A Charlotte City councilman described the “post apocalyptic” scenes in storm-ravaged North Carolina after Hurricane Helene carved its way through the Southeast.
Looking out across Lake Lure, Tariq Bokhari described the storm as a “blender” taking out anything in its path, with its usually idyllic waters filled with debris. Bokhari speculated that its cleanup would take “years and years,” he told CNN.
At least 143 people were killed after Helene crashed into Florida‘s Big Bend on Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, before charting a path northwards through the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Virginia. The death toll is expected to climb.
As of Tuesday morning, the death toll in North Carolina’s Buncombe County alone stands at 40, as 600 people remain unaccounted for. Governor Roy Cooper told CNN on Monday that communities there were “wiped off that map”.
Hundreds of roads remain closed with five bridges near the Tennessee-North Carolina border on I-40 “completely gone”. More than 1.6m people are still without power.
President Joe Biden said he plans to visit North Carolina on Wednesday, while former president Donald Trump arriving in Valdosta, Georgia, to survey recovery efforts in the state.
Key Points
- Death toll: Hurricane Helene takes at least 143 lives
- More than 35 dead, 600 missing in Buncombe County alone
- Mayorkas says more than 4,500 federal personnel, including 1,000 from FEMA, supporting Helene response
- Biden approves emergency disaster declaration for 11 Georgia counties
- 1.6M still without power in Southeast states
- North Carolina town becomes ‘post-apocalyptic’ wasteland
Vice President Kamala Harris set to deliver remarks at FEMA’s DC headquarters
Monday 30 September 2024 21:18
Julia Musto
Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks related to Hurricane Helene relief efforts at 5:05 p.m. EDT in Washington, DC.
Trump slams US response to Helene, even as supporters urge cutbacks to federal disaster agencies
Monday 30 September 2024 21:25
AP
Former President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration’s response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, even as his supporters call for cuts to federal agencies that warn of weather disasters and deliver relief to hard-hit communities.
As president, Trump delayed disaster aid for hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico and diverted money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to finance an effort to return undocumented migrants to Mexico. And Project 2025, backed by Trump supporters, would restructure FEMA to limit aid to states and says that the National Weather Service, which provides crucial data on hurricanes and other storms, “should be broken up and downsized.”
Matthew Daly, of The Associated Press, has the latest: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-ap-biden-national-weather-service-north-carolina-b2621558.html
Southeast governors praise federal response as Trump slams Biden administration
Monday 30 September 2024 21:43
Julia Musto
As former President Donald Trump claims Biden administration needs to do more for Georgia, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster assured the federal government was “embedded” with state officials.
Gov. Henry McMaster on Helene response: "This is a great team effort. And I assure you it’s going to be done, but this is one that is going to take a lot of patience. We’ve got the team. We have the equipment. The federal government is helping as well; they’re embedded with us" pic.twitter.com/XOJxR2JB3J
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) September 30, 2024
And, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said he was “incredibly appreciative of the rapid response and cooperation from the federal team at FEMA.”
More praise for the Biden-Harris Administration response to Hurricane Helene@GovernorVA: "I'm INCREDIBLY appreciative of the RAPID response and COOPERATION from the federal team at FEMA." pic.twitter.com/xOZo3XGy2p
— Herbie Ziskend (@HerbieZiskend46) September 30, 2024
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said he had talked with President Biden on Sunday. “He offered that if there’s other things we need, just to call him directly, which, I appreciate that,” Kemp said.
Mules loaded to provide assistance to western North Carolina communities
Monday 30 September 2024 21:53
Julia Musto
Mules were loaded Monday to provide supplies for communities in western North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene.
Volunteer Mike Toberer told The Associated Press dozens of mules would bring food, water, and diapers to mountainous areas.
“We’ll take our chainsaws, and we’ll push those mules through,” he said, noting that each one can carry about 200 pounds.
Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen work to serve Black Mountain community
Monday 30 September 2024 22:03
Julia Musto
Black Mountain and surrounding communities are being serve, increasing aid every day! I’ve been there twice today with @WCKitchen to many communities as well as the @NationalGuard @USArmy https://t.co/kczL3WAfN0 pic.twitter.com/CctWcaVDQZ
— Chef José Andrés ️ (@chefjoseandres) September 30, 2024
WCK's Relief Team is on the ground and in the skies over Florida, identifying communities most in need of support after Hurricane Helene. Water, sand, and debris blanket our search areas, but we will continue to do what it takes to provide nourishing meals. #ChefsForFlorida pic.twitter.com/jLHomeBmYT
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) September 30, 2024
Massive response by @NationalGuard @USArmy @fema many planes helicopters etc responding to #HurricaneHelene2024 supported by Ashville Airport personnel! @WCKitchen we just deliver 200 barbecue sandwiches so they have a good bite between missions! pic.twitter.com/BNtzTuVhTx
— Chef José Andrés ️ (@chefjoseandres) September 30, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris says she plans to be on the ground as soon as possible
Monday 30 September 2024 22:10
Julia Musto
Speaking at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, on Monday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris said she had received regular briefings on relief efforts following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene.
She said she had spoken with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, and local officials over the past 24 hours.
Harris said she planned to be on the ground as soon as possible, without distrupting any emergency response operations.
“Because that must be the highest priority,” she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris says America has responded to Helene’s destruction ‘with our best'
Monday 30 September 2024 22:22
Julia Musto
Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday that the US has responded to devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene with “our best.”
“I do believe the true character of a nation is revealed in moments of hardship. Over the past few days, our nation has endured some of the worst destruction and devastation that we have seen in quite some time,” she said. “And, we have responded with our best.”
Speaking at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC, Harris said she and President Biden were with Americans impacted by the storm, as well as those feeling overwhelmed by related destruction and loss.
Harris said more than 3,300 federal personnel are on the ground in Southeast states to help deploy food, water, and generators to those in need.
Texas nonprofit Operation Airdrop gives 20 tons of supplies to communities in need
Monday 30 September 2024 22:43
Julia Musto
Forecasters warn of increased risk for additional landslides across North Carolina mountains
Monday 30 September 2024 22:46
Julia Musto
The National Weather Service (NWS) and North Carolina Geological Survey have determined that there is a risk of additional landslide activity across the mountains of North Carolina this afternoon and evening.
Rain was forecast in the area on Monday.
“While the rain is not expected to cause new flooding, it is possible the rain could be enough to cause a few more slopes to fail, resulting in new landslides,” the NWS said.
Tropical Storm Kirk will be a ‘very large major hurricane’ over the Atlantic in a few days
Monday 30 September 2024 22:55
Julia Musto
Tropical Storm #Kirk Advisory 5: Kirk Forecast to Become a Very Large Major Hurricane Over the Central Tropical Atlantic Ocean in a Few Days. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 30, 2024
President Biden hits back at former President Trump over Helene response claims: ‘He’s lying'
Monday 30 September 2024 23:00
Julia Musto
NEW: @POTUS responds when I ask about @realDonaldTrump accusing him of ignoring Republicans areas hit by Helene: “He's lying, and the governor told him he was lying. The governor told him he's lying. I've spoken to the governor, spent time with him, and he told him he's lying.” pic.twitter.com/cTEb0piAKc
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) September 30, 2024
Georgia governor signs executive order authorizing 1K National Guard troops to be called up
Monday 30 September 2024 23:04
Julia Musto
Georgia Gov. Kemp said he just signed an executive order authorizing another 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops to be called up to help with Hurricane Helene’s aftermath. That brings the total to 2,500 National Guard troops. #gapol pic.twitter.com/lTp5aqBsyC
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) September 30, 2024
Biden hits back at Trump on storm Helene as he announces plans for surveying damage
Monday 30 September 2024 23:25
Julia Musto
President Joe Biden on Monday angrily hit back at Donald Trump’s false accusations of neglect and malfeasance after the former president and Republican presidential nominee leveled a baseless claim about the federal response to Hurricane Helene on his social media platform.
Earlier in the day, Trump suggested that Biden and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper were ignoring the devastation wrought by the storm, which has killed over 100 people and left hundreds missing and unaccounted for in the Tar Heel state.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that he “[didn’t] like the reports” he was allegedly getting about the federal and state governments “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas” hit by the hurricane.
The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg and Julia Musto have the latest: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-trump-hurricane-helene-damage-b2621620.html
Over 1.7m still without power after Helene
Monday 30 September 2024 23:56
Josh Marcus
Scores of people are still without power across the southeastern United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
An estimated 1,738,000 lack power across Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia, according to utility tracking cite poweroutage.us.
Walz warns Helene aftermath is still ‘incredibly dangerous’
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:08
Josh Marcus
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz warned on Monday that dangers remain in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The Minnesota governor, who was in hard-hit Asheville just last week, told reporters that residents in the southeast should heed road warnings and beware of moving water.
“Our hearts are just breaking, this situation is still incredibly dangerous and unfolding,” he said, adding, “It’s still incredibly dangerous in terms of moving water.”
“This one is horrific in the death toll that’s been involved and of course the destruction.”
White House official explains how FEMA plans to connect people in hard-hit areas with aid
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:13
Josh Marcus
The extent of destruction from Hurricane Helene has made disaster recovery efforts more difficult by downing electric grids and putting whole towns under water, hampering the ability of local residents to sign up for emergency assistance.
During a Monday briefing, White House Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall explained how the federal government plans to reach people in these areas to offer them emergency assistance.
“FEMA literally goes knocking with an iPad in hand so they can help people register for the assistance they need because they may not have power, their cell phone may have run out and they need someone to help them get registered quickly,” she said, adding that the emergency management agency plans to install 30 Starlink Internet terminals in western North Carolina “to provide immediate connectivity for those in greatest need.”
Helene death tolls rises to at least 132
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:30
Josh Marcus
As emergency crews were able to reach new areas throughout Monday, the death toll attributed to Hurricane Helene has risen.
At least 132 have been killed by the storm, according to the Associated Press, with deaths taking place across six different states.
Today’s storm news, in pictures
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:45
Josh Marcus
It could take weeks to bring back water system in North Carolina county
01:00
Josh Marcus
North Carolina’s Buncombe County, home to the city of Asheville, was hammered during Hurricane Helene, and it could be weeks before the county’s water system is fully back online.
City Assistant Manager Ben Woody told the Asheville Citizen Times on Monday that three water plants need “extensive repairs,” though federal agencies are on the scene offering their assistance.
Hospital authorities, meanwhile, say issues getting high-pressure water will hamstring basic functions like food preparation and working bathrooms and showers.
Where to donate to help residents of North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
01:15
Josh Marcus
North Carolina was among the states hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.
Those interested in donating to assist with relief efforts can visit nc.gov/donate or support one of these vetted state organizations.
‘Complete devastation’ across Georgia days after Helene
01:30
Josh Marcus
Georgia is still reeling from Hurricane Helene.
The storm killed at least 25 people in the state, and 370,000 Georgia households were still without power Monday morning.
“We got hit so hard,” Police Chief Randy Ellison of Swainsboro, which still lacks power, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’ve been doing this 36 years and this is the worst storm I’ve ever seen. It is just complete devastation here.”
“There were some of those folks that hadn’t had food in days because they were not able to leave,” he added.
ICYMI: How climate change drove Hurricane Helene
01:45
Josh Marcus
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has said that the severe flooding and subsequent devastation caused by Hurricane Helene is linked to the climate emergency.
Deanne Criswell said that rising temperatures in the Gulf were causing conditions that caused “significant infrastructure damage” that had affected a multi-state area.
Though the worst of Helene is now believed to have passed, recovery efforts in multiple communities are underway at pace.
Retailers pitch in on Hurricane Helene recovery
02:00
Josh Marcus
Major U.S. retailers like Walmart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot are joining together to give millions of dollars worth of supplies and emergency relief work in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“This storm has created a life-altering path of destruction from Florida to the Mid-Atlantic — especially here in our home state of North Carolina,” Lowe’s chief executive Marvin Ellison told the Washington Post. “We will continue to help meet our communities’ urgent needs and help our neighbors during the long road to recovery ahead.”
Lowe’s is giving $2m in aid and relief, and said it would be shipping high-priority items like generators and fans to impacted communities.
Home Depot has pledged $2m of its own, and Walmart has committed three times that amount.
Biden to viist North Carolina on Wednesday
02:15
Josh Marcus
The president will survey the damage from Hurricane Helene in North Carolina on Wednesday, according to the White House.
Biden said he’ll get a briefing from the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, then conduct an aerial tour of Asheville.
“It’s too much for me in terms of interrupting access to help there, to land in Asheville, to survey the damage other through the air,” Biden said. “And then it’s my plan to travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible after that.”
PHOTOS: Coast Guard rescues nine people and a dog in North Carolina
02:30
Josh Marcus
Rescue efforts continue in the Carolinas after the arrival of Hurricane Helene.
A U.S. Coast Guard station in Savannah rescued nine people and a dog, it announced on X.
A @USCG Air Station #Savannah helicopter crew rescued 9 people and a dog in #NorthCarolina after #HurricaneHelene caused severe flooding and widespread destruction.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) September 30, 2024
All rescued were safely transferred to Bill’s Creek Volunteer Fire Department.
: https://t.co/8yhvmaWBXu pic.twitter.com/Vv650dtHR9
North Carolina’s disaster relief effort, by the numbers
03:00
Josh Marcus
North Carolina governor Roy Cooper provided updates on Monday about the scale of disaster relief underway.
So far, FEMA has delivered one million liters of water and over 600,000 meals to the state, he said in a statement.
Emergency responders from 18 states and the federal government are working alongside 92 swift water rescue teams and more than 700 National Guard soldiers.
Researcher warns Helene-like inland flooding will only get more common in the future
03:30
Josh Marcus
Researchers are warning communities across the U.S. to understand the lessons of Hurrican Helene.
According to Daniel Aldrich, a Northeastern University researcher who serves as co-director of the school’s Global Resilience Institute, the storm showed how even inland communities can experience drastic flooding as a result of tropical storms and hurricanes.
“Most people think about hurricanes as coastal problems — as opposed to what happens to inland communities,” Aldrich told the university’s website in reference to Asheville, North Carolina. “These inland hazards are going to be much more common in the future.”
Especially amid the climate crisis.
“The reality is huge proportions of our country, both coastal and mountain, are much more at risk from these natural hazards caused by climate change and extreme weather events,” he added. “So the very environment in which these floods and fires and heat waves are generated has changed.”
Photos show destruction along North Carolina’s Swannanoa River
04:00
Josh Marcus
Four days after Helene hit, communities along North Carolina’s Swannanoa are still recovering.
Rains from the storm caused the river to swell multiple feet beyond its normal levels, flooding historic mill homes along the river and washing away a bridge.
Swannanoa is experiencing “total devastation” and the “community is destroyed,” Swannanoa Fire Chief Anthony Penland told Black Mountain News.
“There goes the history of Swannanoa right there,” Penland said. “Our history is gone.”
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene is getting heat for her Hurricane Helene response
04:30
Josh Marcus
Marjorie Taylor Greene has been slammed for travelling to attend a football game with Donald Trump while her home state of Georgia was ravaged by impacts of Hurricane Helene.
The Republican lawmaker shared a photo of her and Trump grinning with their thumbs up at the Georgia v Alabama college football game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday.
“A MAN OF THE PEOPLE!!... Great to see President Trump tonight in Tuscaloosa! 100K strong to Make America Great Again!!!” she captioned the photo on X.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Thursday before tearing across large parts of the south and east, causing at least 116 deaths and destroying homes and property. Damaging wind gusts swept through Georgia on Friday, leaving more than half a million without power, and led to downed trees and major flooding.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
Asheville still in ‘crisis mode’ with 600 missing
05:00
Josh Marcus
The North Carolina city of Asheville is in “crisis mode” after Hurricane Helene hit, mayor Esther Manheimer told CNN on Monday.
“We are in a situation where we don’t have water and power in most places,” said.
There are also an estimated 600 people who are unaccounted for, she added, as residents struggle to access basic necessities like cell service, food, and medicine.“We are still in crisis mode here in our community.”
Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer tells me they are in “crisis mode” and still have an estimated 600 people unaccounted for tonight. pic.twitter.com/EwkkzlGMKa
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 1, 2024
How Helene ‘compromised’ part of a North Carolina dam
05:30
Josh Marcus
Residents downstream of two North Carolina dams were evacuated after reports of a “catastrophic failure” due to flooding from Hurricane Helene.
Officials in Cocke County, Tennessee said on Friday afternoon that the Waterville Dam, just over the state line in North Carolina, had failed and ordered everyone in downtown Newport to get out.
Meanwhile, officials in Rutherford County, North Carolina told residents downstream of the Lake Lure Dam to flee to higher ground due to floodwater overflowing the top of the 124-ft-high barrier and pouring “uncontrolled” around the edges.
Io Dodds has the story.
ICYMI: Biden hits back at Trump on storm Helene as he announces plans for surveying damage
06:00
Josh Marcus
President Joe Biden angrily hit back at Donald Trump’s false accusations after the former president and Republican presidential nominee leveled a baseless claim about the federal response to Hurricane Helene on his social media platform.
Earlier on Monday, Trump suggested that Biden and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper were ignoring the devastation wrought by the storm, which has killed over 100 people and left hundreds missing and unaccounted for in the Tar Heel state.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that he “[didn’t] like the reports” he was allegedly getting about the federal and state governments “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas” hit by the hurricane.
Asked to respond as he addressed reporters after receiving a briefing from Cooper and Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell in the Oval Office, Biden interjected, cutting off the question from The Independent to denounce Trump’s false statements.
Andrew Feinberg and Julia Musto have the story.
VIDEO: Neighborhood in Cayce, SC still underwater
06:30
Josh Marcus
Residents of Cayce, South Carolina, still have their homes underwater, after the Congaree River flooded during Hurricane Helene.
The city could face further flooding due to the storm’s aftermath.
Video from the mayor’s office captures the destruction.
Helene and other storms dumped a whopping 40 trillion gallons of rain on the South
07:00
Josh Marcus
More than 40 trillion gallons of rain drenched the Southeast United States in the last week from Hurricane Helene and a run-of-the-mill rainstorm that sloshed in ahead of it — an unheard of amount of water that has stunned experts.
That’s enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys‘ stadium 51,000 times, or Lake Tahoe just once. If it was concentrated just on the state of North Carolina that much water would be 3.5 feet deep (more than 1 meter). It’s enough to fill more than 60 million Olympic-size swimming pools.
More details in the full story.
Floodwaters in North Carolina carry away 75-year-old stuck in a tree
07:30
Josh Marcus
Residents of Marshall, North Carolina, watched in horror on Friday as the flooded waters of the French Broad River wore away at Bruce Tipton, a 75-old who was swept out of his riverside trailer home and onto a tree.
Tipton was stuck for hours as friends and residents called to him from the shore, and search and rescue personnel said the floodwaters were too dangerous for their non-motorized, inflattable rescue boats.
The 75-year-old eventually gave out and was swept away in the rushing river.
“I’m not going to tell you I’m going to have nightmares about it, but why wouldn’t I?” Scott Eastman, a longtime neighbor, told The New York Times. “To hear somebody yelling ‘Help!’ for hours and to not be able to get to him? It’s just sickening to me.”
Watch: Moment Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as ‘unsurvivable’ Category 4 storm
07:59
Josh Marcus
Morgan Wallen donates $500,000 to help Tennessee recover from Helene
08:30
Josh Marcus
Country star Morgan Wallen is donating $500,000 to support storm relief efforts in his native Tennessee.
The money will go to the American Red Cross.
“My family in East Tennessee are safe but I know many are absolutely devastated there and in multiple states,” Wallen said on Sunday. “Those hills and hollers are very important to me in so many ways. It is going to take a monumental effort and I am in contact with my team and others working on ways I can help.”
Trump calls climate change a ‘scam’ as Hurricane Helene leaves trail of destruction
09:00
Josh Marcus
Donald Trump has sparked controversy for declaring that climate change is “one of the great scams” after Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction, killing more than 100 people, across the southeast US.
Speaking at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Sunday afternoon, the former president pushed a conspiracy theory that man-made climate change is a myth.
James Liddell reports.
Helene remnants to continue moving offshore
09:30
Josh Marcus
The remnants of what was once Hurricane Helene will “push offshore Tuesday as a cold front shifts across the eastern U.S.,” according to the National Weather Service, as the hardest hits region can expect “one more day of wet weather across the Central Appalachians into the Mid Atlantic before a drier pattern sets in by mid week.”
‘Historic’ destruction caused by Helene is linked to climate crisis
10:00
Josh Marcus
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has said that the severe flooding and subsequent devastation caused by Hurricane Helene is linked to the climate emergency.
Deanne Criswell said that rising temperatures in the Gulf were causing conditions that caused “significant infrastructure damage” that had affected a multi-state area.
Though the worst of Helene is now believed to have passed, recovery efforts in multiple communities are underway at pace.
Mike Bedigan reports.
Watch: NC governor praises ‘real heroes’ who searched for survivors in wake of Helene
10:32
James Liddell
"It is amazing. Heartbreaking and encouraging at the same time." @NC_Governor hails the "real heroes" who are going above and beyond to help victims of Hurricane Helene, including with hundreds of air rescues in otherwise unreachable areas. pic.twitter.com/yf3InXvqCI
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) October 1, 20
