Carolina: Hurricane Helene killed more than 130 people across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, and the death toll is expected to rise once rescue teams reach isolated towns and telecommunications are restored.
"There are a lot of people hurting. When you don't have power, when you don't have cell phone service, when you don't have water, this is a catastrophic situation for you," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said. "Some of our communities are completely wiped out," Cooper said.
The state was coordinating 92 search and rescue teams from 20 states and the US government, Cooper said. Most efforts were in the western part of the state where the storm ripped up roads, leveled trees and tossed homes about.
In North Carolina, some 300 roads were closed and more than 7,000 people have registered for US Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance. The National Guard was flying 1,000 tons of food and water to remote areas by plane and helicopter, they added.
Helene was a hurricane when it slammed into the Florida Gulf coast on Thursday, tearing a destructive path through southeastern states for days on end.
Nearly 1.8 million homes and businesses in seven states from Florida to Ohio remained without power on Monday night, including 643,000 in South Carolina and 480,000 in Georgia.
