4- & 7-Year-Old Siblings Both Killed While Sleeping in the Bed They Shared During Hurricane Helene
As the death toll from Hurricane Helene surpasses 160 across the southeastern United States, authorities are racing to airdrop supplies, restore power, and clear blocked roads. Massive rainfall from the storm has left entire communities stranded and without shelter, particularly in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.
President Biden announced that he will visit North Carolina on Wednesday to assess the devastation firsthand but aims to avoid disrupting ongoing recovery efforts. “God willing they’re alive, but there’s no way to contact them,” President Biden said, referring to the 600 people still unaccounted for due to the widespread destruction and communication outages caused by Helene. He plans to receive a briefing at the emergency operations center in Raleigh before taking an aerial tour of the damage in Asheville.
The federal response to the disaster has been robust, with more than 3,500 federal personnel already deployed to the region, according to Biden’s homeland security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall. She added that urban search and rescue personnel will increase to 1,250 over the coming days as efforts to reach isolated areas intensify, according to the local newspaper The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Former President Donald Trump visited Valdosta, Georgia, where he met with supporters and representatives from Samaritan’s Purse, the relief charity run by Franklin Graham. Trump, wearing his signature red “Make America Great Again” hat, shook hands and spoke with volunteers helping with the disaster response. Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has announced plans to visit the affected region once it won’t interfere with recovery efforts.
Hurricane Helene has caused catastrophic loss of life, with CBS News confirming at least 161 fatalities. North Carolina has been hit particularly hard, with over 113 confirmed dead, including 77 in Asheville and surrounding Buncombe County alone. In a heartbreaking tragedy in Asheville, Megan Drye watched as her 7-year-old son, Micah, and her parents were swept away by floodwaters after the roof they had climbed onto collapsed. Megan herself was rescued, but her family remains missing.
Buncombe County, home to Asheville, has been one of the hardest-hit areas, with 57 confirmed deaths and over 95,000 homes and businesses still without power as of Monday afternoon, according to utility tracker Find Energy. Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder assured the public that food and water supplies would reach the city by Monday, and World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by chef José Andrés, has also arrived to help feed those in need.
In South Carolina, 36 deaths have been confirmed, with fatalities including two firefighters and two individuals who died when trees fell on their homes. The storm also took the lives of 25 people in Georgia, including a first responder, according to Governor Brian Kemp.
In Florida, 13 people have been confirmed dead, including 10 in Pinellas County, where rescue missions have been ongoing. Elsewhere in the region, six weather-related deaths have been reported in Tennessee, and two in Virginia.
With over a million and a half people still without electricity across the Southeast, restoration efforts continue. However, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reported that 99% of the state’s homes and businesses had power restored by Sunday night. As recovery operations proceed, the Southeast faces a long and difficult road ahead in the wake of this unprecedented tragedy.
