Hurricane Helen leaves ‘biblical devastation’ in North Carolina, but recovery efforts underway in Southeast: Live

In Buncombe County, North Carolina, authorities said about 1,000 people were still missing.

“There is a biblical level of devastation throughout the county,” said Ryan Cole, the county’s emergency director. The county is also home to Asheville, a mountain city torn apart by the Helen incident. “This is the most significant natural disaster we have ever experienced.”

Asheville, a popular tourist destination with a population of about 94,000 people, was largely cut off by flooding Saturday as Tropical Storm Helen battered the area.

Shocking footage posted on social media showed water tearing through villages, leaving “roads with nowhere to go”.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said the severe flooding and devastation caused by Hurricane Helen is linked to the climate emergency.

Deanne Criswell said rising temperatures in the Gulf have created a situation that causes “significant infrastructure damage” and has affected an area spanning multiple states.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said the severe flooding caused by Helen is related to the climate emergency.

“This storm took a while to develop, but once it did, it intensified very quickly. This is because the warm waters in the Gulf are driving more storms, reaching levels in this major category. “For this reason,” she said.

Criswell said the conditions produced more storm surge in coastal areas and increased precipitation as the storm moved north.

“In the past, hurricane damage was primarily wind damage, but now it’s much more water damage, and that’s the effect of warmer ocean waters due to climate change,” she told CBS’ Face the Nation. spoke.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the “historic flooding” in North Carolina caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helen was more than anyone in the region had planned for.

“I don’t think anyone can be completely prepared for the scale of the flooding and landslides that we’re experiencing right now,” Criswell said in an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have led a call for donations to a relief fund for Florida communities hit hard by Helen.

“The flooding caused by Hurricane Helen’s storm surge has devastated many people across the state, especially the Tampa Bay community,” club president and owner Darcy Glazer Kassewitz said in a statement on social media. caused serious damage.

“There are many areas in our community that will need time and additional resources to begin recovery. We offer our full support to those affected and will continue to work with them during this difficult time. We are extremely grateful for the heroic and courageous efforts of the many first responders and utility workers who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our communities.”

The NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, also reportedly donated about $2 million.

Two other weather systems are being monitored by the National Hurricane Center as damage from Helen continues to be assessed.

Hurricane Isaac is several hundred miles west-northwest of the Azores, and Tropical Storm Joyce is located over the central tropical Atlantic Ocean. Neither is expected to have any impact on the land.

There is also a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean with a moderate chance of developing over the next week.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said state officials are working “as quickly as possible to get things back to normal.”

He told reporters on Sunday:

“First of all, everyone is doing everything they can to save lives: getting supplies to people, making sure communications are restored, getting power to people, repairing roads, getting water, Because rescue operations are still going on,” to be able to move from one location to the next. All of them are important.

Mr Cooper continued: “As soon as we understand the situation, the process of assessing the damages will begin. Families will also receive assistance through the individual assistance approved in this disaster declaration, which was just obtained. I don’t know yet.

“It is something we will continue to evaluate and will work to remedy the situation as quickly as possible.”

He added that authorities would continue to work “around the clock” on relief efforts.

“This is an unprecedented tragedy and requires an unprecedented response,” North Carolina Governor Cooper said at a news conference Sunday.

He asked residents to avoid roadways in western North Carolina, not only to avoid danger but also to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams have been deployed across the region searching for the stranded people.

“A lot of people are cut off from transportation because the roads are impassable,” Cooper said. Supplies were being flown into the area around Asheville, a city nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina known for its arts, culture and natural beauty.

Rescue efforts included the rescue of 41 people and one infant in one mission north of Asheville. North Carolina State Lt. Gen. Todd Hunt said the team was searching for personnel through both 911 calls and messages on social media.