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, 3:51 PM EDT

Search and rescue efforts still underway in North Carolina

More than one week after Helene hit, search and rescue efforts are still underway in North Carolina, with 92 teams deployed, Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday.

"We’re still trying to find people in the hardest-hit areas, but the good news is that many are now able to communicate with loved ones and confirm their safety," Cooper said.

People clean up in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Oct. 1, 2024, in Hot Springs, N.C.
Jeff Roberson/AP

"We knew storms could cause damage, but we weren’t expecting the magnitude of this one -- water raging in rivers all over in a way we’ve never seen before," Cooper said.

More than 755 FEMA personnel and over 1,500 North Carolina National Guardsmen are on the ground in western North Carolina, according to the state’s Department of Public Safety. More than 1,100 responders from 34 states are also helping, state officials said.

-ABC News’ Jason Volack

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