Officials: At least 6 Tennessee deaths linked to Helene

Three people in Tennessee are confirmed dead and more than 100 are missing after historic flooding driven by Hurricane Helene, and officials expect both numbers to grow as recovery efforts continue.

What they're saying: "I know that we are going to have other fatalities associated with this disaster," Tennessee Emergency Management Agency director Patrick Sheehan told reporters Monday.

State of play: Sheehan said the flooding had devastated infrastructure in the eastern edge of the state.

• "This kind of disaster is a years and decades kind of recovery," Sheehan said.

Zoom in: Hundreds of Tennessee bridges were affected by flooding, and several of them remain unusable, Sheehan said.

• More than a dozen public water utilities have reported problems that could affect the availability of drinking water. Water bottle distribution is one of his agency's top priorities.
• Ongoing problems with communication infrastructure are hampering recovery operations.

The big picture: "This is going to be a long haul," Sheehan said of the recovery work. "People are going to be frustrated and things are going to seem slow, and sometimes they are going to be slow."

• "But we're doing everything we can to rapidly get resources there to support these communities and to make sure that we are stabilizing infrastructure."

How to help: "Cash is the best way to help survivors," Sheehan said. He encouraged people to donate to established, reputable fundraisers .