Officials say 12 North Carolina election offices are out of commission
With the deadline to register to vote 10 days away, North Carolina election officials said in a statement today that 12 county election offices in the flood-damaged western region of the state remain closed.
Assessment of how to proceed was underway, the North Carolina Board of Elections said: "As the county offices get back up and running, they will begin to assess early voting sites and Election Day polling places to see the extent of the damage and which facilities won’t be available."
One solution is being deployed — so-called election offices in a box, emergency kits sent to three or four hard-hit counties that will allow the process to move forward without relying on damaged offices, the internet or phone service, the board said.
There is concern that some of the 190,000 ballots mailed to registered voters last week may have been lost or destroyed amid Helene and the aftermath. Voters whose ballots were lost can cancel them and request new ballots or vote in person at selected locations starting Oct. 17.
Before and after images show scale of devastation in North Carolina
Forecasters predict flurry of hurricane activity in coming days and weeks
Atlantic hurricane season is far from done, and forecasters are predicting a flurry of activity in the coming days and weeks.
In a new forecast, Colorado State University forecasters said they had “virtual certainty” that Atlantic hurricane activity would be above normal in the next two weeks. The forecasters expect an above average October and November for activity in the Caribbean.
The forecast accounts for all hurricane and tropical storm activity in the Atlantic ocean and doesn’t predict where storms will make landfall, meaning some of these storms won’t have major implications for the U.S.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is currently tracking three disturbances.
Tropical Storm Kirk, which is about 1,400 miles east of Martinique, is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane over the next three days. The NHC is predicting the storm to track northward, curving away from the U.S.
Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms are brewing in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Nicaragua. The NHC said that system has a 40% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next week and that it could have implications for the U.S. Gulf Coast if it develops further.
A third system is further away. It’s developing in the eastern Atlantic and has a 90% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone as it moves westward through the Atlantic.
Florida death toll rises to 14
Two more deaths were confirmed in Pinellas County, Florida, today, bringing the Helene death toll in the state to 14.
Of the Florida fatalities, two were in Tampa, one in Dixie County and 11 in Pinellas county.
Helene's death toll now stands at 134 across six states, according to a count by NBC News.
South Carolina death toll rises to 36
The Helene death toll in South Carolina has risen to 36, the state’s department of public safety said as of noon.
That brings the total storm death toll to 132 across six states, according to a count by NBC News.
Vice President Harris to visit Georgia tomorrow
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Georgia tomorrow to survey the damage of Hurricane Helene, the White House announced today.
Once there, she’ll receive a briefing about recovery efforts. She’ll also provide updates on federal actions supporting emergency response and recovery efforts in Georgia and other Southeast states.
During remarks yesterday at FEMA headquarters, she said the Biden-Harris administration “will continue to do everything we can to help you recover and to help you rebuild — no matter how long it takes.”
Homeland Security chief: ‘Focus is on search and rescue’
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joins Ana Cabrera to give an update on the recovery efforts in the Southeast after Hurricane Helene left communities reeling and with devastating damage.
Red Cross receives 3,000 requests for locating loved ones
The Red Cross has received 3,000 new requests from people looking for loved ones in the past 24 hours, FEMA officials said in a briefing this afternoon.
There are 3,500 federal personnel on the ground supporting recovery efforts across impacted states, including 1,000 from FEMA. Thus far, over 1.9 million meals, over 1 million liters of water, over 95,000 tarps, over 30 generators and 150 ambulances have also been shipped, a FEMA spokesperson said.
There are also over 1,250 urban search and rescue personnel assisting local first responders in impacted states. Emergency response officials are also bringing in a mobile morgue to assure facilities are being properly managed, though it's not yet clear where that will be placed.
North Carolina volunteers organize ‘private helicopter army’ to aid Helene victims
A grassroots effort led by relief organization Operation Airdrop has put together a group of private helicopters to aid victims affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. Pilot Matt McSwain said volunteers from Texas to Maine are lining up to help deliver supplies and survey damaged areas. WCNC’s Vanessa Ruffes reports.
North Carolina students trapped in car and swept into floodwaters rescued by good Samaritans
Four students at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, narrowly escaped raging floodwaters on Friday after onlookers stepped in and came to their rescue.
The students got trapped in sophomore Avery Paner’s car as Hurricane Helene’s deluge and floodwaters inundated their community. Video showed the muddy waters rising around them as the students yell, “Go go go!”
“The car was filling in with murky, brown water so I couldn’t reach my window breaker, I couldn’t see anything, nobody could see anything,” Paner told NBC affiliate WCNC of Charlotte.
Then a tree fell on top of her car and it started to sink into the mud underneath.
“At this point, the water level is to the door right before you open the windows, my windows weren’t coming down so we couldn’t come out through the windows,” Paner said. “It takes all of us to push the front door open, push through the mud my car is sinking into and we all climb out.”
Once outside, Paner got swept up in what she described as “white water rapids.” That’s when a group of students who saw her jumped into action to help Paner and her roommates.
“Everyone is grabbing onto my leg so I don’t go down into the creek,” Paner said. “They were trying to hold on for dear life to me and I am sweeping off into the water.”
Ultimately, they managed to get through the water into higher ground.
“I firmly believe something terrible could have happened to me if it wasn’t for these random people coming to save us,” Paner recalled. “It was completely unreal. It was life-changing, something I won’t forget.”