Gov. Cooper provides updates on recovery, shelters, outages in western North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — As officials work to provide aid to western North Carolina in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office has provided updates Monday afternoon for recovery efforts, including people rescued, fatalities, power outages and more.

Agencies are stepping up recovery services in collaboration with federal and local partners across North Carolina. These operations are in progress to provide food, water and critical supplies to affected areas.

“Hurricane Helene has caused unprecedented devastation across Western North Carolina and we are leading an unprecedented response to surge food, water and needed supplies into these communities,” said Cooper in a release. “This will be a long and difficult recovery and we must use every state, local and federal resource at our disposal to save lives, restore communications, and begin critical repairs to roads and infrastructure.”

Search and Rescue

Cooper has activated more than 400 National Guard personnel. Search-and-rescue teams, including 18 from other states with a total of 27 teams, plus 18 federal teams, have rescued more than 500 people with 422 of those rescued by the N.C. National Guard (NCNG.) Forty-two were critically injured; four were infants and they rescued 64 animals. The NCNG has also delivered 306 pallets of water and 230 pallets of food since the storm started.

Feeding Sites

Efforts are underway to provide food, water and basic necessities to residents in affected communities, utilizing both ground resources and air drops from the NCNG. FEMA has delivered about 1 million liters of water and more than 600,000 meals to North Carolina. Feeding sites have been established at the following locations:

• Buncombe County – Biltmore Baptist Church, Arden
• McDowell County – Grace Community Church, Marion
• Watauga County – First Baptist Church, Boone

Local governments may be able to provide additional information on feeding sites established in local communities.

Shelters

Twenty-nine shelters have been opened in affected areas, housing a total of 1,107 people.
A list of shelters can be found at www.readync.gov .

Major Disaster Declaration and FEMA Assistance

President Joe Biden approved Cooper’s request for an expedited request declaring a Major Disaster for 25 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. More than 5,000 households have contacted FEMA to apply for assistance by phone and online.

FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs.

Additional information regarding these resources can be found at: www.disasterassistance.gov; EMA helpline: 1-800-621-3362.

Fatalities

Thirty-four storm-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina, and dozens of people have been reported missing.

There are significant reports of storm-related fatalities.

First responders have received hundreds of calls for rescue and more than 1,000 requests for welfare checks.

Power Outages

Across the region, more than 450,000 customers remain without power, down from a peak of more than one million.

Road Closures

Travel remains dangerous, as more than 400 roads remain closed. N.C. Department of Transportation is still asking people to refrain from unnecessary travel to or in western North Carolina. First responders also want to keep the roads as clear as possible to help ensure they may carry out all response missions.

Cellphone Provider Coverage

Cellphone providers are working to fix the damage and coverage issues caused by the storm and get stopgap solutions in place and rapid progress is being made.

Missing Persons

To report a missing person or request non-emergency support, call NC 211 or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state.

Storm Damage Cleanup

If your home has damages and you need assistance with clean up, please call Crisis Cleanup for access to volunteer organizations that can assist you at 844-965-1386.

Volunteers and Donations

If you would like to donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, visit nc.gov/donate.
If you are seeking information on volunteer opportunities, visit nc.gov/working/volunteer-opportunities/volunteernc.

If you are seeking information on resources for recovery help for a resident impacted from the storm, email IArecovery@ncdps.gov.

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