Hurricane Helene updates: Death toll surpasses 230 as rescue efforts continue (2024)

'Your nation has your back,' Joe and Jill Biden tell those in Helene's deadly path

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a video message on Monday told those affected by Hurricane Helene that "we grieve with you” and "the nation has your back."

The Bidens said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was working to help those in need across several states.

"FEMA is knocking on doors to sign up survivors for direct and immediate financial aid, because many of them need it now," the president said. "And I've directed my team to stay there 24/7 with you, until this job is done."

The storm made landfall in Florida last week as a massive Category 4 hurricane. As it moved through the southeastern United States it killed some 230 people, The Associated Press reported, with hundreds of others still unaccounted for.

The storm, which was the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005, churned through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama.

Officials say primary search of Buncombe County nearly complete

Officials in Buncombe County, North Carolina, said Sunday their primary search is 90% complete.

At a news conference, officials said they are using K-9 units as they search piles of debris for victims in the search and recovery operation. Fourteen urban search and rescue teams, including eight federal, are actively searching the area, officials said.

Most of the roads -- an estimated 90% -- are open to emergency vehicles, authorities said at the briefing.

The Army Corps of Engineers is helping to work on the damaged water infrastructure along with 160 city water employees in Asheville, and four contractors, according to officials.

-ABC News' Bill Hutchinson

Helene death toll climbs past 230, AP reports

The death toll from Hurricane Helene inched past 230 people on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.

The grim task of recovering bodies continued more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the southeast, killing people in six states.

The number of deaths stood at 225 on Friday; two more were recorded in South Carolina the following day.

It was still unclear how many people were unaccounted for or missing, and the toll could rise even higher.

-ABC News’ Victoria Arancio

Biden deploys 500 more troops to help North Carolina recovery efforts

President Joe Biden has ordered the deployment of 500 more troops to western North Carolina to aid in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, he announced in a statement Sunday.

Earlier this week, Biden ordered 1,000 active-duty service members to be deployed to the area. According to the White House statement, the Biden administration has sent more than $137 million in federal funding to aid in recovery efforts, "with more to come."

"With a total of 1,500 troops now supplementing a robust on-the-ground effort -- including more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and more than 7,000 Federal personnel -- my Administration is sparing no resource to support families as they begin their road to rebuilding," Biden said.

According to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, these soldiers are working with FEMA, the National Guard and state officials to support North Carolina by helping distribute commodities and clearing emergency routes.