Oct. 15 (UPI) — At least 92 people remain missing in North Carolina, weeks after Hurricane Helene battered the western part of the state, according to Gov. Roy Cooper’s updated numbers Tuesday.
“I want to caution that this is not a definitive count, because the task force is continuing its work,” Cooper told reporters. “The number will continue to fluctuate as more reports come in and others are resolved.”
Hurricane Helene devastated much of the southeastern United States after the Category 4 storm made landfall on Sept. 26 in Florida. The storm trekked northward up the coast with heavy rainfall and flooding, hitting western North Carolina especially hard.
At least 243 people were killed by the storm across several southeast states, with nearly half of those deaths — 95 confirmed fatalities as of Tuesday — in North Carolina. The White House issued emergency declarations for North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee in the wake of the hurricane.
“Swannanoa was hit especially hard by Hurricane Helene but the people here are resilient,” Cooper wrote Tuesday in a post on X. “Local, state and federal partners will be with them every step of the way to help them recover and rebuild.”
Swannanoa was hit especially hard by Hurricane Helene but the people here are resilient. Local, state and federal partners will be with them every step of the way to help them recover and rebuild. pic.twitter.com/VkWwndKC3g— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) October 15, 2024
Heavy rain, winds, flooding and landslides farther inland destroyed hundreds of roads and cut off towns from critical aid.
On Monday, North Carolina Department of Transportation announced it had reopened “600+ NC roads and is making progress to help restore western North Carolina, but the road to recovery will be lengthy,” NCDOT warned in a post on X. More than 670 roads have reopened, but 580 remain closed.
NCDOT has reopened 600+ NC roads and is making progress to help restore Western NC. But the road to recovery will be lengthy. https://t.co/LZjP5M6Kul pic.twitter.com/TXtxVgYSKr— NCDOT (@NCDOT) October 14, 2024
During his press briefing Tuesday, the governor called out a “dangerous flow of misinformation,” leading to confusion and threats.
“There’s still a persistent and dangerous flow of misinformation about recovery efforts in western North Carolina that can lead to threats and intimidation, breeds confusion and demoralizes storm survivors and response workers alike,” Cooper said.
“If you’re participating and spreading this stuff, stop it. Whatever your aim is, the people you are really hurting are those in western North Carolina who need help,” Cooper added.
Over the weekend, a suspect was arrested, charged and released on bond after he allegedly threatened Federal Emergency Management Agency workers, forcing them to pause Hurricane Helene assistance operations in some North Carolina counties.
William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, N.C., was arrested and charged Saturday with Going Armed to the Terror of the Public, a misdemeanor offense, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
In other updates, the more than one million power outages at the height of the storm are now under 13,000, according to Cooper, who added that 90% of all cell phone coverage has also been restored.
According to FEMA, more than 170,000 people have applied for individual assistance with 77,000 applications approved and over $99 million paid out.
Swift Water Rescue personnel said there have been more than 200 rescue missions amid the historic flooding throughout the state.
“With this storm, my goal is to turn on every spigot;” Cooper promised for the continuing recovery, “all the local, state, federal, private and non-profit resources that we can, in order to be able to make sure that people in western North Carolina recover.”
