Rescuers scour for survivors cut off by Hurricane Helene

Search-and-rescue teams who have already saved hundreds of people scoured the mountains of western North Carolina for more survivors on Tuesday, working amid washed-out roads, smashed bridges and felled power lines following Hurricane Helene.The storm has killed at least 162 people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, CNN reported, citing state and local officials, and the death toll is expected to rise once rescue teams reach isolated towns and telecommunications are restored.



The death toll rose after North Carolina’s Buncombe County reported 57 dead on Tuesday, up from 40 a day earlier.



The mountainous area including the county seat of Asheville bore the brunt of the storm, which U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said was of “historic magnitude.”



Recovery will involve a “multibillion-dollar undertaking” lasting years, Mayorkas told reporters at the White House.



President Joe Biden vowed to “jumpstart this recovery process” after speaking with governors and other leaders in the impacted areas.



“People are scared to death. People wonder whether they’re going to make it. We still haven’t heard from a whole lot of people. This is urgent,” Biden said.



Hundreds of people have been reported missing, a number that is expected to decline as more telecommunications come back on line and emergency workers are able to get into remote areas.



The North Carolina National Guard has rescued over 500 people, deploying helicopters to ferry in supplies and rescue workers, rescuing survivors and pets along the way, major General Todd Hunt told a separate press briefing.