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Authorities on Thursday confirmed that Hurricane Helene has caused more than 200 deaths as it wreaked havoc across southeastern US states. The storm, characterized by its sheer force and destructive path, has now become the second deadliest to make landfall in the United States in over 50 years, a statistic that underscores the hurricane’s historic and tragic impact.
According to a compilation by AFP based on official sources, 201 people have been confirmed dead across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. Flood-stricken North Carolina accounted for the majority of these deaths, highlighting the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather events like Hurricane Helene.
The death toll from Hurricane Helene makes it the deadliest storm to strike the US mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused 1,392 deaths. The comparison emphasizes the immense loss of life and scale of destruction brought by Helene.
Even with the massive response effort, which saw more than 10,000 federal personnel join local responders and hundreds of people rescued across six states, the death toll from the vast storm is expected to increase. In remote, mountainous regions, many residents are still missing, further complicating search-and-rescue operations in these hard-to-reach communities.
“We are continuing to find survivors,” North Carolina’s Buncombe County, the epicenter of the tragedy where more than 60 people are confirmed dead, said in its latest update, adding there are residents still cut off from the outside world due to landslides and destroyed bridges.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the families of those that had just experienced this heartbreak and this tragedy,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp told a briefing n his state, where he said the number of confirmed dead has risen to 33.
Read also: At Least 16 Dead As Hurricane John Tears Mexican Coast Apart
Continuing his response efforts, President Joe Biden visited Florida on Thursday, marking the second consecutive day he has toured states affected by Hurricane Helene. The storm struck the northern Gulf shore last week as a formidable Category 4 hurricane, with wind speeds peaking at 140 miles per hour (225 kilometers per hour).
Biden took an aerial tour of the coast to survey the devastation, then walked past rows of destroyed homes and buildings in Keaton Beach, near where the storm made landfall.
Next, he will make his way to the neighboring state of Georgia.
