Helene North Carolina death toll is rising, but incomplete. What we know so far.
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Hurricane Helene Aftermath
Hurricane Helene swept across the Southeast, causing major flooding and destruction throughout North Carolina. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer about Hurricane Helene and the aftermath, particularly in Western North Carolina.
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Update Oct. 4, 2024: For the latest on the Helene death toll in North Carolina, see this story.
Macon County Sheriff’s Office officials on Sunday composed what they said was one of the most difficult press releases they ever released.
On Friday morning, Deputy Jim Lau left his courthouse security job for lunch, a Sheriff’s Office Facebook post states. He never returned as the former Category 4 hurricane-turned-tropical storm dumped extreme rainfall in Western North Carolina.
Helene’s death count in North Carolina is by no means final. But Lau was one of dozens known to have been killed after the hurricane’s powerful remnants reached Western North Carolina, with more fatal tragedies yet to be reported or even discovered.
At least 60 people were confirmed killed in North Carolina as of Wednesday afternoon, including a 7-year-old boy in Buncombe County, according to information provided by state officials.
A second sheriff’s deputy, Capt. Michelle Quintero, 48, in Madison County, died after a damn broke while she was driving to her job at the jail, the Associated Press reported.
And a faint outline of what havoc stole people’s lives is coming into view.
At least 15 people died from drowning, along with four more who reported drowning in their motor vehicles, according to the public safety department. Ten people died in landslides, with five from dangers linked to high winds and damaged trees.
Three others died in motor vehicle crashes while the causes of five lives lost are unknown, according to information provided Monday by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Toll still unfurling
At least 100 people have died and over 600 are unaccounted for across 10 states hit by Helene, President Joe Biden said Monday.
Leaders of western North Carolina counties, where Helene fed historic flooding that shut down roads and bridges, along with cell and internet connections, say people are unaccounted for across the region.
Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said Monday morning that 35 have been found dead in that county alone, but the body count will rise as search and rescue efforts continue. By 4 p.m. Thursday, the death toll had risen to 72 and about 200 people are missing, Miller said. So far the county, which is home to Asheville, has the most reported Helene deaths in the state.
“Devastation does not begin to describe how we feel,” Miller said during a briefing broadcast live on Facebook.
Buncombe County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger said that his office has received 11,000 requests from people seeking help to locate their loved ones amid the spotty cell service and destroyed roadways.
In response to the thousands of calls, Reisinger’s office opened a family assistance center and volunteers are supplementing search and rescue efforts going door to door of local residences, he reported in the briefing.
Tragic ending to a search
Officials in Macon County, which includes the town of Franklin and the Nantahala River, noticed deputy Lau didn’t return to the courthouse after around 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
Witnesses called 911 reporting a truck being swept under water in a local river with a person inside. Officials soon made the connection to Lau not returning and his truck matched witnesses’ descriptions, the post states.
Multiple agencies started searching on foot, with a drone in the air and with multiple swift water rescue teams, the post said. But as the sun started to set, they put the search on hold.
They found Lau’s body the next morning.
“Jim was very liked and respected within our department. He was known to be a hard worker, dependable, and he jumped in wherever help was needed. His absence will truly be felt in our agency,” the post said.
It also asked for prayers for his family, for the department and for all of Western North Carolina.
“The tragedy that surrounds our mountain communities is unimaginable,” the post states.
To report a missing person or request non-emergency support, call NC 211 or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state.
(Story updated at 9:20 a.m. on Thursday.)
Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published September 30, 2024 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Helene North Carolina death toll is rising, but incomplete. What we know so far.."
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