A new report claims that North Carolina residents have been forced to bury their dead in their yards as “all the morgues are full” from the victims of Hurricane Helene.
According to The Spectator World, residents in North Carolina and other southern states have had a difficult time finding space in local morgues for those killed by the massive storm and flooding in the region. As of Monday, over 230 individuals had been killed by Hurricane Helene, while hundreds more remained missing.
Approximately half of the hurricane victims were killed in North Carolina, according to The Spectator World. As morgues have filled up with victims throughout the state, the outlet reported that some North Carolina residents have had to bury their loved ones in their yards.
According to The Spectator World, federal and state officials have confirmed that the current death toll in North Carolina is undercounted since many bodies have still not been recovered. The outlet also noted that many bodies are in unidentified piles that are being transported across North Carolina to find open space in morgues.
READ MORE: Video: 230+ killed in Hurricane Helene so far, hundreds still missing
“According to folks on the ground — fire, medical, law enforcement officials — they’re way underreporting the numbers. All the morgues are full and they’ve hauled a ton [of bodies] to Greensboro,” one North Carolina official told The Spectator World. “People are starting to bury them in their yards because they have no place to put them.”
A person from Asheville, North Carolina, told The Spectator World that the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene is “so much worse than they’re saying,” adding, “I think there’s a massive cover-up.”
The Spectator World reported that many North Carolina residents have expressed anger toward the state and federal government’s slow response to the hurricane recovery effort. The outlet noted that many people have criticized Major General Todd Hunt, who leads the North Carolina National Guard.
The criticism comes after the National Guard reportedly did not deploy personnel in North Carolina until the Sunday after Hurricane Helene hit the United States. While roughly 5,500 National Guard members have been deployed to the area, The Spectator World reported that only 500 of the National Guard troops were from North Carolina.
A source told The Spectator World, “That’s why you saw the Florida National Guard and other units out there — and why private citizens stepped in, even as state and federal officials tried to shut down their efforts.”
