(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s death toll rose to 104 as a result of Hurricane Helene and the names of those who died have been released by the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The most recent addition was for a motor vehicle crash in Mitchell County. The storm’s fatalities across seven states is 233.
Estimated damage in North Carolina is $53 billion by former Gov. Roy Cooper and his staff. The federal government has provided, in addition to assistance from FEMA, about $9 billion from a $110 billion package signed in December by President Joe Biden. The state government has provided just over $1.1 billion in three legislative packages with more expected.
Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat sworn into office Wednesday of last week, has issued five executive orders. The biggest aid from those will help more than 12,000 people without safe housing, and an estimated 8,000 private roads and bridges in need repair or replacement that will reconnect access for emergency services, school buses and other primary means of transportation.
Helene is arguably the worst natural disaster in state history. Hurricanes Floyd in 1999 and Hazel in 1954 have their place, as does Asheville’s Great Flood of 1916. Comparison is not apples to apples.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26. It was expected to come north to the Appalachian Mountains; however, the rainfall total from its dissipation there exceeded all forecasts.
Some places got more than 30 inches, most were at 24 or more. Due to terrain, water often rushed before it pooled and flooded – very unlike the flooding that happens in the coastal plains.
AccuWeather said rainfall totals were 32.51 inches in Jeter Mountain, 31.36 inches in Busick, and 26.65 inches in Hughes.
Forty-two died in Buncombe County, 11 in Yancey and 10 in Henderson. The number for Buncombe is a reduction of one from some previous DHHS reports. Drownings (34), landslide (23), and blunt force injuries (21) were the most in a categorical listing of types of death.
Respective state officials say 49 were killed in South Carolina, 34 in Georgia, 25 in Florida, 18 in Tennessee, two in Virginia and one in Indiana. Numbers were confirmed by The Center Square based on information supplied by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; South Carolina Department of Public Safety; Georgia Emergency Management Agency; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Tennessee Emergency Management Agency; Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin; and the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana.
Helene is the fourth most deadly hurricane from the Atlantic Basin in the last three-quarters of a century. Only Katrina (2005, deaths 1,392), Audrey (1957, deaths 416) and Camille (1969, deaths 256) killed more people.
