Valdosta, United States:

The death toll from powerful Hurricane Helene rose to at least 91 on Sunday, with 30 deaths reported in just one North Carolina county, officials said, as aid workers scrambled to reach people in need in the southeastern United States. were fighting for

The storm caused extensive damage in several states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, with high winds and torrential rain that left some towns in ruins, flooded roads and left millions without power.

“We’re hearing about critical infrastructure damage to water systems, communications, roads, major transportation routes, as well as many homes,” said Dan Croswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sunday.

“So it’s going to be a really complicated recovery in each of the five states that have been impacted,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

The severe weather killed at least 91 people — 37 in North Carolina, 25 in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida and one in Virginia, according to local authority figures compiled by AFP.

“We have another devastating update. We now have 30 confirmed losses from the storm,” Quinton Miller, the sheriff of North Carolina’s Buncombe County, which includes the tourist town of Asheville, said at a briefing. .

“We are still conducting search operations and we know they may include recovery operations.”

Flood warnings remained in place for parts of western North Carolina Sunday, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said, adding that they are due to the risk of dam failure.

He said that the weather is expected to ease in the affected areas by Tuesday.

About 2.5 million households were without power on Sunday, according to tracker poweroutage.us.

U.S. Energy Department official Matt Targuagno said crews were working hard to restore power but warned it would be “a complex, multi-day response.”

Jennifer Pepa, an official with the organization, said thousands of people continued to seek help at shelters run by the American Red Cross.

Bridges were swept away.

Helene made landfall on Florida’s northern Gulf Coast as a major Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph (225 km/h).

Even when it weakened, it wreaked havoc.

US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that one of his senior advisers was monitoring the situation in Florida.

North Carolina saw the worst of the flooding, Governor Roy Cooper said, with damaged or flooded roads forcing emergency workers to send supplies to some areas.

“I don’t know that anybody can be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they’re dealing with right now,” Croswell said on CBS, adding that more search and rescue teams are being deployed.

William Ray, director of the state’s Department of Emergency Management, warned that the situation remains extremely dangerous.

Hundreds of roads were closed across the region, and many bridges were swept away by floodwaters.

Kristen White of the U.S. Department of Transportation said four major interstate highways were closed in North Carolina and Tennessee, with “several” bridges still closed.

Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina each had more than 100 road closures, he added.

In Valdosta, Georgia, the storm tore roofs off buildings and littered intersections with downed utility poles and trees.

“The wind started really whipping, felt like branches and pieces of roof were hitting the side of the building and hitting the windows,” Valdosta resident Steven Morrow said.

“And then we were looking out and then literally this whole street, just everything went black.”

Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican candidate, will visit Valdosta on Monday for a briefing on the disaster, his campaign said.

President Joe Biden, who has approved federal aid for several states in the wake of the disaster, plans to travel to hard-hit areas this week “as soon as it does not interfere with emergency response operations.” The White House said Sunday.

He directed FEMA Administrator Chris Weill to “determine what more can be done to accelerate assistance to those in isolated communities who are having the most difficulty accessing aid.” “

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

(translation of tags) North Carolina (T) Helen (T) US



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