Helene’s NC death toll expected to climb, as recovery enters second week
READ MORE
Hurricane Helene Aftermath
Hurricane Helene swept across the Southeast, causing major flooding and destruction throughout North Carolina. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer about Hurricane Helene and the aftermath, particularly in Western North Carolina.
Expand All
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article included state and county death toll statistics, including from Buncombe County, which has had the highest number of Helene-related deaths. The state Department of Health and Human Services has since taken over death-count reporting for Buncombe County. As of Oct. 17, 2024, DHHS reported 42 confirmed deaths in Buncombe, with a statewide total of 95. Find more recent News & Observer Helene death-toll reporting here.
A week after Helene slammed into western North Carolina, the state death toll reached 115, a tally expected to increase as search and recovery continues.
Some counties damaged by the storm, including Alleghany and Caldwell, finished their searches and safety checks this week, after crossing off dozens of names of people reported missing, according to sheriffs’ officials there.
The hunt for living and the dead continues in Buncombe County. Rescuers there have found 72 bodies, by far the most in the state. And dozens of survivors were still known to be trapped on Friday, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our search and recovery has not ceased. We’ve been trying to do that 24/7,” said Bumcombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller. “We cannot stop. We must continue to move forward.”
Yancey County, so far, had the second highest number of confirmed deaths Friday: nine, according to state data. The latest death toll also included six people in Henderson County, according to numbers from the state.
Numbers reported by the state and counties continued to differ one week into disaster response, because the state doesn’t count a death until a state medical examiner determines if it is related to Helene, according to Kelley Richardson, a spokesperson for North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The state process takes time and results in a discrepancy between county numbers and state numbers that work out in time.
“We do not dispute the numbers released by our counties, but we work to release one verified number as the state on a twice daily basis,” Richardson said.
Few names but some causes reported
According to both state and county data, Helene’s death toll stood at 113 on Friday morning. At least 16 people drowned and 10 victims died due to landslides, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services, which releases death statistics twice a day.
Children were among those who perished. Among the youngest is a 4-year-old girl in Catawba County who died in a two-vehicle crash on a flooded road, and a 7-year-old Buncombe County boy who drowned.
One victim whose body was found at the end of this week was Julie le Roux, a 33-year-old artist from Georgia, who was separated from her fiancé in McDowell County, when water, mud and much more crashed into a home where they took shelter
The state hasn’t reported any deaths in Mitchell and Alexander counties, and officials in those areas could not be reached by The News & Observer on Friday.
Some good news too
Among so much awfulness, there are slivers of welcome news. Lincoln, Jackson and Allegheny counties reported zero fatalities when contacted by The News & Observer Friday.
Chief Deputy Shane Glenn said Allegheny communities kept the number of deaths down by looking after each other before and after the storm, said Allegheny Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Shane Glenn. By Friday that county had whittled down its missing person list to zero, Glenn said.
McDowell County as of Friday had recovered the body of one person who died due to Helene and still had 20 people reported missing, Sheriff Office spokesperson Holly Ramsey said.
Numbers released by the state and counties conflict with widely shared social media claims overstating the death toll that describe gory scenes of mountains littered with dead people and animals, according to interviews with state and local officials.
North Carolina Emergency Management officials cautioned on Friday about false reports being spread online. The public should rely on trusted sources, like state, national and local government and weather sources.
“Dangerous conditions continue in some areas and false information could put people at risk,” the press release states.
Man shoots at Buncombe deputies
That said, the situation is tragic, especially in Buncombe County. Landslides and floods there have left local and visiting law enforcement using borrowed boats, ATVs, drones and cadavers dogs to continue their search for the dead and living.
“We got areas that we haven’t even been able to get to,” said Sheriff Miller, who said his first goal is to save people who are stranded and cut off from resources. Second, is to knock on doors to find the missing, and the third is to find the bodies. Bodies that have been buried in landslides and tangled in mud and debris along the Swannanoa River, according to the daily state reports.
Bridges are down and roads are impassable, leaving more than 100 people stranded without running water and power, said Braxton Langston-Chapman, who works for Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office but is temporarily serving as a spokesperson in Buncombe.
An out-of-town fire department is building temporary bridges so officers can get to communities, Langston-Chapman said. Other organizations are dropping resources down to them via helicopters and drones.
In the search effort, deputies are knocking on doors at night, trying to account for the missing as quickly as possible. But a recent incident highlights the dangers of exploring savaged areas at night. On Wednesday, a 64-year-old man fired four bullets at deputies walking up to his home. After a negotiation, the man was arrested on attempted first-degree murder and other assault charges.
“I would just ask people to help us, you know, be patient with us,” Miller said, and keep in mind that it could be law enforcement just trying to check on them.
Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Helene’s NC death toll expected to climb, as recovery enters second week."
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
