Helene death toll tops 130 as crisis unfolds in western North Carolina

(NewsNation) — Helene’s devastation came into focus Tuesday morning as rescue crews continued to search for Americans unaccounted for and trying to reach areas that were isolated by the storm. The death toll topped 130.

From Florida to Virginia, tens of thousands remained without power Tuesday morning — days after Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, reaching up to 140 mph wind speeds. The system weakened as it quickly moved island, but not before causing catastrophic flooding across multiple states in the Southeast.

A crisis was unfolding in western North Carolina, where residents stranded by washed-out roads and by a lack of power and cellular service lined up for fresh water and a chance to message loved ones days after the storm that they were alive.

The death toll steadily rose to 133 as emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. During a briefing Monday, White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall suggested as many as 600 people hadn’t been accounted for as of Monday afternoon, saying some might be dead.

President Joe Biden said he will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to meet with officials and take an aerial tour of Asheville. He said he hoped not to interrupt “access to help there.” Then, the president will travel to Georgia and Florida.

He said earlier that the federal government would be with affected residents in the nation’s Southeast “as long as it takes.”

Asheville’s road to recovery

What was once a thriving mountainous city in North Carolina, glistening with art and historic architecture, is now a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways.

Helene has virtually cut off Asheville from the rest of the country.

“I think now people are feeling afraid. They need resources. They need help and we definitely are at a point of desperation,” Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said.

Monday’s recovery efforts revealed that mudslides had washed away or blocked several main routes. Crews worked around the clock to repair cell towers and electricity, but several homes and businesses were completely gone.

Government officials and aid groups worked to deliver supplies by air, truck and even mule to the hard-hit tourism hub of Asheville and its surrounding mountain towns. At least 40 people died in the county that includes Asheville.

As a result, families were uprooted and lives were shattered.

One family of six spoke to NewsNation after discovering their home was destroyed from the storm. They said they were originally planning on staying put to ride out Helene. However, a family member called them to tell them to evacuate because the water levels were rising.

The rain, coupled with mudslides, left their Asheville house unrecognizable and uninhabitable. Inside the structure, furniture was tossed in different directions and the ground was caked in dirt.

The family’s four kids are unable to return to school due to damage and no internet service for online learning.

“I cried. I burst into tears. I couldn’t handle it,” Jesse Kern said. “Everything that we accomplished and built up over the last six years since we lived down here, everything is gone.”

He said they now have to start from ground zero.

“I know we’ll end up being OK,” His wife Dana Wunsch said. “We have each other, we’ll be alright and pull through. But it’s going to suck, you know? But, we are staying positive.”

The family of six has been staying at a shelter nearby, which is receiving food and water through airlifted services. For now, the family’s goal is to send Wunsch and her four kids to live with her family in Ohio while Kern stays behind to tend to their dogs.

Analyzing Helene

Helene was recorded as the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, and it was the third hurricane to hit the area in 13 months, according to the Weather Channel. The Category 4 hurricane is estimated to have brought historic storm surge, peaking at an estimated 10.33 feet in Cedar Key, Florida.

Parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina saw upward of a foot of rain, and nearly 30 inches were recorded near Busick, North Carolina, the Weather Channel reported. Virginia also experienced heavy rainfall and severe flooding

Each governor declared a state of emergency to receive federal assistance.

Multiple deaths across those states have been attributed to drowning, while some were the result of downed trees or other hurricane-related incidents, like carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.

Some of the worst destruction occurred in the storm’s center in Florida’s Big Bend region and South Georgia. Inland cities like Atlanta and Asheville were not shielded from the storm’s impact, with flooding trapping residents and leaving them isolated from contact.

AccuWeather has increased its estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene from $145 billion to $160 billion.

Tropical Storm Kirk forms and could become a powerful hurricane

Tropical Storm Kirk formed Monday in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and is expected to become a “large and powerful hurricane” by Tuesday night or Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was located about 800 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not a threat to land.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.