The Associated Press: The death toll rises to over 90 as millions remain without power after Hurricane Helene’s destruction on Monday morning

As rescue teams respond in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destruction in southeast U.S. and southern Appalachia, the death toll continues to climb. At least 91 people across several states were killed, The Associated Press reported.

More than two million customers were still without power on Monday morning, three days after the area was hit by a powerful storm. Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult.

President Biden described the impact of the storm as “stunning” and said he would visit the area this week as long as it does not disrupt rescues or recovery work.

The 120-mph winds that created the storm surge, as well as the large swaths of water along the western coast of Florida, were in the hours before the storm made its first landfall on Thursday.

Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the death toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding. Thirty people were killed in a North Carolina county.

There were power failures, fuel shortages and no water in western North Carolina over the weekend. Travel was impeded by flooding.

Cooper asked residents in western North Carolina to not travel, both for their own safety and the safety of emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people.

Rescuers saved 41 people north of Asheville. Another mission was to save a baby. The teams found people by listening to and sharing phone calls and social media messages.

Source: Helene death toll rises to over 90 as millions remain without power

Emergency Management, Power Cuts and Public Works in Augusta, South Carolina, after a Water Debris River Reaction on the Augusta River

The city of Augusta is asking the state ofGeorgia to conserve water after the city’s water service was disrupted due to trash and debris in the river. Water services should be restored within 24 to 48 hours, according to emergency management officials.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Saturday that it looked “like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air. Kemp said the stretch from Augusta to Valdosta was particularly hard hit, where some 115 structures took serious damage.

There were power cuts in the western half of the state. More than 200,000 people were in the dark on Sunday.

73 people are missing as of Sunday afternoon, according to Unicoi County officials. There were no confirmed deaths, an Incident Management Team spokesperson said at a press conference.

More than 50 people were stuck on the roof of a small hospital in east Tennessee, after being trapped by rising waters, in the most dramatic rescue that the county had seen.

An official for Unicoi County schools said during the conference that it is “unlikely” that the schools will be back in session by the second week of October.

When Hurricane Helene hit, many people left. How many are missing? A hot spot trailer in Buncombe, N.C., claimed by Turbo Tetterton

While rescue teams continue looking for the missing, family members have turned to social media to get the word out. A community-sourced list of people thought to be missing was created. Since Helene hit, many names have gone from “missing” to “found.” Family and friends are using a public Facebook page to post photos and details of their missing loved ones from East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

Relatives of some Latino workers told NBC that floodwaters quickly surrounded the plant, trapping them and carrying employees away. Some employees are dead or missing. Impact Plastics said in a press release that it called for help and that a National Guard helicopter had rescued five workers. The company said it is sad about the deaths of great employees.

Devastating floods left widespread destruction in Western North Carolina, and at least 600 people remain unaccounted for in Buncombe County alone. There are search and rescue teams still out looking for people. About 100 people were still missing as of Monday afternoon in Tennessee.

As more people come to hot spots such as that trailer, they hope they’ll connect with loved ones and get off the long list of missing people.

Tetterton was flooded with messages asking, “Hey, have you heard from this person?” Hey, I haven’t heard from that person. Are they okay? Do they have power? Does she have a source of water? Are you alive?” she recounted tearfully.

Tetterton and several of her Asheville neighbors were using Wi-Fi from a hot spot trailer provided by county officials to help get residents back online. Some contacted friends and family for the first time in days. Others called out of work or tried to apply for federal aid.

Turbo Tetterton found out Sunday night that people outside her storm-beaten neighborhood in Asheville, N.C., were reporting her missing after no one could reach her following Hurricane Helene’s destructive path through her mountain community.