Hurricane Helene updates: Death toll surpasses 230 as rescue efforts continue

The death toll from Hurricane Helene inched past 230 people on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.

The grim task of recovering bodies continued more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the southeast, killing people in six states.

The number of deaths stood at 225 on Friday; two more were recorded in South Carolina the following day.

It was still unclear how many people were unaccounted for or missing, and the toll could rise even higher.

-ABC News’ Victoria Arancio

President Joe Biden has ordered the deployment of 500 more troops to western North Carolina to aid in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, he announced in a statement Sunday.

Earlier this week, Biden ordered 1,000 active-duty service members to be deployed to the area. According to the White House statement, the Biden administration has sent more than $137 million in federal funding to aid in recovery efforts, "with more to come."

"With a total of 1,500 troops now supplementing a robust on-the-ground effort -- including more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and more than 7,000 Federal personnel -- my Administration is sparing no resource to support families as they begin their road to rebuilding," Biden said.

According to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, these soldiers are working with FEMA, the National Guard and state officials to support North Carolina by helping distribute commodities and clearing emergency routes.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has reached at least 227, according to The Associated Press.

Helene has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

The White House is calling out misinformation it says is circulating in the wake of Hurricane Helene, in a new memo on Saturday.

"A number of scam artists, bad-faith actors, and others who want to sow chaos because they think it helps their political interests are promoting disinformation about the recovery effort, including ways to access critical and live-saving resources. This is wrong, dangerous, and it must stop immediately," the memo read.

The White House has deployed a "robust, intensive, and whole-of-government" response to the storm and looked to counter some of the misinformation, White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt and Director of Digital Strategy Christian Tom wrote in the memo.

The officials warned that false information could "discourage people from seeking critical assistance" and they want to encourage impacted Americans to seek FEMA assistance.

One of the falsehoods they took issue with is one that former President Donald Trump repeated on the campaign trail Friday night. Trump claimed that disaster funds were being used on immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally rather than Americans impacted by disasters.

"No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. None. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts," the memo said in response to those claims.