Critical Infrastructure Project in the U.S. and South Central Appalachian Aftermath of Hurricane Hilbert’s Devastating Decay
An official for Unicoi County Schools said during the conference that it’s “unlikely” schools will be back in session by the second week of October, but that the district is working to get schools reopened as soon as possible.
As rescue teams respond in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destruction in southeast U.S. and southern Appalachia, the death toll continues to climb. The AP said that at least 89 people were killed in several states.
Some people drowned and others died from falling trees and road signs when they did not heed warnings to evacuate. Two Georgians were killed when the tornado picked their car up. Deaths were also reported in Florida, South Carolina and Virginia. Hundreds remained missing.
More than 2 million customers were still without power on Sunday evening after being knocked out by the storm over the course of three days.
Over the weekend, much of western North Carolina faced communications blackouts, power outages, fuel shortages and no drinkable water. Floodwaters remained, impeding travel.
On Sunday afternoon, critical supplies started to reach areas in need, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said, as crews made progress toward restoring power and cellphone service and repairing roads.
He said that supplies were headed to the region around the mountains of North Carolina. But those supply deliveries did not include potable water, Buncombe County officials said late Sunday afternoon.
Tampa Bay’s deadly epicenter: Flooding and landslides killed at least nine people in Pinellas County, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon
Travel remained limited and dangerous from landslides and flooding, with some 280 state-maintained roads still closed as of Sunday afternoon, including parts of Interstates 26 and 40.
Helene turned the Tampa Bay region into the state’s deadly epicenter, where the death toll reached nine people on Sunday. All deaths took place in a mandatory evacuation zone. The majority were the result of rising waters or apparent drownings, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.
NPR member station WUSF reported that cooling stations and libraries were opened to county residents in St. Petersburg, Largo, Madeira Beach, Seminole and Clearwater, where people could find air conditioning and charge their devices.
Garbage and debris in the river has been a problem in Augusta, prompting the city to ask citizens to conserve water. Emergency management officials said at a press briefing Sunday afternoon that water services should be restored within 24 to 48 hours.
The wind gusts in Georgia were as high as 100 mph. The 17 people who died include one first responders, officials said.
Power outages were widespread in the western half of the state. In the state’s largest county, over 200,000 people didn’t have power on Sunday.
Unicoi County officials said 73 people were unaccounted for as of Sunday afternoon. There was no confirmed death, according to an incident management team spokesman.
An Emergency Medical Rescue Mission to Asheville, North Carolina, during the Helene Storm: Rescue, Recovery and Post-Brazil Searches
The county saw perhaps the most dramatic rescue from Helene’s wrath after rising floodwaters left more than 50 people stuck on the roof of a small hospital in Erwin, in east Tennessee.
President Biden will visit the area if rescue and recovery work are not disrupted by this week’s storm.
Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. 30 people were killed in a part of North Carolina that includes a mountain city.
Cooper implored residents in western North Carolina to not travel, and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 teams are searching for people who have been stranded.
One rescue effort involved saving 41 people north of Asheville. Another mission focused on saving a single infant. The teams found people through calls and messages on social media.
The damage to the Augusta-Valdosta stretch of Highway 285 in Augusta, Texas, is like a “bomb gone off”
Kemp said Saturday that it looked like a bomb went off after he inspected the splintered homes and debris-covered highways. Kemp said the stretch from Augusta to Valdosta was particularly hard hit, where some 115 structures took serious damage.