North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced Sunday that at least 11 people have died in the state as Tropical Storm Helen caused widespread damage in communities.
Cooper said at a news conference Sunday that authorities expect the death toll to rise as rescue efforts continue.
“We know there are going to be more deaths,” Cooper said.
He urged local residents to avoid driving on the roads to allow emergency services to reach those in need.
“A lot of people are cut off from transportation because the roads are impassable,” Cooper said.
More than 50 search teams are spread out across the region searching for people stranded by the storm, according to the Associated Press. Due to road closures, supplies are also being airlifted to areas around Asheville.
Landslides and flooding closed Interstate 40 and other roads, leaving much of western North Carolina isolated. The Associated Press reported that Helen caused the worst flooding in North Carolina in 100 years.
The storm devastated much of the South.
Hurricane Helen made landfall in Florida on Thursday night as a Category 4 storm with maximum winds of 140 mph. The storm system moved through Georgia and then as a weakened storm moved through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, causing torrential rain and severe flooding.
More than 60 people have been killed by the storm since it first made landfall.
cooper It was also announced on Sunday President Biden granted the request for a federal major disaster declaration, which would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to accelerate the delivery of federal aid to states and help local and state agencies cover the costs of repairing some of the damage. It is said that it will become like this. infrastructure.
“The people of Western North Carolina are suffering from this devastating storm, and we are all working to get resources to them as quickly as possible,” Cooper said in a press release. “We have deployed rescue teams, transport personnel, water, mobile kitchens and more. This will be a long-term recovery and this federal declaration will help us respond.”
The Associated Press contributed.
