At Least 57 Dead in One N.C. County as Officials Grapple with 'Miles and Miles of Complete Devastation' After Helene

Mar. 15, 2025

Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.Photo:Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty

One county that has been particularly impacted is Buncombe County, where Asheville is located. In an afternoon press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 1, Sheriff Quentin Miller said that there have been57 confirmed deathsso far, which represents over a third of the total death toll, which iscontinuing to climb. (In an update the previous day, thedeath toll had been 40.)

Dean went on to explain that throughout the county “we’re dealing with a lot of major issues from bridge closures to no power, no water, just complete infrastructure failure.”

“We are working very hard to try and find everybody who is missing," he added, as Miller said at another point that officials are “working around the clock.”

Officials previously said an estimated 600 people were missing in Buncombe County, according to theAssociated PressandABC News.

Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty

In a Facebook post shared earlier on Tuesday,Asheville government officialssaid that despite their best efforts to “restore our city as quickly as possible,” due to the extensive damage, “process is slow.”

The government officials also shared a photo that showed the access road to Bee Tree was completely destroyed.

Water distribution centers have been opened throughout the county for residents who have been left without clean water after Helene damaged to local water systems, according toBuncombe County officials. Ready-to-eat meals are available at the distribution centers, as well.

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Criswell told PEOPLE that supplies are now being airlifted into portions of the state in wake of the storm, adding, “It’s going to be [an ongoing effort] and we’re going to sustain this for as long as its needed.”

Teams work on the damaged areas after hurricane Helene hits the Asheville along with the western part of North-Carolina in Asheville, United States on September 30, 2024.Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty

Unlike storm surge, which is easy to warn of, flash flooding is much more unpredictable, according to Criswell. The severity of the flood is based on three main factors: the rate of the rainfall, the amount of the rainfall and where the rain falls.

All three factors, she said, “will determine how fast it will go down these valleys and impact these communities.” But there is often very little time to deliver a warning to those in danger.

“We can give general areas of where we think the most rainfall is going to be,” Criswell added. “But until it starts to fall, it’s really hard to predict exactly which part of the communities are going to face the worst of it.”

source: people.com