Death toll rises to 30 in Buncombe County, North Carolina, after Helene: Sheriff

Thirty people have been confirmed dead after Tropical Storm Helene ripped through Buncombe County, North Carolina, Sheriff Quentin Miller said early Sunday evening.

"We're still conducting search operations, and we know that those also may include recovery operations," he said at a news conference.

The county remains under a state of emergency, with officials saying they are working hard to help those impacted by Helene, which hit Florida's Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane before moving up through Georgia and the Carolinas as a tropical storm.

Officials said at Sunday evening's news conference that there are ongoing rescue efforts in affected areas such as Fairview, Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Barnardsville.

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said emergency services were aware of the needs of the community.

"We hear you. We need food, and we need water," Buncombe County manager Avril Pinder said. "My staff has been making every request possible to the state for support, and we've been working with every single organization that has reached out. My promise to you is that we are very close, and you'll have more information before the end of the day."

Bill Norton from Duke Energy addressed power restoration efforts, emphasizing the impact of infrastructure damage from the storm.

"The mountain zone of North Carolina is really inaccessible in many areas due to mudslides and flooding," he said. "We're using helicopters and drones to assess damage, but this is going to be a multi-day effort."

Buncombe County is facing additional severe challenges, including the threat of landslides, authorities said.

Earlier in the day, Pinder said the county launched a web-based form to help families connect with missing loved ones, available at www.buncombeready.org.

"We’ve already received over 1,000 reports," Pender added, encouraging anyone who has found their family members to call the county at 828-820-2761 to update the records.