Almost 100 people killed as Hurricane Helene devastates North Carolina

Nearly 100 people have died as Hurricane Helene continues to devastate the United States causing widespread flooding along its south east coastline.

Flood-stricken North Carolina has suffered significant damage, with reports of 30 people having been killed in the mountain city of Asheville.

There are fears the death toll may continue to rise as rescuers and emergency workers continue to explore areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure, and widespread flooding.

The Riverside RV park was flooded from the overflowing Catawba River after torrential rain from Hurricane Helene. / Credit: AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek

Supplies are being airlifted to the most affected areas in the region as they are cut off by extensive flooding which is the worst the state has seen in a century.

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said that she would be able to get food and water to the city by Monday.

“We hear you. We need food and we need water,” she said.

“My staff has been making every request possible to the state for support and we’ve been working with every single organisation that has reached out.

“What I promise you is that we are very close.”

Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult.

Deaths were also reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Chris Jordan, maintenance manager for Horseshoe Beach, tries to find a water shutoff valve amid the rubble of the destroyed city hall. / Credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Residents in western North Carolina have been urged to avoid travel for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.

More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people, including one rescue effort which involved saving 41 people north of Asheville, and another that focused on saving a single child.

President Joe Biden described the impact of the storm as “stunning” and said he would visit the area this week as long as it does not disrupt rescues or recovery work.

A passerby checks the water depth of a flooded road. / Credit: AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek

Hurricane Helene came ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds.

A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams.

One community, Spruce Pine, was doused with over two feet (61 centimetres) of rain from Tuesday through Saturday.

With at least 25 killed in South Carolina, Helene was the deadliest tropical cyclone for the state since Hurricane Hugo made landfall north of Charleston in 1989, killing 35 people.