North Carolina live updates: Helene death toll climbs to at least 69, officials say

(This article will be updated. Read our earlier coverage here.)

Relief efforts continue in Asheville and the Western North Carolina area where a major disaster due to Tropical Storm Helene has left communities devastated, roads impassable and thousands without power. There were only estimates Tuesday evening about the extent of the destruction, with the full scope of Helene devastation not expected to be known for some time.

Check back for live updates as they roll in throughout the day Wednesday.

The death toll from Tropical Storm Helene has risen to at least 69 people in Western North Carolina, officials report.

So far, 57 deaths have been confirmed in Buncombe County, six in Henderson County, one in Macon County and five in Avery County.

A ski resort area in western North Carolina near the Tennessee border, Avery County reported Tuesday night that many residents are still unaccounted for. The information came after a viral social media post claimed that 200 people had died in the county seat of Newland, but Avery County Manager Philip Barrier on Tuesday said the number was false.

— Staff Reports

Residents in all Givens locations, including Givens Estates in Asheville, Givens Gerber Park in South Asheville, Givens Highland Farms in Black Mountain and Givens Great Laurels in Waynesville, are safe and accounted for, CEO Kevin Schwab reported Oct. 1.

Team members and health services staff are on duty and conducting routine wellness checks, according to a news release provided by Givens. The release also notes that auxiliary generators are providing power, meal service is available, adequate drinking and nonpotable water is available and regional communication continues to be extremely limited.Immediate needs are for nursing volunteers and donations of drinking water, sanitary wipes.

Anyone who can help or who needs to get in contact can call 828-274-4800.

— Staff Reports

A bevy of nurses, relief workers and supplies from across the U.S. are pouring into Western North Carolina this week to aid hospitals besieged by patients amid the deadly flooding from Tropical Storm Helene.

More than 100 nurses as well as physicians arrived Monday at Mission Hospital in Asheville from sister hospitals across the nation within the HCA Healthcare system, which owns Mission and is headquartered in Nashville, HCA spokesperson Harlow Sumerford said.

They’ve set up mobile units with kitchens, bathrooms and handwashing stations and are setting up mini marts inside the hospital and in other HCA hospitals across the region to provide doctors, nurses and other hospital staff with free groceries, including food, water and toiletries.

HCA also is providing hundreds of thousands of bottles of water, tens of thousands of gallons of fuel and satellite data networks to Mission Hospital, which dodged the flooding that decimated much of surrounding Buncombe County but is now scrambling to keep up with an onslaught of patients.

— Beth Warren, USA Today Network

Over 4,500 federal rescue and aid workers are headed to the areas smashed by Hurricane Helene. But U.S. prosecutors say another deluge of people are on the way: Charlatans, opportunists and disreputable contractors looking to exploit the victims of the storm.

Federal, state and local officials have put out warnings this week for hurricane victims – especially those who are desperate – to beware of people showing up at their door or calling them, claiming they want to help. Defrauding of hurricane victims and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency itself is a multi-million dollar industry for criminals, according to experts, federal authorities and government warnings.

“Con artists and criminals may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud or identity theft after Hurricane Helene,” FEMA officials warned Tuesday. “In some cases, thieves try to apply for FEMA assistance using names, addresses and Social Security numbers they have stolen from people affected by the disaster.”

For more information, including tips on how to avoid scams, read the full story here.

— Michael Loria, USA TODAY

In the mountains of western North Carolina − one of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Helene − moms are doing what they do best: taking care of others. Local Facebook groups, previously filled with weekend activity recommendations and hand-me-down clothes offerings, are now swamped with moms ready to go to great lengths to help one another − even while in dire need themselves.

They’re sharing formula and baby wipes. They’re giving away their kids books and toys. They’re offering up cribs, mattresses, meals. One mom even offered her frozen breast milk.

Read the full story here.

— Charles Trepany, USA TODAY

Tyson Foods will bring a Meals that Matter Disaster Relief team to Weaverville in northern Buncombe County later this week to distribute hot meals, water and ice to community members impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.

Company volunteers will be set up at the Walmart Supercenter, 25 Northridge Commons Parkway, from noon-5 p.m. on Friday and from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily beginning Saturday.

Volunteers, in partnership with local food banks, have been on the ground in multiple states after Hurricane Helene made landfall last week, according to a company release. Over the weekend, a team served 10,240 meals to residents in Perry, Florida. On Oct. 1, a team in Augusta, Georgia served 6,840 meals with plans to distribute more Wednesday.

— Staff Reports.