Through Tuesday, Tropical Storm Helene has caused 95 confirmed deaths in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference. And almost as many, 92, remain missing.
Buncombe County has had the most Helene-related deaths, with 42. Yancey County has had 11 confirmed deaths, Henderson County has seven and Haywood County has had five, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.
“The vast majority of these are directly related to flooding leading to landslides, blunt force, flooded cars, etc. We are still conducting a detailed review of the death data on other specific causes and elements,” said DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley.
Drowning is the leading cause of death, with twenty. This was followed by landslides and blunt force injuries, each confirmed to have killed 11 people, and wind or tree trauma, which killed six people, DHHS said.
The state has created a task force that works with local law enforcement to investigate cases of people who are still missing.
Cooper warned that the number of missing people will likely fluctuate, with people both being added and removed as more cases are discovered or resolved.
This story was produced with funding from the Hartfield Foundation and Green South Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O has full editorial control over the work. If you would like to help support local journalism, please consider signing up for a digital subscription. You can do that here.
Missing after Helene: Torn apart by landslides and floods, families desperate for news
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