Helene's deadly toll mounts as search for victims across Southeast enters its second week

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – As the search for victims of Hurricane Helene enters its second week, the death toll continues to rise. 

At least 232 people have lost their lives across seven states, with North Carolina bearing the brunt of the devastation. As more areas are searched for the first time, that number is expected to rise. The lack of phone service and electricity in the region hampers efforts to locate missing individuals. 

Search crews are meticulously combing through the mountains, hoping to find survivors among the reported missing. Their efforts have been hampered by washed-out roads, downed power lines and mudslides. Helene has now become the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland in the past 55 years.

President Joe Biden has pledged to provide significant resources to aid in the recovery efforts, acknowledging the immense cost – estimated to be in the billions of dollars. To expedite the delivery of essential supplies to those in need, Biden is directing the Defense Department to deploy 1,000 active-duty soldiers.

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‘We’re coming to get you'

The Asheville, North Carolina, area within Buncombe County was ravaged by catastrophic flooding, exceeding even the devastation caused by the "Great Flood of 1916".

Sheriff Quentin Miller said Thursday that the death toll had risen to a staggering 72, the most in the state. Over 200 people remain unaccounted for in the county.

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"To the people of Buncombe County, we know these are hard times, but we’re coming, we’re coming to get you," Miller said.

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said there are complications trying to get to those who have been reported missing.

"First – search and rescue continues now for a seventh day. We’re continuing to find people," she said. "We know we have pockets of people who are isolated due to landslides and bridges out. So, they are disconnected but not missing."

Pinder said that once search and rescue operations end, the true number of missing will be known.

"With our Family Assistance Center, the initiative of our Register of Deeds Office, they have deployed 840 volunteers to check on 6,065 high-priority households with over 700 care packages being distributed," Pinder continued.

She said that 2,885 people have so far been found safe by volunteers, and 1,828 were confirmed safe through email and texts as of Wednesday.

Duke Energy says while 1.2 million power outages have been repaired so far in North Carolina, about 170,000 still remain in the western mountainous region. 

The company says about 105,000 will be long-term outages due to destroyed infrastructure. A 200,000 pound mobile substation has been brought to Biltmore Village, as their main substation was covered by water and will need 3-4 months to repair.

Heartbreak and tragedy

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Harrowing stories of tragedy and triumph are starting to emerge from that area as work to clear debris and make repairs continues.

An Asheville mother told FOX Weather her heartbreaking story of the loss of her 7-year-old son who was swept away by the raging floodwaters. She also lost her parents.

Another woman told FOX Weather about her experience surviving Hurricane Helene as floodwaters surrounded and entered her camper while she was camping, calling the experience "horrific."

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In Avery County, North Carolina, a harrowing video provided by Vlado Novakovic showed his home in Newland being swept away by powerful currents on Friday.

Others narrowly escaped the wrath of the flash floods. A couple in Lake Luna, North Carolina, had to run for it when floodwaters started pouring into town.

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To the east in Tennessee, an investigation has been launched into allegations involving Impact Plastics in Erwin after numerous employees were swept away by floodwaters last week.

At least three people died, and many others remain missing.

Videos from the area captured eerie images of a casket floating down a river during the historic flooding in Erwin.

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Dozens of people were rescued from the roof of a hospital in town as water surrounded the facility, and there were even fears that a dam in Greenville would fail.

But there were stories of perseverance as well.

A South Carolina man walked 17 miles through Helene's destruction to still make it to his daughter's wedding. In hard-hit Asheville, volunteers and staff at an animal shelter managed to save over 100 pets by scrambling to get them out of harm's way before flooding devastated the town. 

On Wednesday night, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a temporary water contact advisory, warning the public to avoid all contact with bodies of water affected by the catastrophic flooding.

"In the aftermath of unprecedented flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, several wastewater treatment plants have been compromised and are temporarily unable to completely treat effluent before it enters receiving waters," TDEC said in the advisory. "In addition, sewer line crossings may have been severed or damaged, allowing raw sewage to enter streams, and individual septic systems may be compromised across the region."

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Destruction was also reported farther south in Georgia and Florida.

At least 33 people were killed in Georgia because of Helene while 22 have died in Florida. 

Widespread damage was found in cities like Augusta and Valdosta.

Among the dead in Georgia are a 27-year-old mother and her 1-month-old twin boys who died when a tree fell onto their mobile home outside Augusta.

Helene made landfall along Florida's Big Bend region last Thursday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said a lot of progress has been made.

DeSantis said 2.4 million power outages have been restored, and only about 9,000 outages remain in the week since the storm hit.

"This is the fastest power restoration after a major hurricane that we've ever had," he said.

DeSantis also said that search and rescue operations have finished in the state, and those assets were sent to North Carolina to assist with cleanup and recovery operations there.