- There are currently approximately 26 people still unaccounted for, down from 92 last week, according to the release.
Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper issued a press release Monday providing an update on the “robust response and recovery” efforts in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
About 765 people have been rescued by North Carolina National Guard soldiers and other military personnel, with local first responders and swift water teams rescuing hundreds more. Ninety-five fatalities have been confirmed, which was the same as his report last week, and there are approximately 26 people still unaccounted for, down from 92 last week, according to the release.
Approximately 5,000 customers remain without power, down from more than one million just after the storm, and most cell phone coverage has been restored.
The NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has opened 789 of the approximately 1,200 roads that were closed due to the storm, leaving about 411 still closed, down from 580 last week. NCDOT has approximately 2,000 employees and 900 pieces of equipment working to reopen the remaining closed roads.
Twenty-eight of the school districts that were closed following the storm have reopened, with seven still closed. Two of these districts are scheduled to reopen this week.
Due to limited road access, supplies have been coordinated at the Asheville Regional Airport and delivered by helicopter to other parts of western North Carolina.
At the height of this operation, more than 30 planes, helicopters, and 1,200 ground vehicles were in use. The state and federal government delivered more than 27 million pounds of food and water, with more being brought by non-profits and charities.
Cooper called the response to Helene the largest and fastest integration of US military soldiers with the National Guard in North Carolina history.
More than 3,150 soldiers and airmen have been working in western North Carolina after the storm’s aftermath. Joint Task Force-North Carolina, led by the NC National Guard, is made up of soldiers and airmen from 12 different states, two different XVIII Airborne Corps units from Ft. Liberty, a unit from Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division, and numerous civilian entities have working side-by-side.
In addition, more than 1,600 responders from 39 state and local agencies have performed 146 missions supporting the response and recovery efforts through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
Over 207,000 people have registered for FEMA Individual Assistance, and approximately $129 million in FEMA Individual Assistance funds have been paid directly to those affected by the storm. Also, over 6,200 people have been able to get temporary housing through FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance. More than 5,100 registrations for Small Business Administration Loans have also been filed.
Approximately 1,500 FEMA staff are in the state to help with the western North Carolina relief effort.
The Army Corps of Engineers is also working with local, state, and federal experts, including the EPA and the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), to assess damages, remove debris, and repair water systems.
The US Department of Transportation granted $100 million in emergency funding.
Last week, Cooper signed an emergency executive order increasing the unemployment payments for all North Carolinians in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Weekly unemployment benefits will rise from a maximum of $350 to a maximum of $600 a week. Before the executive order, those collecting unemployment benefits would have received less than the $350 weekly maximum.
The order is tied to the State of Emergency for Hurricane Helene and will remain in effect until the emergency ends or is rescinded.
Due to federal law, the order for the elevated payments is statewide for all recipients. State unemployment benefits, however, will still be capped at 12 weeks, but workers who lived or worked in the impacted North Carolina counties and are out of work due to the disaster will qualify for up to 26 weeks of federal benefits, to be paid through March 29, 2025, under the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program.
As he stressed last week, Cooper repeated that the spread of “disinformation and misinformation” is detrimental to the response and recovery efforts in western North Carolina. “Candidates are using people’s misery to sow chaos for their own political objectives, and it’s wrong.”
Also on Monday, FEMA announced that President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for southeastern areas of the state that were affected by Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight from Sept. 16-20.
Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities in Brunswick, Carteret, New Hanover and Onslow counties.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.