From the Wall Street Journal via MSN, September 29:
States Work to Provide Aid as Hurricane Helene Death Toll Rises to Over 90
Families wait for news as storm claims lives and property in North Carolina’s Buncombe County and elsewhere
Hurricane Helene’s devastating toll kept climbing Sunday as search and rescue teams, combing through the wreckage of splintered homes and wind-tossed vehicles, counted at least 93 storm-related deaths across five states.
North Carolina’s Buncombe County, which took a brutal blow from the Category 4 storm, had recorded 30 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, officials said. Georgia had at least 25 storm-related deaths, state officials said, the same amount as South Carolina. Florida had 11 and Virginia had two, according to officials from those states.
While the mountain communities of western North Carolina have been hit by powerful storms in the past, some residents said the effects of Helene were worse than they anticipated.
“It’s incomprehensible, the amount of damage,” said Lisa Coffee, 50 years old. While hurricanes have struck the area before, this one was made worse because of recent rains that saturated the ground, leaving nowhere for the water to go. Utility poles had snapped in half. “No one really realized how intense, how life changing this was going to be,” Coffee said.
Federal and state officials rushed to airlift supplies to battered mountain communities in western North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene left behind damaged water systems, washed-out roads and downed power lines.
Many of the region’s highways around Asheville, N.C., remain closed, which has hindered search and rescue efforts and convoys trying to bring desperately needed water, gas and food to the area. Buncombe County had a backup emergency water supply, but where it is stored is inaccessible because of flooding rivers, a county official said.
There is no commercial water available in Weaverville, a city official said. Helene damaged the local water plant, which officials are working to bring back online. The city is also without power....
....MUCH MORE
This storm has one of the higher death toll's from the last decade, and the thing that stands out is how far from landfall the fatalities have occurred. In Florida, when the County Sheriff posts something like this to Facebook:
PLEASE READ• We are requesting that all residents, guests, and evacuees refrain from returning to the area until officially directed by the Emergency Operations Center. This directive will be communicated via social media, news outlets, radio, and emergency alert systems. Returning prematurely poses significant risks due to expected heavy flooding and other hazards. Many roads will be impassable, and there may be downed power lines, fallen trees, and other dangerous conditions.• If you or someone you know chose not to evacuate, PLEASE write your, Name, birthday and important information on your arm or leg in A PERMANENT MARKER so that you can be identified and family notified.• We ask that you kindly provide the following information so Search and Rescue teams can prioritize these locations:• Is the residence inland or on the coastline?• Full address of the residence• Your name• Name(s) of the resident(s) at this location• Number of individuals and animals present• Contact information for both yourself and the resident(s)• Any additional information, such as a recent photograph of the individual(s), disabilities, special requirements.Please email this information to: TCEM@Taylorsheriff.orgThank you for your cooperation.
People know it is serious and having been through it before are aware of the dangers. Further inland, folks just don't think of how wet and windy things can get.
Speaking of Florida, one of the commenters on the above post had this handy hint:
Writing w permanent marker on torso is better in case off dismemberment
