A total of 21 people remain unaccounted for in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene as the death toll from the storm has reached 96.
Fatalities have been reported across 21 counties, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). The vast majority of those fatalities were reported in Buncombe, with 42 deaths, followed by Yancey and Henderson, at 11 and 7, respectively.
“The Department of Public Safety formed a task force to find who is still unaccounted for and focus efforts where needed,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said during a briefing Tuesday. “The task force, law enforcement, and other partners will continue working to locate those who are unaccounted for, and I am thankful for their efforts.
Cooper added that the number of those unaccounted for will “continue to fluctuate as more reports come in and others are resolved.” While there were 89 people unaccounted for at one point, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety told Fox News Digital on Monday that the number has dropped to 21.
An aerial view of destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on Oct. 8 in Bat Cave, N.C. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“This storm brought historic rain and damage to one of the most beautiful regions in our state. In the face of this catastrophic disaster, North Carolinians have come together to help each other and begin to move forward,” he also said. “The road to recovery will be long, and we will be with Western North Carolina every step of the way.”
NCDHSS told Fox News Digital that the fatalities were confirmed by the North Carolina Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).
Justin J. Graney, Chief of External Affairs and Communications for North Carolina Emergency Management, has told Fox News Digital there are “wide area searches taking place since [Hurricane Helene] took place.”
“This includes grid searches, vehicle searches, damaged structure searches, and searches around areas where debris have collected. Hundreds of responders have conducted said searches,” Graney said.
PUPPIES RESCUED FROM HURRICANE HELENE TO BE REHOMED WITH MILITARY VETERANS
Workers, community members, and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, N.C., on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Graney explained that local entities take information reported to local 911, the NC 211 call center, social media reporters, shelter occupancy information, and any information reported to an EOC, “to attempt to locate anyone that someone has reported missing or that they have asked to have a welfare check conducted.”
“Many of these types of situations were thankfully resolved when communications systems were brought back online and family and friends were able to connect once again,” Graney said.
Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina late last month, bringing catastrophic flooding from the storm’s historic rainfall in the North Carolina mountains.
Cooper also has signed the state’s first relief package to address Helene’s devastation, allocating $273 million for immediate needs and giving flexibility to agencies and displaced residents.
People collect donated items at a shuttered gas station along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 7 in Swannanoa, N.C. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Nearly all the money will serve as the state’s share that is needed to meet the federal government’s match for state and local disaster assistance programs. Other money will be used in part to ensure public-school nutrition employees at closed schools get paid and to help officials administer elections in the coming weeks in the battleground state.
Fox News’ Greg Norman, Chris Pandolfo, Stephen Sorace, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
