A week after Helene swept into western North Carolina, the state’s death toll reached 115, a number expected to rise as the search and recovery continues.
Some counties damaged by the storm, including Alleghany and Caldwell, completed their searches and security checks this week after crossing out dozens of names of people reported missing, sheriff’s officials there said.
The hunt for the living and the dead continues in Buncombe County. Rescuers found 72 bodies there, by far the most in the state. And dozens of survivors were still known to be in custody Friday, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our search and recovery have not stopped. We try to do that 24/7,” said Bumcombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller. “We cannot stop. We have to keep moving forward.”
Yancey County had the second-highest number of confirmed deaths so far Friday: nine, according to state data. The latest death toll also included six people in Henderson County, according to state figures.
The numbers reported by the state and counties continued to differ for a week in the disaster response because the state does not count a death until a state medical examiner determines whether it is linked to Helene, said Kelley Richardson, a spokesperson for the 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 over time.
“We do not dispute the numbers released by our counties, but we are working to release one verified number twice a day as the state,” Richardson said.
Few names but some causes have been reported
According to both state and county data, Helene’s death toll stood at 113 as of Friday morning. At least 16 people have drowned and 10 victims have died as a result of landslides, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, which releases mortality statistics twice a day.
Children were among those who died. The youngest include a four-year-old Catawba County girl who died in a two-vehicle crash on a flooded road and a seven-year-old Buncombe County boy who drowned.
One victim whose body was found late 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 more rushed into a home they were heading to. shelter
The state has reported no deaths in Mitchell and Alexander counties, and officials in those areas could not be reached by The News & Observer on Friday.
Also good news
Among all those terrible things, there are also bits of welcome news. Lincoln, Jackson and Allegheny counties reported zero fatalities when contacted by The News & Observer on Friday.
Chief Deputy Shane Glenn said Allegheny communities kept deaths low by taking care of each other before and after the storm, said Deputy Shane Glenn of the Allegheny Sheriff’s Office. By Friday, that county had reduced its missing persons list to zero, Glenn said.
McDowell County had recovered the body of one person who died as a result of Helene on Friday, and 20 people were still reported missing, Sheriff Office spokesperson Holly Ramsey said.
Figures released by the state and counties conflict with widely shared claims on social media that exaggerate the death toll and describe gory scenes of mountains littered with dead people and animals, according to interviews with state and local officials.
North Carolina Emergency Management officials warned Friday about the spread of false reports online. The public must rely on reliable sources, such as state, national and local governments and weather sources.
“Dangerous conditions persist in some areas and false information could put people at risk,” the press release said.
Man shoots at Buncombe officers
That said, the situation is tragic, especially in Buncombe County. Landslides and flooding have caused local and visiting law enforcement officers to use borrowed boats, ATVs, drones and cadaver dogs to continue their search for the dead and living.
“We have areas that we haven’t even been able to get to yet,” said Sheriff Miller, who said his first goal is to rescue people who are stranded and cut off from resources. Secondly, you have to knock on doors to find the missing, and the third is to find the bodies. Bodies buried in landslides and entangled in mud and debris along the Swannanoa River, according to daily state reports.
Bridges are broken and roads are impassable, leaving more than 100 people stranded without running water and power, said Braxton Langston-Chapman, who works for the 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 reach communities, Langston-Chapman said. Other organizations provide them with resources via helicopters and drones.
During the search, officers knock on doors at night, in an attempt to locate the missing as quickly as possible. But a recent incident highlights the dangers of exploring devastated areas at night. On Wednesday, a 64-year-old man fired four bullets at officers walking to his home. After negotiations, the man was arrested for attempted first-degree murder and other 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 the police just trying to control 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 non-profit organization The Just Trust. The N&O retains full editorial control over its journalism.
