Hurricane Helene's death toll passes 150 as crews search for survivors

Cadaver dogs and search crews have trudged through knee-deep muck and debris in the mountains of western North Carolina looking for victims of Hurricane Helene, days after the storm carved a deadly and destructive path through the Southeast.

With Helene's death toll nearing 160, searchers fanned out, using helicopters to get past washed-out bridges and hiking through wilderness to reach isolated homes.

The storm, which was one of the deadliest in US history, knocked out power and cellular service in some towns and cities, leaving many people frustrated, hot and increasingly worried days into the ordeal. Some cooked food on charcoal grills or hiked to high ground in the hopes of finding a signal to call loved ones.

"Communities were wiped off the map," North Carolina's governor, Roy Cooper, said at a news conference.

The devastation was especially bad in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where at least 57 people died in and around Asheville, a tourism haven known for its art galleries, breweries and outdoor activities.

In Swannanoa, a small community outside Asheville, receding floodwaters revealed cars stacked on top of others and trailer homes that had floated away during the storm. Roads were caked with mud and debris and pockmarked by sinkholes.

Cliff Stewart survived two-feet of water that poured into his home, topping the wheels on his wheelchair and sending his medicine bottles floating from room to room. Left without power and reliant on food drop-offs from friends, he has refused offers to help him leave.

"Where am I going to go?" the Marine Corps veteran said.

"This is all I've got. I just don't want to give it up, because what am I going to do? Be homeless? I'd rather die right here than live homeless."

Exhausted emergency crews worked around the clock to clear roads, restore power and phone service, and reach those still stranded by the storm, which killed at least 159 people in six states, including many who were hit by falling trees or trapped in flooded cars and homes.

Nearly half of the deaths were in North Carolina, while dozens of others were in South Carolina and Georgia.

President Joe Biden, who was set to survey the devastation in North and South Carolina today, estimated the recovery could cost billions.

"We have to jump start this recovery process," he said. "People are scared to death. This is urgent."

More than 150,000 households have registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and that number is expected to rise rapidly in the coming days, said Frank Matranga, an agency representative.

Nearly two million ready-to-eat meals and more than a million litres of water have been sent to the hardest-hit areas, he said.

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