The loved ones are looking for the hundreds of people that are still missing

The Florida Death Epicenter of the Tampa Bay Fire Department: “Helene death toll rises to over 90 as millions remain without power“

Helene turned the Tampa Bay region into the state’s deadly epicenter, where the death toll reached nine people on Sunday. All deaths took place in a mandatory evacuation zone. The majority were the result of rising waters or apparent drownings, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Large portions of the region remained in darkness with power still knocked out to more than 2 million customers in five states on Monday morning, three days after Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region. Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult.

President Biden said that he would visit the area this week if the storm did not disrupt recovery or rescue work.

Hours before Helene made landfall on Thursday in the sparsely populated areas of Florida’s Big Bend region, its 120-mph winds produced a storm surge that sent more than 5 feet of water — reaching 16 feet in some areas — along large swaths of Florida’s west coast.

Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed.

Over the weekend, much of western North Carolina faced communications blackouts, power outages, fuel shortages and no drinkable water. Floodwaters remained, impeding travel.

Cooper implored people in western North Carolina to avoid traveling, both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people.

There was a rescue effort north of Asheville. Another mission focused on saving a single infant. The teams found people through calls and messages on social media.

Source: Helene death toll rises to over 90 as millions remain without power

Emergency Management of Augusta, Greenville, and Unicoi County: Water Conservation after trash and debris clogs in the Savannah River

Georgians are being asked to conserve water in Augusta after trash and debris in the Savannah River had clogged the city’s water filtration systems. Water services should be restored within 48 hours, according to emergency management officials.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday that it looked “like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air. Kemp said the stretch from Augusta to Valdosta was particularly hard hit, where some 115 structures took serious damage.

Many people in the western half of the state were without power. In Greenville County, the state’s most populous, more than 200,000 people lacked power on Sunday evening.

Unicoi County officials said 73 people were unaccounted for as of Sunday afternoon. There were no confirmed deaths, an Incident Management Team spokesperson said at a press conference.

The county saw the most dramatic rescue after more than 50 people became stuck on the roof of a small hospital in east Tennessee.

An official for Unicoi County Schools said during the conference that it’s “unlikely” schools will be back in session by the second week of October, but that the district is working to get schools reopened as soon as possible.

The Loss of a Latino Worker in Buncombe, North Carolina, Following the Devastating Floods of July 7, 2004

Rescue teams are still looking for the missing, so family members are using social media to spread the word. A community-sourced list with almost 2,000 names of people thought missing was created. Since the hit of Helene, many names have gone from “missing” to “found”. Family and friends are using a public Facebook page to post photos and details of their missing loved ones from East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

The family of some Latino workers said the plant was quickly surrounded by floods and they had to carry employees away. Several employees are missing or confirmed dead. Impact Plastics said in a press release that it called for help and that a National Guard helicopter had rescued five workers. The company said it is “devastated by the tragic loss of great employees.”

There are at least 600 missing in Buncombe County, North Carolina, as a result of the devastating floods. Search and rescue teams are still out looking for people in the county’s remote mountain towns. In Tennessee, officials said about 100 people remain missing as of Monday afternoon.

As more people come to hot spots like that trailer, the county hopes that they will connect with loved ones and get off of the long list of missing people.

Tetterton received a lot of messages like, “Hey, have you heard from this person?” Hey, I haven’t heard from that person. Are they OK? Do they have power? Does she have water? Are you alive?” she recounted tearfully.

Tetterton and her neighbors in the city were using the internet from a hot spot trailer that was provided by the county. Some people contacted friends for the first time in a long time. Others wanted to apply for federal aid.

After no one could find her following the destructive path of Hurricane Helene, people outside her storm- ravaged neighborhood in North Carolina reported her missing.