwe need to take this time to make sure that when we rebuild western North Carolina — and we will — that it’s done in a more resilient way,” Cooper said.

He said that search-and-rescue operations continue and that emergency personnel are working to restore power, repair damaged utilities and deliver food and water to those in need.

At least 98 people in North Carolina have died of storm-related causes. Cooper said the death toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue.

Rural North Carolina residents are still waiting for Helene relief

NBC News

Bottled water, generators and oxygen top the list of supplies needed by crews working to reach people still stranded by Hurricane Helene in Mitchell County, North Carolina.

Georgia agriculture devastated; governor says cotton and pecan crops are nearly a 'complete loss'

Denise Chow

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said parts of the state are still grappling with significant damage from Helene, including widespread devastation to Georgia’s agricultural sector.

“I think the cotton crop will be almost a complete loss, a lot of the pecan crop will be a complete loss, or at least a complete loss for the affected counties there,” Kemp said. “So it’s going to be significant, not to mention the structures that have been damaged.”

He said he has spoken to AgricultureSecretaryTom Vilsackabout damage to farms, crops and poultry houses in the state, adding that the financial losses in the agriculture industry are expected to be steep.

“As you all know, the ag economy was not good before the storm, and it’s worse now,” he said.

Helene’s death toll in Georgia has climbed to 33. Vilsack and President Joe Biden are scheduled to travel to Georgia today to survey damage and meet with first responders and local officials.

Helene survivor says her street ‘was already a river’ when evacuation order came

NBC News

Tissica Schoch describes riding out Hurricane Helene in her Black Mountain, North Carolina, neighborhood, where rising water trapped her and many of her neighbors.

Map: Close to 1 million still without power

Joe Murphy

Three counties in Georgia —Atkinson, Jefferson and Montgomery —are still more than 90% without power, and across the Southeast more than 970,000 customers remain in the dark.

Tennessee speedway to serve as disaster relief center

Denise Chow

The Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, will serve as the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center, operating as a donation and collection site, a staging area for search-and-rescue teams and a distribution center for recovery resources.

“Our communities, friends and loved ones are hurting, and we stand ready to assist in any way that we possibly can,” Jerry Caldwell, the speedway’s president and general manager, said in a statement.

The track, which has hosted a variety of events, including NASCAR races, will also be the site of a regional disaster relief hotline, which came online this morning. People in need can reach it at 423-830-2696.

A donation center in the BMS South Building off Volunteer Parkway will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., accepting bottled water, nonperishable food, baby supplies, personal hygiene products and other goods.

Video shows NASCAR star spotting person stranded in mountains as he delivers aid in helicopter

Denise Chow

Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was being hailed a hero after he used a private helicopter to deliver resources and supplies to people who have been stranded or are otherwise in need.

Biffle, a NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee and pilot, has been sharing videos on X of some of the supply runs, including one in which a person stranded in the mountains got his attention from over a mile away using a mirror to reflect light from the sun.

“6 attempts to land due to difficulty but we got there — got him a chainsaw, EpiPens, insulin, chicken food, formula, gas, 2 stroke oil, and sandwiches premade from Harris Teeter before we left,” Biffle wrote about the incident.

Biffle’s videos have also documented the widespread devastation across western North Carolina.

Read the full story here.

Huge craters, walls of mud and total destruction inSwannanoa

Sam Brock

Reporting from Swannanoa, North Carolina

Sam Brock reports from Swannanoa, North Carolina, where an entire community has been uprooted and devastated by floodwaters, with a long way to go before returning to normality.

Thousands of North Carolina residents are still without electricity or clean running water following Hurricane Helene.

Helene's death toll tops 200

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (19)

Austin Mullen

Denise Chow

Austin Mullen and Denise Chow

At least 202 people are confirmed dead from Hurricane Helene, according to an NBC News tally.

The fatalities include at least 98 deaths in North Carolina, 19 in Florida, 33 in Georgia, 39 in South Carolina, 11 in Tennessee and two in Virginia.

Tennessee OSHA opens investigation into plastics factory

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (21)
Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (22)

Didi Martinez

Denise Chow

Didi Martinez and Denise Chow

Tennessee’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into Impact Plastics, a factory in Erwin, Tennessee, whereseveral workers died and some went missingafter they were swept away by floodwaters from Helene.

A separate investigation into the plastics factory is already underway by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Tennessee OSHA said it will work with local officials and the Bureau of Investigation to coordinate an on-site inspection.

“During the investigative process, TOSHA investigators typically survey the location of the fatality, review company records and procedures, and conduct interviews with management and employees,” the agency said in a statement, adding that it has not received a fatality report from managers at Impact Plastics.

These kinds of investigations can take up to six months to complete. A final report with the agency’s findings will be available to the public.

More rainfall on the way for Gulf Coast and parts of Florida

Denise Chow

The National Hurricane Center is tracking several storms and disturbances currently brewing, including an area of interest in the Gulf of Mexico that has only a 30% chance of developing into a tropical depression but is still expected to dump several inches of rain across the Gulf Coast and parts of Florida in the coming days.

The area of showers and thunderstorms will likely move slowly, posing a rainfall risk in southern and central Florida next week, regions that are still reeling from Hurricane Helene.

Heavy rainfall from this system is not expected to affect parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia that were hit hard by Helene, according to the latest forecasts.

Meanwhile, both Hurricane Kirk and Tropical Storm Leslie in the Atlantic do not pose a direct threat to land, according to the NHC. Kirk is, however, expected to strengthen into a Category 4 storm, and could generate swells that reach the East Coast of the United States on Sunday, causing dangerous rip current conditions.

North Carolina prisons move more than 800 inmates due to lack of power

Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

Two prisons in western North Carolina have moved more than 800 inmates because they lack power and water, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction said today.

People detained in Mountain View Correctional Institution in Spruce Pine and Craggy Correctional Center in Asheville are being moved due to what the department called "long timeframes" expected for the restoration of essential services.

They are being moved to six prisons across the state. The department moved 2,000 prisoners earlier this week.

South Carolina couple killed after tree fell on home in Helene found hugging one another

Marlene Lenthang

South Carolina grandparents Marcia and Jerry Savage, 74 and 78, were killed when a tree fell on their bedroom during Helene last week.

Their grandson John Savage, 22, told The Associated Press he had checked on his grandparents during the storm and found them lying in bed. Then,Savage said, he heard a giant “boom” as one of the biggest trees on the family’s Beech Island property fell on top of the grandparents’ bedroom.

Savage said he found his grandparents hugging each other in the bed.

“When they pulled them out of there, my grandpa apparently heard the tree snap beforehand and rolled over to try and protect my grandmother,” he said.

The family remembered Marcia Savage, a retired bank teller, as an active church member who loved singing and cooking for the family. Jerry Savage had worked as an electrician and carpenter and was “in and out of retirement” because he loved to work.

The pair were teenage sweethearts and were married for over 50 years.Their deaths are just two of at least 190 linked to Helene.

Hurricane Kirk in the Atlantic to bring 'life-threatening' swells to U.S. East Coast on Sunday

Marlene Lenthang

Another hurricane in the Atlantic is forecast to bring large swells to the U.S. coast by Sunday.

Hurricane Kirk, currently a Category 3 storm, is about 2,000 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands, moving northwest. The National Hurricane Center said there are no watches or warnings in effect, as Kirk is well out in the ocean. However, it’s forecast to generate swells that could reach the East Coast of the United States on Sunday.

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the National Hurricane Center warned.

Photos show damage in Lake Lure, N.C., days after Helene brought record rainfall

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (27)

Will Clark

Damaged structures and and roads covered in mud are seen days after Helene tore through parts of North Carolina.

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (28)
Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (29)

Biden to tour storm damage in Florida and Georgia

Summer Concepcion

Biden will travel to Florida and Georgia today to tour damage from Hurricane Helene.

He is scheduled to take an aerial tour of affected areas en route to Perry, Florida, and will receive an operational briefing in Keaton Beach. The president will then tour damaged areas in Ray City, Georgia, before delivering remarks in the afternoon.

NBC affiliate raises $650,000 for Helene victims

Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

A TV station in Raleigh, North Carolina, raised $648,000 in a telethon last night for charities and aid groups helping stricken communities across the state.

Among the groups NBC affiliate WRAL was raising funds for is the Red Cross, which declared an urgent need for blood and platelet donations. More than 1,000 scheduled donations across the Carolinas and Georgia failed to be collected because of Hurricane Helene, the group said.

"Hospitals are overwhelmed, supplies are depleted, and blood and platelets are desperately needed. Those in areas of the state who can safely give blood are asked to roll up their sleeves and donate today to ensure that those who need access to lifesaving care can receive it. Pledge to give blood via this link," WRAL wrote.

'I felt like I'd gotten beat up': Tennessee National Guardsmen on Unicoi County hospital rescue

Marlene Lenthang

Some members of the Tennessee Army National Guard are speaking out about Friday's rescue of dozens of people stranded on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital, and on nearby lifeboats, after the building was engulfed by Helene floods.

Dan Backus, a chief warrant officer in the Tennessee National Guard, said he and other soldiers raced a Black Hawk helicopter to the scene, but it was difficult amid fierce storm winds.

“The winds were violent. There was a lot of turbulence. I’ve been telling the guys after we got done flying that day, I felt like I’d gotten beat up in a street fight or something,” Backus told NBC affiliate WBIR of Knoxville.

Once on the scene, the guard members quickly sprung into action.

“My co-pilot Dan Backus and I chose to go to the left side and start working hoist missions, and we tasked our other two aircraft with staying on the right side, from our perspective, of the hospital doing the ambulatory patient transfers,” Capt. Brandon Rodriguez said.

From there, the guard members coordinated rescue flights with different first responder agencies, evacuated stranded patients from the roof of the hospital, and rescued first responders and individuals stranded in boats or on floating debris.

The guard members said crews stationed with them at McGhee Tyson Airport have rescued about 100 people over the weekend and delivered tens of thousands of pounds of supplies.

East Tennessee residents urged to avoid open water

Marlene Lenthang

Residents were warned yesterday against "all contact with water bodies affected by the extreme flooding in East Tennessee."

The advisory was issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and applies to surface waters in theNolichucky, French Broad, Pigeon, Doe and Watauga River watershedsand any other waters affected by flooding.

The TDEC said “several wastewater treatment plants have been compromised” in Helene’s flooding and “are temporarily unable to completely treat effluent before it enters receiving waters.” Further, sewer line crossings also may have been "severed or damaged" following the storm.

The TDEC said the advisory was issued out of caution, not based on water quality data.Those who do come into contact with floodwaters are urged to "wash as soon as possible with clean water and soap."


Helene death toll nears 200, deadliest in mainland U.S. since Katrina

NBC News

The devastating impact of Hurricane Helene is still being felt across the South as the death toll rises to almost 200. Communities across the region continue to struggle without vital supplies such as food, water and gas. NBC’s Sam Brock reports and the "TODAY" show’s Dylan Dreyer shares the forecast.

A North Carolina mountain town is wrecked by Hurricane Helene

Deon J. Hampton

Reporting from SWANNANOA, North Carolina

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (32)

SWANNANOA, N.C. — Flattened homes, impassable roads, swamped fields, downed power lines, raw emotions.

Nearly a week after Helene pummeled this small mountain town 20 miles east of Asheville, residents and business owners were trickling back yesterday to see what was left and what could be salvaged.

Beverly and Baxter Eller barely escaped the floodwaters that reached eye level as they fled their home of 37 years and drove off in search of higher ground, uncertain if they would ever return.

When they did, they found their home surrounded by a knee-high moat of muddy water, the garage lifted from its foundation and spun around.

Read the full article here.

As the first victims are identified, North Carolina sheriff warns of 'a lot more to come'

Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

Several days after floodwaters devastated entire communities in western North Carolina, only now are the first few victims being identified — as authorities warn of more to come.

Among them are 7-year-old Michael Drye and his grandparents, Nora and Michael Drye, who were trapped on a roof in Asheville and were swept away by the raging waters when the house collapsed, NBC affiliate WRAL of Raleigh reported last night.

"There is loss of life, and there’s a lot more to come," Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone told the station. "We’re still in the early stages of it."

Authorities are also facing the problem of not being able to identify bodies — some have no identification and are found miles from their home, Stone said. A forensic investigation is then launched by the coroner's office in such cases to find out who it is.

At Asheville’s Mission Hospital, workers describe the dire conditions after the storm

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (34)

+3

Erika Edwards

Marina Kopf

Mustafa Fattah

Minyvonne Burke

Erika Edwards, Marina Kopf, Mustafa Fattah and Minyvonne Burke

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (37)

Facing what could be months without a steady water supply, the only solution for Mission Hospital was to dig a well.

The Asheville, North Carolina, hospital was crippled after fast-moving Helene dumped a record amount of rain in the region over the weekend.

“The entire water infrastructure to the area was obliterated,” said Hannah Drummond, a nurse at the hospital and the chief nurse representative for National Nurses United, the union that represents nurses at Mission Hospital.

The sewage system was so backed up after the storm, Drummond said, that it wasn’t possible to flush toilets.

“We were pooping in bags and buckets,” she said.

Read the full story here.

Flood insurance coverage lowest in counties hit hardest by Helene

Joe Murphy

By the time many homeowners realize they need flood insurance, it’s too late. And for tens of thousands in North Carolina and across the Southeast, it’s too late.

Only about 2% of residences in the 100 counties hit hardest by Helene-related power outages were protected by flood insurance, according to an NBC News analysis of Census Bureau data,PowerOutage.usdata and National Flood Insurance Program policy data that the insurance company Neptune Flood collected.

Read the full article here.

Pregnant North Carolina woman survived by clinging to a mattress for eight hours

Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

A pregnant North Carolina woman and her dog held on to a mattress for eight hours to escape the raging floodwaters around her in the aftermath of Helene, in one of the many dramatic stories of survival that have emerged from the state in recent days.

Emily Russell told NBC affiliate WXII of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that she was alone at home in Swannanoa when she saw her house surrounded by water.“I really thought I was just going to drown in my own house,” she said. “It was literally like you were stuck on an island and I just didn’t know what to do, there was no leaving the house at that point.”

She could see cars and RVs floating past her window and heard part of the house collapse. The water pushed in the front and back doors and within 30 seconds went from the ground to neck level, she recalled.

She and her dog then held on to a mattress while waiting and hoping to be rescued. Her husband, David, finally reached them at 6 p.m. the same day.

She knows of others, however, who did not make it out and died in the floods.

More than 1 million energy customers without power one week after Helene made landfall

Patrick SmithPatrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

While progress has been made in reconnecting the millions of energy customers who were cut off in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26, there were still more than 1 million in the dark as of 4 a.m. ET today, according to PowerOutage.us.

Almost 400,000 of those are in South Carolina, specifically in the mountains and foothills in the western part of the state, which has been devastated by floods.

Some 300,000 customers are without power in North Carolina, as well as 264,000 in Georgia.

Biden, Harris tour storm-ravaged regions in the Southeast

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (41)

Gabe Gutierrez

Reporting from WASHINGTON

President Biden and Vice President Harris toured parts of the storm zone ravaged by Helene. With the election less than five weeks away, the campaigns face several challenges, including the devastation from Helene and the escalating conflict in the Middle East. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports.

Hurricane Helene aftermath: More than 200 dead as hope fades in search for survivors (2024)
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