Satellite images show horrifying aftermath of Helene in NC as death toll rises

By Anugrah Kumar

Satellite images have captured the extensive damage in western North Carolina a week after Hurricane Helene brought severe flooding and destruction to the Southeastern U.S. The death toll has now reached 227, with officials warning that this number could rise as recovery operations continue.

According to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies, the affected areas show significant devastation, with numerous roads rendered impassable, complicating rescue and recovery efforts, CBS News reported.

The imagery from the town of Old Fort, one of the worst-hit areas, shows buildings and cars displaced by the floodwaters, with mud and debris blanketing the area.

Similarly, the town of Spruce Pine has suffered extensive damage, as visible in satellite images showing muddy roads and wrecked homes. The local North Toe River, having overflowed its banks, contributed to the extensive flooding. The region, crucial for its quartz used in microchips, received over 2 feet of rain, worsening the impact on the community and its infrastructure.

On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the remainder of hurricane season.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas said. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season” which runs through Nov. 30.

Essential services such as power and water supply are yet to be fully restored.

In Asheville, police are investigating 75 cases of missing persons. Out of the 350 reported missing since the hurricane, 270 have been located, a police department spokesperson in Asheville was quoted as saying. The town, among others, is struggling with washed-out streets and significant structural damage.

Residents like Etiska Jackson and her husband have been severely impacted, with their home losing running water since the storm, The New York Times reported. Jackson, a receptionist at the Charles George VA Medical Center, described her living conditions as akin to camping. “I feel like I’m camping in my house,” she was quoted as saying.

The city’s officials have said they’re working to restore water service, but it could be weeks before normalcy returns.

Amid the chaos, the community has seen support from Christian nonprofits, Elon Musk, and singer Dolly Parton.

Musk said in a post on X Friday that SpaceX engineers “are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and […] @FEMA wouldn’t let them land to deliver critical supplies … my blood is boiling …”

Later, according to Fox Business, Musk said the issue with FEMA had been resolved, and his team had already “powered up two large operating bases for choppers to deliver goods into hands. We’ve deployed 300+ starlinks and outpour is it has saved many lives.”

On Friday, Parton and Walmart’s CEO John Furner, announced donations totaling millions of dollars to aid the victims of Hurricane Helene, according to WBIR.

Parton personally contributed $1 million and expressed a deep connection to the affected communities near her childhood home in Tennessee.

“These are special people here; they’re my people,” Parton remarked during a fundraising event. “I feel like all people are my people, but everyone here grew up in the mountains just like I did so of course I have a close connection to them. I can’t stand to see anyone hurting, so I wanted to do what I could to help after these terrible floods. I hope we can all be a little bit of light in the world for our friends, our neighbors — even strangers — during this dark time they are experiencing.”

Furner announced a $10 million contribution in donations and grants.

Christian organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Convoy of Hope and The Salvation Army have been active in providing crucial disaster relief throughout the Southeast since shortly after Hurricane Helene made landfall and wreaked havoc in the area.