RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN/AP) — Deaths in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene hit 57 just in Buncombe County, officials in the county announced Tuesday afternoon as desperate residents of the storm-battered mountains lined up for water and food, hunted for cellphone signals and slogged buckets from creeks to flush toilets.
Emergency workers toiled around the clock to clear roads, restore power and phone service, and reach people stranded by the storm, which will likely have a death toll topping 60 in North Carolina. Earlier Tuesday afternoon state officials said 42 had died from the Friday storm that devastated the mountains.Gov. Cooper: Helene recovery to be a ‘continued operation’
Right now there are 92 search and rescue teams working around the clock to try to find people who are still alive, according to North Carolina Emergency Management.Duke Energy crews made some progress on Tuesday with power outagey
People throughout the mountains were told to drink only boiled, bottled or treated water as more than two dozen water plants remained closed as of Tuesday and not producing water. That includes Asheville, where city officials have said restoring full-system service could take weeks as repairs needed for treatment facilities and pipes are extensive.
“We know that this crisis will likely be a sustained crisis because of water system issues,” Cooper said. “So we know that this is going to have to be a continuing operation. So I want to make sure we get every single resource that we possibly can into North Carolina for what may be a long haul to make sure that we’re continuing to get water and supplies all across western North Carolina.”
The North Carolina National Guard already has a large presence in the region in the storm’s aftermath, with 800 members activated. More than 20 guard aircraft have been used to ferry supplies and perform other duties.
The University of North Carolina at Asheville will remain closed until Oct. 14 and will not restart classes until Oct. 28 at the earliest in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the school’s chancellor said in a social media post Tuesday.
While the public university in western North Carolina’s largest city received minimal structural damage from the historic flooding and winds, it’s lacked electricity, running water and internet service since last Friday, Chancellor Kimberly van Noort’s post said.
The liberal arts and sciences school has about 3,000 students. About 1,300 students were on campus when the storm hit. All of them were relocated within 72 hours, the post said.
Classes at two other UNC campuses in the region struck by the storm — Appalachian State University in Boone and Western Carolina University — are canceled through Friday.
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