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The death toll in Helene, North Carolina rises to over 100

Andrew Veigel and Charlie Moore, co-owners of Ridgeline Heating and Cooling, are providing critical support to Helene victims in the Lake Lure area of ​​North Carolina. Oct 23, 2024.

Almost five weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated several states on the East Coast, the death toll from the storm continues to rise.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), North Carolina reported 101 deaths from the storm on Wednesday.

Hurricane Helene left much of western North Carolina in ruins. The storm's rain caused rivers to flood dozens of small towns and bury hundreds of homes and businesses in mud.

In many parts of the state, residents are still cleaning up, and many are still figuring out how and when they can begin rebuilding their destroyed properties.

ASHEVILLE STUDENTS return to school a month after Helene devastated the city

Dr. Asheville City Schools Director of Human Resources Kimberly J. Dechant spoke about the part-time reopening of Asheville schools when students will return full-time, the availability of clean fresh water at school and the Teddy Bear Project students have participated in. Oct 29, 2024.

Most of the deaths reported in North Carolina have come from Buncombe County, home to Asheville, and other hard-hit towns such as Swannanoa and Black Mountain. The district reports 43 deaths from the storm.

On Oct. 22, the county announced a discrepancy in the reported death toll, reducing the toll from 72 to 42. The county said a combination of factors led to the discrepancy, including a lack of communication caused by power and cell tower outages and – updates cause of death.

Hurricane Helene may have struck a month ago, but the cleanup work is far from complete. FOX Weather's Robert Ray shows us what people are enduring long after the storm.

The NCDHHS death breakdown is as follows:

  • Ashe County: 1
  • Avery County: 5
  • Buncombe County: 43
  • Burke County: 1
  • Catawba County: 1
  • Cleveland County: 2
  • Gaston County: 1
  • Haywood County: 5
  • Henderson County: 9
  • Macon County: 2
  • Madison County: 4
  • McDowell County: 1
  • Mecklenburg County: 3
  • Mitchell County: 2
  • Polk County: 1
  • Rowan County: 1
  • Rutherford County: 4
  • Wake County: 1
  • Watauga County: 2
  • Wilkes County: 1
  • Yadkin County: 1
  • Yancey County: 10

In total, Helene cost the lives of 229 people in seven states.

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