ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Widespread devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene came to light Monday across the South, revealing a wasteland of splintered houses, crushed cargo containers and mud-covered highways in one of the worst storms in U.
S. history. The death toll topped 125.
A crisis was unfolding in western North Carolina, where residents stranded by washed-out roads and by a lack of power and cellular service lined up Monday for fresh water and a chance to message loved ones days after the storm that they were alive. At least 128 deaths in six Southeastern states have been attributed to the storm — a number that climbed Monday as a of the damage it inflicted on an area stretching from Florida’s Gulf Coast northward to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reach areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.
During a briefing Monday, White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall suggested as many as 600 people hadn’t been accounted for as of Monday afternoon, saying some might be dead. Government officials and aid groups were working to deliver basic supplies by air, truck and even mule to the hard-hit and its surrounding mountain towns. At least 40 people died in the county that includes Asheville.
The destruction and desperation were unimaginable. A flattened cargo container sat atop a bridge crossing.