Arkansas man stuck in Asheville amid Helene
Carl McPeak was visiting Asheville from Arkansas for work when he got stuck in Helene’s wrath.
Like plenty of others, “I didn’t think it was going to be this bad,” he said, adding he thought it was just going to be a “bit of rain.”
That was until he saw shipping containers, semitrucks and propane tanks “floating by” in the flooding, he said.
He said it got real for him “when I woke up this morning and the water was still there and I was like, ‘Oh, man. I’m not getting out. I’m going to be stuck here [with] no power, no cell signal, no news, no way to get out, no way to get home, no way to get word to my family that I’m OK.’”
McPeak has been carrying a stick with him to poke through the 18 inches of mud that has piled up in town since floodwaters retreated.
Helene ‘sounded like a freight train’ passing through Valdosta, Georgia resident says
Valdosta resident Bill Parmelee spoke to NBC News’ Priscilla Thompson on how Hurricane Helene “sounded like a freight train” as it tore through the area. Large tree limbs and branches littered Parmelee’s yard and the roof of his home was damaged.
Manatee released into Florida bay after washing up at U.S. Air Force base
A young manatee that washed ashore at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, was rescued and released back into Tampa Bay, the base said.
The mammal, native to Florida waters, washed ashore amid Hurricane Helene’s coastal surge, the base said in a Facebook post Saturday.
Video posted by the base shows about a dozen people circling the large creature — they typically weight about 1,000 pounds, according to state wildlife officials — and hoisting it in the shallows of a boat launch ramp using a tarp or similar object.
The base thanked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for helping with the rescue. Base personnel named the manatee Troy, which in Greek mythology is the hometown of Helen and the location of a Greek siege mounted to take her back from abductors.
“Troy is a male estimated to be 2-3 years old,” the base said in its post. “Thanks to the teamwork today, he has a long life ahead of him.”
The mammal’s population has rebounded to more than 8,000 in Florida, and the species was reclassified from endangered to threatened through federal legislation in 2017, according to the state conservation commission.
However, an unusual number of manatee deaths since 2020 inspired an investigation into why they’re dying more than usual, and the probe is ongoing, the commission said on its website.
Man killed by tree falling onto house, raising total deaths to 65
A storm-related death has been confirmed in Greenwood County, South Carolina, after a tree fell onto a house and pinned a man down. That brings the total number of storm-related deaths to 65.
“Greenwood Fire Department was able to cut the person free and he was removed,” county coroner Sonny Cox told NBC News.
More than 3,200 FEMA staff, partners assisting with Helene response
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed more than 3,200 staff and federal partners to help with the response to Hurricane Helene, it said Saturday.
Its response includes search-and-rescue and swift-water rescue teams that have completed more than 600 rescues in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, FEMA said.
Biden approves disaster declaration for North Carolina
President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for North Carolina, where at least 10 people have died and flooding brought major destruction across the state.
The approval makes federal funding available to people in 25 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the White House press office said in a statement Saturday.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the statement said.
More counties and forms of assistance could be added after ongoing damage assessments are completed.
Historic North Carolina village underwater after devastating damage from Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A historic village in western North Carolina is underwater after bearing the brunt of devastating flooding damage from Helene.
Tree branches, logs and a dumpster floated across Asheville’s Biltmore Village, renowned for being built and owned by a single individual.
Resident Tammy Borgesen was among the dozens of people standing outside a downtown hotel, one of the few places with Wi-Fi access, hoping to connect with loved ones.
“We’ve been trying to get an email or a text out to just let everybody know we’re OK,” said Borgesen, who had water but no power at her home.
Water levels reached several feet, with some areas nearing the tops of street signs. Fast-moving water surged above front-door steps, inundating buildings and small businesses as Asheville appeared nearly flattened by Helene.
More than 200 people have been rescued from floodwaters in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said in a statement Saturday. The Department of Transportation said more than 400 roads are closed in the state, impeding travel and rescue efforts.