Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 38
The search for survivors continued Tuesday amid the devastation from Hurricane Helene, which has killed at least 135 people and destroyed homes across the Southeast.
Many people also remain unaccounted for, especially in North Carolina, where hundreds of roads remain inaccessible and communications have been knocked out. At the White House on Monday evening, President Joe Biden told reporters there were reports that 600 people were unaccounted for.
“God willing they’re alive, but there’s no way to contact them,” Mr. Biden said.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that search and rescue personnel have been deployed to affected area, and efforts are underway to bring in satellite communications. CBS News previously reported that more than 3,300 personnel from across the federal government have been deployed to support response efforts in the states Helene bore through. The storm is expected to be one of the costliest in U.S. history.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday, with 140 mile per hour winds and 15-foot storm surge in some areas. Parts of the Gulf Coast have been decimated. Officials estimate that 90% of the homes in Keaton Beach, Florida are simply gone, after massive storm surge and strong winds impacted the coastal area.
After the storm hit Florida, it blew north through Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday that it “looks like a bomb went off,” with splintered homes and debris-covered highways visible from the air.
The storm then brought torrential rain to the Carolinas and Tennessee, straining dams and overflowing waterways. In rural North Carolina, the area of Busick was recorded as receiving over 31 inches of rain in just two days.
Source: CBS News
