Death Toll Climbs to 200 in Southeast, Hundreds Still Missing or Trapped Amid Helene Devastation

Jenna Browder
10-03-2024

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Hurricane Helene is now the second deadliest U.S. storm of this century with at least 200 people known to have died in the flooding and devastation, and hundreds more are still missing. 

Rescuers are still searching for Jon Norwood's fiancé. 

"We looked outside and there was a 30-foot tall wall of water and rocks and tree debris just coming at us," he recalled, choking back tears. "And it just it knocked our house straight down with all of us in it. She went one way and I went the other. The last thing I said to her was, I love you. And that was the last time I saw her." 

*** CLICK HERE to Help the Victims of Hurricane Helene

Their entire neighborhood of Marion, North Carolina was wiped out. Norwood was rescued on a stretcher with his legs crushed. 

Lauren Meidinger says they're still searching for her mother-in-law too. 

"She is loved by so many. She's so strong," said Meidinger. "She's just the strongest woman I know so it's hard not to hold on to that hope. And I mean, I pray every day, every second that she's found and she's safe."

After hitting Florida's Gulf Coast last week as a Category 4 hurricane, Helene moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, drenching the region with unprecedented rain and flooding. 

Days later, many are still stranded, without power, cell service or running water. 

Patricia Miranda is using creek water to flush her toilets and wash clothes. "We don't have nowhere to go," she said. 

President Biden has ordered 1,000 troops to the region. They join the more than 6,000 National Guard troops from 12 states already there. 

On Wednesday, Biden surveyed the damage from the air, flying over the hardest hit areas of western North Carolina. 

"I'm here to say, the United States, the nation, has your back," he said during an operational briefing. "The nation has your back. We're not leaving until you're back on your feet."

CBN's Operation Blessing is on the ground in Asheville, passing out water, food boxes, hygiene kits and other supplies. 

"It's particularly important that we be here because due to the nature of this storm it knocked out water, it knocked out electricity, it knocked out cell phones," said Bob Burke with Operation Blessing. "There are an amazing number of people who are trapped up in the mountains or who have lost everything and the word can't get out so it's critical that we get that message out."

Operation Blessing is also at work in Valdosta, Georgia. Volunteers are serving hot food in the parking lot of Anchor Church and helping homeowners recover from the devastation. 

At Belinda Cob's damaged home, they're cleaning up debris and putting a tarp on the roof. She tearfully recalled the story of praying on the phone with her son whose path was blocked from fallen debris the night of the hurricane. 

"When he said 'Momma I don't think I'm going to make it,'  we prayed together before he got out of that car," she said.  "And I know God lifted that tree or he gave him the strength to do it, I don't know which, but basically it was God either way." 

Operation Blessing's international relief team is also on the ground in North Carolina. This is the first time they're been deployed to the United States to help with disaster relief efforts. 

If you would like to support Operation Blessing as it helps those hit hard by Hurricane Helene, you can call CBN at 1-800-700-7000 or click HERE to visit Operation Blessing's website.

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.*** 

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About The Author

Jenna
Browder

Jenna Browder co-hosts Faith Nation and is a network correspondent for CBN News. She has interviewed many prominent national figures from both sides of the political aisle, including presidents, cabinet secretaries, lawmakers, and other high-ranking officials. Jenna grew up in the small mountain town of Gunnison, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied journalism. Her first TV jobs were at CBS affiliates in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Monroe, Louisiana where she anchored the nightly news. She came to Washington, D.C. in 2016. Getting to cover that year's
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