State data shows Helene is responsible for 116 deaths in North Carolina. Nationally, 227 people have died from Helene.
Here is the number of deaths by county, according to the state:
- Ashe: 1
- Avery: 3
- Buncombe: 72 (figure provided by the county)
- Burke: 1
- Catawba: 1
- Cleveland: 2
- Gaston: 1
- Henderson: 7
- Macon: 1
- Madison: 4
- McDowell: 1
- Mecklenburg: 1
- Mitchell: 2
- Polk: 1
- Rowan: 2
- Rutherford: 3
- Watauga: 2
- Yadkin: 1
- Yancey: 10
It is still unclear how many people are unaccounted for or missing.
Misinformation leads to confusion in the wake of Helene
A surge of misinformation has bubbled up in the wake of Hurricane Helene. WRAL News fact-checked those claims.
Far-out tales of space lasers, fake snow and weather control technology – sometimes tinged with antisemitism – have spread after recent natural disasters, including a snowstorm in Texas and last year’s wildfire in Maui.
Experts who study conspiracy theories say big events like disasters – or the Sept. 11 attacks or the COVID-19 pandemic – create perfect conditions for conspiracy theories to spread because large numbers of anxious people are eager to find explanations for shocking events.
As rescue work continues and authorities try to separate fact from fiction, the conspiracy theories are not helping. Elected leaders from both parties have had to set the record straight and urge people not to give into fear and rumor.
Many of the conspiracy theories focus on hard-hit North Carolina, a state key to winning the White House. Rumors circulated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was raiding storm donations and withholding body bags, forcing local hospitals to stack the bodies of victims. One claim suggested federal authorities would condemn the entire town of Chimney Rock and prohibit resettlement in order to commandeer a valuable lithium mine nearby.
Bizarre stories proposing that the government used weather control technology to aim the hurricane at Republican voters quickly racked up millions of views on X and other platforms.
Despite the tradition of Democrats and Republicans putting aside politics for disaster response, many conspiracy theories suggest Democrats such as President Joe Biden or North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper are intentionally withholding aid from Republicans. Trump has pushed the claim, as has North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, the embattled GOP nominee for governor.
State and local officials from both parties have condemned the conspiracy theories as rumors, saying the focus should be on recovery, not political division and hearsay. Responding to the hoaxes is taking up time that should go toward assisting victims, said North Carolina state Sen. Kevin Corbin, a Republican who urged his constituents not to give into hoaxes.
The Red Cross is one organization that has been targeted by misinformation.
“It makes it more difficult for those that have been affected because they really want answers and they’re looking for help,” said Todd James, American Red Cross.
Some of the false rumors are:
- “The Red Cross isn’t here.”
- “The Red Cross is discarding items.”
- “The Red Cross is taking over shelters.”
The Red Cross said none of these claims are true.
“Misinformation is hurting Hurricane Helene relief efforts,” the Red Cross said on X. “Spreading misinformation… disrupts our ability to deliver critical aid and affects the disaster workers who have put their own lives on hold to assist those in need.”
How to find truthful information about Helene
The North Carolina Department of Public Services (NCDPS) said there are many false reports and misinformation being shared on social media about the response to Hurricane Helene.
The NCDPS said the public should get information about storm response and impacts from trusted sources like the State Emergency Response Team, National Weather Service and other federal, state, county and local government sites.
“Be aware that Artificial Intelligence or AI-generated images are being circulated on social media that do not depict conditions on the ground,” the state department said.
The NCDPS said you can do your part to the stop the spread of rumors by following these three tips:
- Find trusted sources of information.
- Share information from trusted sources.
- Discourage others from sharing information from unverified sources and question where information is coming from.
Reliable information regarding Helene can be found at ncdps.gov/helene. A list of official county sources can also be found at ncdps.gov.
FEMA has also created a page to dispel rumors; click here for more information. To see the White House’s statement, click here.
Some Black Mountain residents concerned about crime
Correction: The Black Mountain Police Department said it’s received several calls about suspicious activity, but there has not been an increase in criminal incidents.
In Buncombe County, the Town of Black Mountain has instituted a curfew for residents – due to safety risks. Some residents are also concerned about crime in the wake of Helene.
The town’s water and sewer lines are still down, and some roads are still not passable. Crews are still working to restore power to much of the town following Helene.
Right now, the town has a curfew of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. That’s because the power is out, and the darkness makes it difficult to see at night.
Officials said some parts of town do have power, but most do not.
People in the neighborhood told WRAL News that crime has been an issue.
“I’ve already had to run off three different guys trying to get in these houses,” said Richard Poole, Black Mountain resident. “We’re the only family that’s still here…all of these houses, everybody’s left. They’re staying with family or in a shelter.”
Another Black Mountain resident, Marie Warlick, said she doesn’t know who to trust.
“It’s so dark without anybody’s street lights or porch lights on,” Warlick said. “Somebody knocks on the door, and you don’t know if they’re friend or foe.”
WRAL News asked the Town of Black Mountain about crime since the storm hit. The town provided the following statement:
The Town of Black Mountain and the police department has had very few criminal incidents since the storm hit. As a matter of fact we’ve only seen residents calling 911 for any suspicious activity. None of that activity has resulted in criminal charges. We have extra patrol from across the state helping us maintain safety and security. We have a curfew and police at all exits entering the town. We will charge any looters and theft with the highest possible charge. We won’t allow our citizens who were victims become victims of theft.
We are thankful for our community being so aware of suspicious behavior. Don’t hesitate to call 911 we are there to help!
Although the Black Mountain police chief said they’ve had few criminal incidents since the storm, multiple residents told WRAL News that they experienced issues with suspicious activity.
If you see anything suspicious, please call 911. For non-emergencies, you can call the Black Mountain Police Department at 828-250-6670.
State lawmakers to vote on initial Helene relief package this week
North Carolina lawmakers will vote this week on an initial disaster relief package to help western counties impacted by Hurricane Helene, the state’s top legislative Republicans said Friday.
The legislature will meet Wednesday in Raleigh.
“We are still working to determine what needs to be included in that legislation,” House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger said in a joint statement.
The state has $4.75 billion in general savings reserves, often referred to as a “rainy day fund” as well as hundreds of millions more in various targeted savings reserves for emergency response.
Twenty-five counties in western North Carolina have received a major disaster declaration. There have been more than 48,000 registrations for disaster survivors, according to FEMA.
Biden orders additional 500 troops to assist western NC with Helene relief efforts
President Biden on Sunday approved North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s request for additional support, ordering the deployment of another 500 active-duty troops to western North Carolina.
This brings the total to 1,500 troops helping with Helene relief efforts, complementing a strong on-the-ground effort that includes more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and more than 7,000 federal personnel.
Five-hundred soldiers from Fort Liberty’s 18th Airborne Corps are already on the ground in the western part of our state, and 500 more are on the way from Fort Campbell. It’s not clear when the additional 500 troops will be deployed.
These troops are focusing their efforts on moving valuable commodities—like food and water—to distribution sites and getting those commodities to survivors in areas that are hard to reach. They are also helping with search and rescue operations, as well as road stabilization and route clearance activities.
Thousands still without water one week later
Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene brought devastation to western North Carolina, a shiny stainless steel tanker truck in downtown Asheville attracted residents carrying 5-gallon containers, milk jugs and buckets to fill with what has become a desperately scarce resource — drinking water.
Flooding tore through the city’s water system, destroying so much infrastructure that officials said repairs could take weeks.
The raging floodwaters of Helene destroyed crucial parts of Asheville’s water system, scouring out the pipes that convey water from a reservoir in the mountains above town that is the largest of three water supplies for the system. To reach a second reservoir that was knocked offline, a road had to be rebuilt.
Boosted output from the third source restored water flow in some southern Asheville neighborhoods Friday, but without full repairs schools may not be able to resume in-person classes, hospitals may not restore normal operations, and the city’s hotels and restaurants may not fully reopen.
It’s a situation that becomes more dangerous the longer it lasts. Even in communities fortunate enough to have running water, hundreds of providers have issued boil water notices indicating the water could be contaminated. But boiling water for cooking and drinking is time consuming and small mistakes can cause stomach illness, according to Natalie Exum, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“Every day that goes by, you could be exposed to a pathogen,” Exum said. “These basic services that we take for granted in our everyday lives actually do do a lot to prevent illness.”
Even private well owners aren’t immune. Pumps on private wells may have lost power and overtopping floodwaters can contaminate them.
There’s often a “blind faith” assumption that drinking water won’t fail. In this case, the technology was insufficient, according to Craig Colten. Before retiring to Asheville, he was a professor in Louisiana focused on resilience to extreme weather. He hopes Helene will prompt politicians to spend more to ensure infrastructure withstands destructive storms.
And climate change will only make the problem more severe, said Erik Olson, a health and food expert at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.
“I think states and the federal government really need to step back and start looking at how we’re going to prepare for these extreme weather events that are going to be occurring and recurring every single year,” he said.
