ASHEVILLE, N.C. − The demand for electricity and clean water became increasingly critical on Thursday for countless residents in the Southeast, one week after Hurricane Helene struck the Florida Gulf Coast as a damaging Category 4 hurricane.

Nearly 1 million homes and businesses continued to be without electricity in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Additionally, tens of thousands of individuals, particularly in Western North Carolina, were still without access to running water.

The number of deaths directly or indirectly linked to Helene exceeded 184, and this figure is anticipated to increase as ongoing search and rescue efforts proceed. North Carolina reported 91 fatalities, South Carolina 36, Georgia 25, Florida 19, Tennessee 11, and Virginia two, according to an analysis by YSL News Network.

Conditions remain severe in Asheville, a city in Buncombe County with almost 100,000 residents, part of a metropolitan area exceeding 400,000 in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Helene impacted this region as a tropical storm six days prior, unleashing over a foot of rain on an already saturated terrain. Numerous homes and roads were damaged or wiped out, with many neighborhoods lacking electricity or running water.

Buncombe County has been distributing pre-packaged meals and bottled water, with limits of two meal packages for adults and one for children each day. Additional water for toilet flushing is available at a designated site on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Meanwhile, life continues. Brandon Mashburn, feeling frustrated about being home without power, water, or internet, decided to take action on Wednesday by heading to Malvern Hills Park. With a hacksaw and assistance from neighbors, he cleared debris to ensure kids could have a safe place to play.

“It’s one of those things where communities banded together and said, ‘If no one’s going to help, then we will,’” Mashburn remarked.

Updates:

∎ Officials from Duke Energy Florida announced that power restoration for the barrier islands of Pinellas County may not be finalized until Sunday.

∎ President Joe Biden, who visited North and South Carolina on Wednesday, was on his way to Florida and Georgia on Thursday.

Ukrainian refugees among those missing in North Carolina

The last conversation Lysa Gindinova had with her aunt occurred on the night of September 26, when Helene’s fierce rains and winds began to assault western North Carolina. Gindinova remarked that her aunt had jokingly expressed hope that “their Titanic – referring to their house – would hold.”

Since that brief call, Gindinova has been unable to reach her aunt, uncle, cousin, or grandmother—all of whom escaped from the Ukrainian port city of Kherson in May 2022 amidst the Russian invasion. The family entered a U.S. humanitarian program and relocated to the mountain suburb of Micaville to be closer to relatives. Gindinova, residing in Brooklyn, New York, has been continually refreshing local Facebook groups for reports of found residents while also reaching out to local rescue teams, holding on to hope for positive news.

“It’s been 24/7,” Gindinova stated. “I’m glued to my phone. I can’t think straight. That’s all that’s on my mind.” Read more here.

− Christopher Cann

How did we get here?

Hurricane Helene made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend close to Perry a week ago as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of around 140 mph. Although those winds quickly diminished, the heavy rains deluged the already saturated area, resulting in flash floods and Appalachian mudslides that swept away numerous residents, demolished homes and businesses, destroyed roads, and ravaged entire communities.

In rural North Carolina, families divided over the way forward

MEAT CAMP, N.C. — Carolyn and Clifford Coffee reside less than 10 miles from Boone, a North Carolina college town favored by tourists, positioned between a creek and steep slopes. The two-lane road leading to their home along Meat Camp creek is now dotted with washed-out pavement and bridges, fallen power lines, and damaged residences.

Carolyn, 77, and Clifford, 80, have spent the past 40 years in this home built by Clifford who connected two trailers. However, following the relentless rains from Hurricane Helene which caused deadly landslides and floods, Carolyn is filled with dread.

“We just kept praying to God,” she said, noting that while her husband wishes to rebuild their home, “I want to leave.” Read more here.

− Chris Kenning

Biden Assures Support to Affected States

On Wednesday, President Biden traveled to Greenville, South Carolina, and later took an aerial tour to assess the significant destruction in Asheville, North Carolina. Vice President Kamala Harris also visited a severely affected area, engaging with local leaders and first responders in Augusta, Georgia.

“I want to assure you that the United States – this nation – is here for you,” Biden stated during a visit to an emergency operations center in Raleigh, where he was joined by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. “We won’t leave until you have fully recovered.”