More than 210 people are now confirmed dead after Hurricane Helene carved a path of destruction through several US states, making it the second deadliest storm to hit the US mainland in more than half a century.
Recall the storm flooded towns and cities, made countless roads impassable, knocked out power and water service, and left communities shell-shocked as they grapple with the start of a years-long recovery effort.
A compilation of official figures by journalists confirms 212 fatalities across North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.
More than half of the deaths were in flood-ravaged North Carolina, which is experiencing an unprecedented disaster described by some as post-apocalyptic.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden made his second straight day of visits to the country’s southeast to grieve with residents of a region traumatized by a disaster that has upended life for millions.
“I see you, I hear you, I grieve with you — and I promise you, we have your back,” Biden said during a stop at a damaged pecan farm in Ray City, Georgia.
