Rescue crews and volunteers in the remote mountains of North Carolina faced obstacles at every turn, paddling canoes across swollen rivers and steering horses past mudslides in a race to reach those stranded or missing after Hurricane Helene's rampage, which killed more than 200 people throughout the Southeast.
The exact number of missing or unaccounted for remains unclear. The death toll rose to 215 on Thursday as more victims were found, making Helene the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Roughly half of the victims were in North Carolina, with dozens more killed in South Carolina and Georgia.
Along the Cane River in western North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, rescuers from the Pensacola Volunteer Fire Department cleared their way through trees at the top of a valley nearly a week after a wall of chocolate-milk-colored water swept through for hours.
Damaged structures are seen along the Broad River in downtown Chimney Rock, North Carolina, after the passage of Hurricane Helene, October 2, 2024. /CFP
In another county along the Tennessee state line, crews had just finished clearing main routes and were beginning to reach side roads that wind through switchbacks and cross small bridges – routes that can be tricky to navigate even in the best weather. Each road presented a new challenge.
"Everything is fine, and then they come around a bend and the road is gone – it's one big gully or the bridge is gone," said Charlie Wallin, a commissioner in Watauga County. "We can only get so far."
Most people the crews encounter turn out to be fine and just in need of water, but every day brings new requests to check on someone who hasn't been heard from, Wallin said. It's hard to tell when the search will end, he added.
Electricity is being slowly restored, with the number of homes and businesses without power dipping below 1 million for the first time since last weekend, according to poweroutage.us. Most of the outages are in the Carolinas and Georgia, where Helene struck after making landfall in Florida on September 26 as a Category 4 hurricane.
A local police car is seen half-submerged in mud in a flooded area of Lake Lure, North Carolina, after the passage of Hurricane Helene, October 2, 2024. /CFP
U.S. President Joe Biden decided on Wednesday to immediately deploy "up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers to support the delivery of food, water and other critical commodities to communities affected by Hurricane Helene."
The active-duty military personnel are in addition to more than 1,000 North Carolina National Guard soldiers already deployed, who are delivering food, water and supplies, as well as conducting search and rescue operations, according to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
The governor noted on Thursday that "around-the-clock efforts continue to provide resources and assistance" to communities in the western part of the state.
Biden toured the Carolinas to survey the damage on Wednesday and is scheduled to visit Florida and Georgia on Thursday. The White House said in a news release that Biden will further assess the damage caused by Helene and meet with state and local leaders to discuss ongoing response efforts.
"The president and his entire administration will continue to do everything in our power to help the people of Florida, Georgia and every community affected by this storm," said the White House.
(With input from AP and Xinhua)