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Helene live updates: Helene becomes deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina

Hurricane Helene's inland flooding has been catastrophic.

ByEmily Shapiro, David Brennan, Leah Sarnoff, Julia Reinstein, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: October 3, 2024, 9:41 AM EDT

The storm surge, wind damage and inland flooding from Hurricane Helene have been catastrophic, flooding neighborhoods, stranding residents and destroying homes in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

At least 189 people have been killed, according to The Associated Press. Helene, which made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region last week as a massive Category 4 hurricane, has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 02, 2024, 10:51 PM EDT

Tennessee OSHA investigating reports people swept away during Helene

The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation following reports that flash flooding from Helene swept away employees from Impact Plastics in Erwin, Tennessee, which is located in Unicoi County.

TOSHA and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are working to determine what led to the "workplace fatalities" at the Erwin facility, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce said in a statement.

In their evening flash update, TEMA has confirmed that four people have died due to weather-related injuries, and six people remain missing in Unicoi County. Authorities have not confirmed how many fatalities and missing people are associated with Impact Plastics.

-ABC News' Victoria Arancio

Oct 02, 2024, 11:11 PM EDT

Helene death roll rises to 189, making it deadliest since Hurricane Katrina

The confirmed death toll for Hurricane Helene rose to at least 189 people as of Wednesday evening, The Associated Press reported, making it the deadliest hurricane since Katrina to hit the mainland U.S.

A drone view shows a damaged area following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Lake Lure, North Carolina, Oct. 1, 2024.
Marco Bello/Reuters

As recovery efforts continued across the Southeast, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the region Wednesday to survey the destruction while rescuers keep searching for the missing.

"I'm here to say the United States -- the nation -- has your back," Biden told a crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina. "We're not leaving till you're back on your feet completely."

Oct 02, 2024, 4:07 PM EDT

VP Kamala Harris thanks officials for recovery efforts

Ahead of a Wednesday briefing in Augusta, Georgia, Vice President Kamala Harris thanked officials for their work in the post-Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts.

In her remarks, Harris thanked “all of the folks who are here on the ground doing this extraordinary work.”

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris walks to her motorcade vehicle after arriving on Air Force Two at Augusta Regional Airport in Augusta, Ga., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
Carolyn Kaster/AP

"I've been reading and hearing about the work you've been doing over the last few days, and I think it really does represent some of the best of what we each know can be done, especially when we coordinate around local, state and federal resources, to meet the needs of people who must be seen, must be heard," she said.

"These are very difficult times, and in a moment of crisis, I think that really does bring out the best of who we are. And you, each, epitomize that important and good work," Harris added. "So, I'm here to thank you and to listen."

Click here for more details on Biden and Harris' trips to the South.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Oct 02, 2024, 3:26 PM EDT

Number of missing people still unknown in Buncombe County, NC

The number of people missing in Buncombe County, North Carolina, is still unknown, according to county manager Avril Pinder.

Pinder was unable to provide even an estimate of the number of people unaccounted for on Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, there are still 57 people confirmed dead in the county.

Asheville City Schools have minimal damage, but most are still with power and water, and a large number of employees remain unaccounted for, Pinder said.