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

Helene unleashed devastation across the Southeast.

Video byLilia Geho
Last Updated: October 7, 2024, 7:41 AM EDT

More than 230 people have been killed from Hurricane Helene, which unleashed devastation across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Helene, which made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a massive Category 4 hurricane, has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

Sep 30, 2024, 11:30 AM EDT

Biden plans to visit storm zone Wednesday or Thursday

President Joe Biden said Monday that Helene is "not just a catastrophic storm -- it's a historic, history-making storm."

PHOTO: A drone view shows a damaged area, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, N.C., Sept.  29, 2024.
A drone view shows a damaged area, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, N.C., Sept. 29, 2024.
Marco Bello/Reuters

Biden said he will travel to the impact zone as soon as possible, ideally Wednesday or Thursday. He said he’s been told it’d be disruptive to visit immediately, and he does not want to interfere with these areas accessing the relief they desperately need.

PHOTO: Maddie Hackney, left, and her friend Janie Fowler look for clothing at a donation center organized by Janalea and Garrett England, at their business Steinhatchee Fish Company in the wake of Hurricane Helene in Steinhatchee, Fla., Sept. 29, 2024.
Maddie Hackney, left, and her friend Janie Fowler, who both lost everything to the hurricane, look for clothing at a donation center organized by Janalea and Garrett England, at their business Steinhatchee Fish Company in the wake of Hurricane Helene in Steinhatchee, Fla., Sept. 29, 2024.
Kathleen Flynn/Reuters

"Communities are devastated. Loved ones waiting, not sure if their loved ones are OK, and they can't contact them because there’s no cellphone connections. Many more folks displaced have no idea when they’ll be able to be return to their home, if ever, if there’s a home to return to," he said.

"There's nothing like wondering, 'Is my husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, alive?' And many more who remain without electricity, water, food and communications," he said.

Rex Liberman moves his refrigerator outside before emptying it as he cleans out his house after it was flooded by Hurricane Helene in Steinhatchee, Fla., Sept. 29, 2024.
Kathleen Flynn/Reuters

Biden said he’s directed his team "to provide every available resource as fast as possible."

Biden vowed, "We're not leaving until the job is done."

Sep 30, 2024, 10:44 AM EDT

Helene 'spared no one' in Georgia, governor says

Hurricane Helene "literally spared no one" in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday.

Twenty-five people in Georgia have died in the storm, Kemp said. The victims include: a 27-year-old mother and her 1-month-old twin boys, who died when a tree fell on their home; Leon Davis, an assistant fire chief from Blackshear, who died when a tree fell on his car while he was responding to a call; and a 7-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl who died when a tree fell on their burning house, he said.

An aerial picture shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Valdosta, Ga., Sept. 28, 2024.
John Falchetto/AFP via Getty Images

More than 500,000 customers in Georgia remain without power after Helene damaged over 5,000 poles, the governor said. Kemp said Georgia Power officials are calling Helene the most devastating storm they’ve faced.

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit hard-hit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday.

Sep 30, 2024, 11:18 AM EDT

35 dead, hundreds unaccounted for in hard-hit Buncombe County, North Carolina

Thirty-five people are dead and 600 people remain unaccounted for in hard-hit Buncombe County, North Carolina, which encompasses Asheville, according to county officials.

PHOTO: Flooding caused by the storm that started as Hurricane Helene covering streets in Asheville, N.C.,  Sept. 2024.
Flooding caused by the storm that started as Hurricane Helene covering streets in Asheville, N.C., Sept. 2024.
Billy Bowling/EPA via Shutterstock

Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage in Asheville, NC, Sept. 28, 2024.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

County officials said people will go door-to-door to check on those who have been reported missing.

Shelters are at capacity, officials said.

The city of Asheville has partnered with Verizon to establish a temporary cellphone tower, officials said. County officials said they’ll start distributing water Monday afternoon.

-ABC News’ Alex Faul and Jessica Gorman

Sep 30, 2024, 10:13 AM EDT

Over 2 million still without power

Over 2 million customers are still without power on Monday after more than 4 million lost power across the South on Friday in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

People wait in line for gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 29, 2024 in Fletcher, N.C.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

In South Carolina, nearly 1.3 million customers lost power at Helene's peak. On Monday, more than 700,000 customers in South Carolina are still in the dark.

Over 500,000 customers are without power in Georgia and more than 400,000 are without power in North Carolina.

Police patrol in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 29, 2024 in Asheville, N.C.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Outages are also still ongoing in Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio.