Authorities in North Carolina have recovered the body of a female who drowned at some point during Hurricane Helene dissipating over the mountains.
The state Department of Health and Human Services, in a Friday morning release, says it has verified 98 fatalities. The death in Avery County is its fifth; drownings account for 34 deaths, according to the release.
Helene is the fourth most deadly hurricane from the Atlantic Basin in the last three-quarters of a century. Estimated to have killed more than 200 and possibly more than 250 across the South, only Katrina (2005, deaths 1,392), Audrey (1957, deaths 416) and Camille (1969, deaths 256) killed more people.
Helene’s path ended over the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, dumping more than 30 inches of rain in multiple places. Flooding was catastrophic, arguably the worst storm for North Carolina since Hurricanes Floyd in 1999 and Hazel in 1954 – the latter the only Category 4 hurricane to make landfall on state shores, the former causing a once in 500 years flood.
According to PowerOutage.us, Yancey County has 2,420 without power at midday and Mitchell County 343. At the height of the storm, more than 1 million were without electricity.
According to DriveNC.org, the number of road closures because of Helene is 415 – 343 secondary roads, 38 state, 32 federal and two interstates.
Twenty-one post offices remain closed. Mobile operations units are in place for Alexander, Barnardsville, Cedar Mountain, Edneyville, Hot Springs, Marshall, Micaville, Montreat, Rosman and Swannanoa, according to a release from U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C.
Asheville Regional Airport has resumed commercial flights. Civilian pilots with clearance through FEMA delivering supplies and aid are permitted; no general aviation pilots are allowed to land otherwise.
There are 234 wastewater treatment plants operating under normal conditions in western North Carolina. Twenty-two are partial or systemwide boil advisories, and one has no power but does not serve residential customers. Two systems are out of water.
