Topline

North Carolina officials still cannot confirm how many people are missing after Hurricane Helene, although deaths have been reported in 20 counties and at least 115 storm-related fatalities have been reported in the state, by far the highest death toll in the state the southeastern states, which was hit by the storm two weeks ago.

Important facts

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Big number

1,412. That’s how many missing people have been reported to volunteer Ellie Erickson, who created a Google spreadsheet to keep track of people reported missing. Erickson, who lives in Hawaii and helped find missing people after the Maui wildfires last year, has been collecting information from those who have come forward to report loved ones missing and is updating the paper, according to People when someone is found. Those still listed as missing are mostly from North Carolina, but the list also includes people from Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.

tangent

While the total number of missing people has not yet been determined, individual family members are speaking out about their still-missing loved ones in hopes of finding answers. The family of missing teacher Kim Ashby, who was swept away by floodwaters in the Elk River, said the search for her has ended in North Carolina and is now in the hands of Tennessee authorities as they consider the possibility that it was swept across state lines. John Norwood, who sought refuge at a neighbor’s home in Marion, North Carolina, said he had not seen his fiancée, Julie le Roux, since a roof collapse separated them on the day of the storm. “It happened so quickly,” Norwood, 32, told the News & Observer. “All I remember is a few crashing noises and then I was underwater and that was it.” Fori McLean and her husband Ron McLean told the New York Times that their son Drew had been missing since the day of the storm : “God’s hands are on Drew if he’s still on Earth,” Ron said.

Crucial quote

“Our search and recovery has not stopped. We tried to do this 24/7,” Miller told the News & Observer on Friday. “We can’t stop. We have to keep moving forward.”

Surprising fact

Bizarre social media rumors spreading across North Carolina have created “a really big obstacle that we have to overcome” in recovery efforts, Buncombe County spokeswoman Lillian Govus told media Thursday. She said misinformation — such as the fact that 2,000 people are trapped in a church in Candler, North Carolina, and 1,000 unidentified bodies piled up in a hospital in Asheville — “is costing us time and resources to carry out these important life-saving maneuvers “Misinformation about Hurricane Helene was a problem at the federal level and was largely spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies. They falsely claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was unable to adequately respond to the storm , because it means so much money is being used to support migrants. Billionaire Trump supporter Elon Musk claimed to stop spreading “reckless, irresponsible and relentless disinformation and outright lies.”

Important background

Hurricane Helene made landfall near the town of Perry in the Big Bend area of ​​Florida around 11:10 p.m. EDT on Thursday, September 26th. The storm moved north into Georgia and South Carolina before continuing to dump heavy rain as it approached the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Flooding and landslides have destroyed thousands of roads, including major highways I-40 and I-26, which are still closed and need extensive repairs before they can reopen. Biden flew over the hard-hit Asheville area last week but did not stop for a visit because damage to the city’s roads made it impossible for his motorcade to gain access. According to PowerOutage.US, nearly 50,000 people in North Carolina are still without power.

Further reading

ForbesAfter Hurricane Helene, quartz mining resumes in North Carolina – here’s how the storm affected the world’s semiconductor industryFrom Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbes2.5 million people in Florida are still without power as residents face hardship following Hurricane MiltonFrom Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesBlake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Announce $1 Million Hurricane Relief Donation: All the Celebrities Who Helped OutFrom Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesDid the Impact Plastics Factory in Tennessee ignore Hurricane Helene warnings? What you should know about government investigations.From Mary Whitfill Roeloffs