WASHINGTON: The southeastern United States continues to reel from the deadly storm with over 100 people dead and over 600 others unaccounted after Hurricane Helene knocked out power for millions, destroyed roads and bridges and caused dramatic flooding from Florida to Virginia.

Damage estimates ranged from $15 billion to more than $100bn, insurers and forecasters said over the weekend, as water systems, communications and critical transportation routes were affected.

Property damage and lost economic output will become clearer as officials assess the destruction.

In North Carolina, nearly all the deaths were in Buncombe County, where 30 people died, Sheriff Quentin Miller told a video conference call with reporters.

County Manager Avril Pinder said she was asking the state for emergency food and drinking water. Streets in the picturesque city of Asheville were submerged in floodwater. “This is a devastating catastrophe of historic proportions,” Governor Roy Cooper told CNN. “People that I talk to in western North Carolina say they have never seen anything like this.”

Over 600 unaccounted for as storm knocks out power to millions, destroys roads and bridges; Biden rejects Trump’s criticism over handling of disaster

Search and rescue teams from 19 states and the US government have converged on the state, Cooper said, adding that some roads could take months to repair.

In Flat Rock, North Carolina, there were widespread blackouts, and people waited hours in line for gas. “Grocery stores are closed, cellphone service is out,” Chip Frank, 62, said as he entered his third hour waiting in line. Roughly 2.7 million customers throughout the South were without power on Sunday, a US Energy Department official said, down 40pc from Friday after unprecedented storm surges, ferocious winds and perilous conditions extended hundreds of miles inland.

South Carolina reported 25 dead, Georgia 17 and Florida 11, according to the governors of those states. CNN reported a total of 93 dead across the South, citing state and local officials.

Showdown over storm response

US President Joe Biden on Monday dismissed criticism from Donald Trump that he was not in command of the response to the disaster and said the government would help victims of Hurricane Helene for “as long as it takes”.

Trump accused Biden at a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday of “sleeping” instead of dealing with the disaster and said Harris was at fundraisers with her “radical left lunatic donors”.

In his remarks at the White House, Biden described Helene as a “history-making” storm. “We’ll continue to surge resources, including food, water, communications and life-saving equipment.”

President Joe Biden plans to visit affected areas this week, once he can do so without disrupting emergency services, the White House said.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2024