North Carolina officials verify 94 Helene-related deaths

NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — As of Sunday, October 13 at 4 p.m., there are 94 verified storm-related deaths in North Carolina due to Hurricane Helene , officials say.

“We are aware there are additional reports of decedents, and our team is working to verify that these are storm-related deaths,” NCDHHS says. “Life-saving activities will always take priority, and we will continue to work to update this information as appropriately as possible.”

Types of deaths:

• Motor vehicle drownings: 4
• Motor vehicle crash (includes hydroplane cases): 3
• Wind/tree trauma: 6
• Drowning: 20
• Landslide: 11
• Blunt force injuries: 10
• Unknown circumstances: 34
• Other: 5
• Environmental exposure: 1

Deaths by county:

• Ashe County: 1
• Avery County: 4
• Buncombe County: 42
• Burke County: 1
• Catawba County: 1
• Cleveland County: 2
• Gaston County: 1
• Haywood County: 5
• Henderson County: 7
• Macon County: 1
• Madison County: 4
• McDowell County: 1
• Mecklenburg County: 1
• Mitchell County: 2
• Polk County: 1
• Rowan County: 1
• Rutherford County: 3
• Wake County: 1
• Watauga County: 2
• Yadkin County: 1
• Yancey: 12

NCDHHS reports that the 1 fatality in Wake County is from a 90-year-old woman who was displaced from Buncombe County due to the storm, fell in temporary housing and passed.

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