While the nation’s attention is focused on Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall later this week and bring life-threatening conditions to parts of Florida, many areas of the southeastern United States are still affected by Hurricane Helen. I’m upset. Almost 2 weeks ago.
In western North Carolina, home to many mountain communities such as Green Mountain, entire towns were destroyed and washed away by the storm. Roads became impassable and residents were stranded. There was no electricity or cell phones.
The death toll from Hurricane Helen has soared to more than 225, with fatalities recorded in six states, and officials warn the death toll will likely rise as recovery efforts continue.
North Carolina was one of the hardest hit states, accounting for more than half of the total hurricane deaths. Search and rescue operations in the area are still ongoing, and more than 100,000 people in the area remained without power as of Tuesday.
Hurricane Helen, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 26 as a Category 4 hurricane, became the deadliest hurricane in the continental United States since Katrina in 2005. Helen brought strong winds, rainfall, storm surge and devastating flooding to the Southeast. Regions of the United States.
Many residents remain evacuated this week without a home to return to, while others wait for news of their missing loved ones. Some received the news they feared most.
On Monday, rescue teams in parts of North Carolina continued searching for many people still missing since the hurricane struck the region.
Alison Wiseley and her two children, Felix, 9, and Lucas, 7, and her fiancé, Knox Petrucci, tried to evacuate their home in Green Mountain on Friday, September 27.
They had expected some flooding, but the situation was unexpected. After an unsuccessful attempt to leave the house by car, the family had to walk back to their home, where witnesses saw the group of four being swept away by waves and swept into the Taw River.
Search teams, family and friends worked tirelessly to find the family. The bodies of Alison, Felix and Lucas were recovered last week. On Monday, the family was notified that Knox’s body had been found.
“Our hearts are broken by this unspeakable tragedy,” family and friends said in a statement.
Allison and Knox were scheduled to marry in a small ceremony on November 9, the family said. Now, on that day, their families will gather together to mourn their deaths.
“We are heartbroken,” the family said in a statement posted on a GoFundMe page set up to raise money to cover burial and memorial costs and to support the grieving family. Ta.
Surviving relatives said in a statement that the family built a life filled with “love, family, creativity, bees, chickens, cats and dogs” in the North Carolina mountains bordering the North Tow River.
Knox was a local beekeeper, aspiring blacksmith, and a talented musician, while Allison, the conservation operations manager at Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, said she was a creative and loving person who encouraged children to develop their imaginations. She is said to be the most loving mother who nurtures a deep and rich heart. Interesting spirits.”
Felix, 9, “wanted to know everything about the world” and Lucas, 7, loved the outdoors and had an “incredible imagination,” his family said.
Knox’s sister, Brianna Petrucci Yarbrough, told the Guardian that Knox “embraced being part of Appalachian beekeeping, art, and gay communities.” He told her about the “neighborhood of the people of Burnsville and Green Mountain,” and “despite the fact that people come from all walks of life on the political spectrum, if someone needs help, their neighbors will help.” He talked about what he would do.
Petrucci Yarbrough added, “He built a beautiful life centered around his family and friends who were like family.”
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced over the weekend that the state’s aerial search and rescue teams conducted 48 missions on Saturday and found 39 survivors stranded in western North Carolina.
“To date, 6,586 people have been rescued, evacuated, or assisted by search and rescue teams since the storm hit, and that number continues to grow,” the release said.
Authorities in Asheville, North Carolina, one of the worst-hit areas, said Monday that they had taken nine more people who were known dead and had found about 85% of the missing people, according to CNN. .
To date, more than $27 million in Fema Personal Assistance funds have been disbursed to disaster survivors in Western North Carolina, and more than 83,000 people have enrolled in individual assistance, the governor’s office announced Saturday.
Officials said nearly 1,400 people were housed in hotels through Fema’s temporary shelter assistance. More than 755 FEMA personnel are on the ground supporting relief efforts in Western North Carolina, and more than 1,100 responders from 34 states are also supporting response and recovery efforts.
The White House on Sunday ordered an additional 500 active-duty military personnel to North Carolina to assist with recovery efforts. The additional troops will supplement the approximately 1,000 soldiers already on the ground.
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced yesterday that North Carolina will receive $100 million in emergency relief funds for repairs caused by Hurricane Helen.
To prevent further damage and loss of life, residents of Tampa, Florida, are being warned to evacuate before the Milton is expected to make landfall in Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
“If you choose to stay here, you’re going to die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said Tuesday, adding that Hurricane Milton would be “literally catastrophic,” sending Gulf waters up to 15% inland. It added that it is expected to push up by ft. Officials say it is deadly.
