Helen Tracker: 64 killed in hurricane with millions without power after devastating storm

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said the “historic flooding” in North Carolina caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helen was more than anyone had planned for in the region.

“I don’t think anyone can be completely prepared for the scale of the flooding and landslides that we’re experiencing right now,” Criswell said in an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have led a call for donations to relief funds for communities in Florida that were hard-hit by Helen.

“The flooding caused by Hurricane Helen’s storm surge has devastated many people across the state, especially the Tampa Bay community,” club president and owner Darcy Glazer Kassewitz said in a statement on social media. caused serious damage.

“There are many areas in our community that will need time and additional resources to begin recovery. We offer our full support to those affected and will continue to work with them during this difficult time. We are extremely grateful for the heroic and courageous efforts of the many first responders and utility workers who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of our communities.”

The NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, also reportedly donated about $2 million.

Two other weather systems are being monitored by the National Hurricane Center as damage from Helen continues to be assessed.

Hurricane Isaac is several hundred miles west-northwest of the Azores, and Tropical Storm Joyce is located over the central tropical Atlantic Ocean. Neither is expected to have any impact on the land.

There is also a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean with a moderate chance of developing over the next week.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said state officials are working “as quickly as possible to get things back to normal.”

He told reporters on Sunday:

“First of all, everyone is doing everything they can to save lives: getting supplies to people, making sure communications are restored, getting power to people, repairing roads, getting water, Because rescue operations are still going on,” to be able to move from one location to the next. All of them are important.

Cooper added: “Once we understand the situation, the process of assessing the damages will begin. Families will also receive assistance through the individual assistance approved in this disaster declaration. It’s planned, but I don’t know yet.

“It is something we will continue to evaluate and will work to remedy the situation as quickly as possible.”

He added that authorities would continue to work “around the clock” on relief efforts.

“This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response,” North Carolina Governor Cooper said at a press conference Sunday.

He asked residents to avoid roadways in western North Carolina, not only to avoid danger but also to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams have been deployed across the region searching for the stranded people.

“A lot of people are cut off from transportation because the roads are impassable,” Cooper said. Supplies were being flown into the area around Asheville, a city nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina known for its arts, culture and natural beauty.

Rescue efforts included the rescue of 41 people and one infant in one mission north of Asheville. North Carolina State Lt. Gen. Todd Hunt said the team was searching for personnel through both 911 calls and messages on social media.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said during a media update Sunday that North Carolina’s death toll from Hurricane Helen is expected to rise to 11.

The area including Asheville is among the hardest hit areas, with the overall death toll now estimated at more than 60.

Watch North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper provide an update on the state’s relief efforts.

Helen made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, with wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour. The storm, driven by extremely warm ocean temperatures, was the strongest ever to hit the region.

The hurricane broke storm surge records across the Gulf Coast, many of which were set just over a year earlier when Hurricane Idalia flooded the same area.

Record high tides flooded the Tampa Bay area, including areas that previously experienced little or no flooding.

The area of ​​low pressure has a 60 percent chance of forming into a tropical storm over the next two days and an 80 percent chance of forming over the next seven days.

It could follow a path similar to Hurricane Helen, which quickly intensified before hitting Florida and the southeastern United States.