The death toll from Hurricane Helene continues to rise as Americans struggle to recover from the devastation caused by the massive storm and the continued flooding of the southeastern United States.
According to The New York Post, the latest estimates show that 232 people have been killed by Hurricane Helene while hundreds remain missing. As of Monday, over 130,000 people were still without power in North Carolina, over 75,000 were still without power in Georgia, and over 42,000 were still without power in South Carolina, according to Poweroutage.US.
The New York Post reported that Bat Cave, a small Appalachian town in North Carolina with a population of less than 200 people, is one of the communities still waiting for the federal government to help despite assurances by the White House that the administration was “sparing no resource.” According to the outlet, residents of Bat Cave claimed that the National Guard and Henderson County officials airlifted the injured and elderly following the major storm; however, only six Louisiana State Police officers remain on the ground “keeping an eye on everything,” while military helicopters reportedly continue to fly right past the area.
Bat Cave residents are also afraid that if the federal government finally shows up to the area, officials will stop their efforts to repair buildings or force residences to evacuate, according to The New York Post.
Chelsea Atkins, a 38-year-old health researcher, told The New York Post that she thought she was going to die when Hurricane Helene devastated the area.
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Atkins explained that she and her husband found shelter with their neighbor and her fiancée in a brick post office. Atkins told The New York Post, “I can really handle a lot, but I looked at my neighbor and asked, ‘Are we going to die?'”
After the hurricane, Atkins contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to schedule an inspection of her home; however, the agency has not yet visited her home since her road is closed.
“FEMA hasn’t been here,” Atkins told The New York Post. “Nobody’s bringing in supplies except civilians. … It’s been a civilian run operation since day one.”
Atkins added, “I haven’t seen anyone with a FEMA uniform … At this point I don’t care if FEMA comes by. I don’t want somebody to pull me out of here, saying I’m working in an unsafe spot.”
Curtis McCart, Atkins’ neighbor and a retired fire captain and paramedic, told The New York Post that about 12 houses near his home had been washed away in the flooding.
A video shared on social media shows a woman watching her neighbor’s home being washed away by the devastating flooding in Bat Cave.
