Helene aftermath latest: Death toll rises to nearly 100, NC communities still isolated

Hurricane Helene left a trail of widespread damage across the U.S. Southeast, killing nearly 100 people and hundreds of others still unaccounted for. Meanwhile, homes and properties were destroyed and millions were left without power.

At least 91 people across several states were killed – including 30 people in Buncombe County, North Carolina, which includes the mountain city of Asheville.

FILE - Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage on Sept. 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Asheville flooding: Hurricane Helene drone footage shows swallowed city streets 

North Carolina officials on Monday pledged to get more water and other supplies to flood-stricken areas. Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would also rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden was set to address the nation on Monday about his administration's efforts to help in the storm's aftermath.

Here’s what to know:

Hurricane Helene: What happened?

Helene on Thursday slammed into Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds. 

A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams.

There have been hundreds of water rescues as a result, including in rural Unicoi County in East Tennessee – where dozens of patients and staff were rescued by helicopter from a hospital rooftop on Friday.

Helene slams Asheville, other North Carolina towns

The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina, according to the Associated Press. One community, Spruce Pine, was doused with over 2 feet of rain from Tuesday through Saturday.

On Monday, supplies were being airlifted to the region around the isolated city of Asheville. 

Mudslides blocking Interstate 40 and other highways prevented supplies from making it by roadway. The county’s own water supplies were on the other side of the Swannanoa River, away from where most of the 270,000 people in Buncombe County live, officials said.

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder pledged that she would have food and water to the city by Monday.

"We hear you. We need food and we need water," Pinder said on a Sunday call with reporters, according to the Associated Press. "My staff has been making every request possible to the state for support and we’ve been working with every single organization that has reached out. What I promise you is that we are very close."
In Asheville, there was also no cellular service throughout the weekend and residents were directed to boil their water. 

Law enforcement was making plans to send officers to places that still had water, food or gas because of reports of arguments and threats of violence, the county sheriff said.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell toured south Georgia on Sunday and planned to be in North Carolina on Monday.

Biltmore Estate after Helene

The Biltmore Estate, known for drawing thousands of visitors to Asheville, said it was assessing damage and would remain temporarily closed.

"Due to significant flooding, impassable roads, and widespread power outages in our region from Tropical Storm Helene, Biltmore is temporarily closed," a Sept. 29 statement on its website reads. 

"We are assessing damage from the storm and will update this page as we work to safely reopen," it added.

Drone video showed water levels reaching the first floors of several structures within the Biltmore Village – originally constructed in the 1800s for workers of the Biltmore Estate.

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New hurricane after Helene?

Tropical Depression Twelve, meanwhile, formed in the eastern Atlantic on Sunday evening and is forecast to become a major hurricane later this week, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

"Gradual strengthening is forecast over the next day or so followed by a faster rate of intensification by the middle portion of this week," the NHC said Sunday. 

It was too early to tell if Tropical Depression Twelve will pose a threat to the U.S., according to FOX Weather, but as of Sunday night, computer models currently keep the storm out over open waters.