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

Helene unleashed devastation across the Southeast.

ByEmily Shapiro, David Brennan, Leah Sarnoff, Julia Reinstein, Meredith Deliso, and Ivan Pereira
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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 05, 2024, 3:42 PM EDT

DOT announces $100M in emergency relief funds for North Carolina

The Department of Transportation announced the immediate availability of $100 million in emergency relief funds for North Carolina in the wake of Helene, which devastated roads and bridges in the western part of the state.

Tammie Mance (R) hugs her boss Liesl Steiner, whose home was destroyed, as they see each other for the first time since the storm in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding, Oct. 3, 2024, in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

"We are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

"Further support will follow," Buttigieg tweeted.

A residential area is flooded following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Swannanoa, N.C., Oct. 3, 2024.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Oct 05, 2024, 2:23 PM EDT

Hundreds of thousands still without power

Hundreds of thousands of customers in the South are still without power, more than one week after Hurricane Helene made landfall.

More than 174,000 customers are in the dark in South Carolina and 179,000 are without power in North Carolina. Another 151,000 are without power in Georgia.

Construction and utility crews work to restore a water main and destroyed road in the aftermath of catastrophic flooding caused by Tropical Storm Helene in Swannanoa, NC, Oct. 3, 2024.
Erik S Lesser/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

"This has been a historic storm. We've never seen anything like this," Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton said this week. "The biggest challenge has been the unprecedented flooding. It’s not just poles and wires that are down -- it's the backbone of our system, the transmission infrastructure and substations."

Oct 04, 2024, 5:58 PM EDT

400 nurses, 40 doctors arrive at NC hospital

Around 400 nurses and 40 doctors from states around the country have arrived at Mission Health, a hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, to provide support in the aftermath of Helene, hospital officials said Friday.

"This is a difficult time and we are doing all we can to bring help and relief to those in need," HCA Healthcare, which runs the hospital, said in a statement.

-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud

Oct 04, 2024, 5:58 PM EDT

Asheville officials provide update on water restoration

Asheville Assistant City Manager Ben Woody stressed the importance of the North Fork Water Treatment Plant, which supplies 80% of Asheville's water.

"Restoring service after the storm depends on this system," Woody said.

He detailed storm damage, including the washout of two major waterlines -- a 36-inch and a 24-inch -- mirroring a 2004 disaster.

The city’s top repair priority is a 36-inch bypass line installed after that event, he said.

"If we get this bypass online, we can restore 80% of the system," Woody said, noting progress as of October 3.

Woody also confirmed the Mills River Water Treatment Plant, serving South Asheville, Buncombe and parts of Henderson County, is fully operational, producing five million gallons per day—about 20% of the system’s needs.

"There’s still a long way to go," he added.

-ABC News' Jason Volack