Washington [US], October 2: As of yesterday, October 1, at least 133 people were killed and hundreds more were missing after Hurricane Helene swept through many states in the US, according to USA Today.
North Carolina was the hardest hit state, with 56 deaths reported there. Liz Sherwood-Randall, homeland security adviser to US President Joe Biden, said the total damage from Helene was not yet known because many communities were still out of communication, but she warned the death toll could reach 600.
Hurricane Helene, with winds of up to 140 mph (225 km/h), was the strongest storm in some areas. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper predicted the death toll could rise as rescuers reach isolated communities. "This is an unprecedented tragedy and requires an unprecedented response," Cooper said.
The storm brought heavy rains, causing rivers to swell and flood, destroying roads and bridges and isolating communities. Millions of homes and businesses remain without power, while phone and internet service in many areas has been completely cut off.
Sherwood-Randall said 3,500 federal rescue workers have been deployed to the affected areas and more will be deployed in the coming days, according to ABC News.
In addition to searching for the missing, emergency workers are working to restore water, power, and phone service to affected areas, clear fallen trees, register people in need, and deliver supplies. In some areas, supplies are being airlifted in due to road damage.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided assistance to some households and set up Starlink satellite internet base stations in western North Carolina to help with communications.
President Joe Biden will visit North Carolina on October 2 and then Georgia and Florida. The leader said he may ask lawmakers to return to Washington DC for a special session to vote on additional funding. Former President Donald Trump visited affected communities in Georgia and delivered relief gifts.
According to CNN, Helene is the third deadliest hurricane to hit the continental United States in the past 50 years. The first is Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,833 people in 2005, and then Hurricane Ian, which killed 150 people in 2022. AccuWeather estimates the economic damage from Hurricane Helene at $145-160 billion.
A low pressure area is currently developing in the western Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico and is likely to become a tropical storm in the next week, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
