• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
ABC News

Hurricane Helene updates: Death toll surpasses 230 as rescue efforts continue

PHOTO: An aerial view of flood damage along the French Broad River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 2, 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina.
4:37
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Tracking Hurricane Helene's destruction
By Emily Shapiro, David Brennan, Leah Sarnoff, Julia Reinstein, Meredith Deliso, Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: October 7, 2024, 11:40 AM
Video by Lilia Geho
Last Updated: October 7, 2024, 11:40 AM

More than 230 people have been killed from Hurricane Helene, which unleashed devastation across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

Helene, which made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a massive Category 4 hurricane, has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

Latest headlines:

  • 'Your nation has your back,' Joe and Jill Biden tell those in Helene's deadly path
  • White House counters 'disinformation' in the wake of Hurricane Helene
  • Search and rescue efforts still underway in North Carolina
  • DOT announces $100M in emergency relief funds for North Carolina
  • Hundreds of thousands still without power
Here's how the news is developing.

Oct 07, 2024 11:40 AM

'Your nation has your back,' Joe and Jill Biden tell those in Helene's deadly path

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a video message on Monday told those affected by Hurricane Helene that "we grieve with you” and "the nation has your back."

The Bidens said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was working to help those in need across several states.

"FEMA is knocking on doors to sign up survivors for direct and immediate financial aid, because many of them need it now," the president said. "And I've directed my team to stay there 24/7 with you, until this job is done."

VIDEO: President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden’s message after Helene: ‘Your nation has your back’
1:37
Exclusive: President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden shared words of hope to those impacted by Hurricane Helene, saying, "there's nothing we can't do if we do it together."

The storm made landfall in Florida last week as a massive Category 4 hurricane. As it moved through the southeastern United States it killed some 230 people, The Associated Press reported, with hundreds of others still unaccounted for.

The storm, which was the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005, churned through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama.

MORE: The Bidens said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was working to help those in need

Oct 06, 2024 9:45 PM

Officials say primary search of Buncombe County nearly complete

Officials in Buncombe County, North Carolina, said Sunday their primary search is 90% complete.

At a news conference, officials said they are using K-9 units as they search piles of debris for victims in the search and recovery operation. Fourteen urban search and rescue teams, including eight federal, are actively searching the area, officials said.

Most of the roads -- an estimated 90% -- are open to emergency vehicles, authorities said at the briefing.

The Army Corps of Engineers is helping to work on the damaged water infrastructure along with 160 city water employees in Asheville, and four contractors, according to officials.

-ABC News' Bill Hutchinson


Oct 06, 2024 6:59 PM

Helene death toll climbs past 230, AP reports

The death toll from Hurricane Helene inched past 230 people on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.

The grim task of recovering bodies continued more than a week after the monster storm ravaged the southeast, killing people in six states.

PHOTO: An upside-down car covered by pieces of tree is left on the side of a road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Burnsville, North Carolina, on October 5, 2024.
Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images
An upside-down car covered by pieces of tree is left on the side of a road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Burnsville, North Carolina, on October 5, 2024.
Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images

The number of deaths stood at 225 on Friday; two more were recorded in South Carolina the following day.

It was still unclear how many people were unaccounted for or missing, and the toll could rise even higher.

-ABC News’ Victoria Arancio



Oct 06, 2024 7:40 PM

Biden deploys 500 more troops to help North Carolina recovery efforts

President Joe Biden has ordered the deployment of 500 more troops to western North Carolina to aid in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, he announced in a statement Sunday.

Earlier this week, Biden ordered 1,000 active-duty service members to be deployed to the area. According to the White House statement, the Biden administration has sent more than $137 million in federal funding to aid in recovery efforts, "with more to come."

"With a total of 1,500 troops now supplementing a robust on-the-ground effort -- including more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and more than 7,000 Federal personnel -- my Administration is sparing no resource to support families as they begin their road to rebuilding," Biden said.

According to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, these soldiers are working with FEMA, the National Guard and state officials to support North Carolina by helping distribute commodities and clearing emergency routes.


Oct 04, 2024 8:53 PM

Dolly Parton announces donation to areas impacted by Helene

Tennessee native Dolly Parton has pledged a $1 million donation to Hurricane Helene victims.

"These are my mountains … these are my rivers," she told community members gathered in a Newport, Tennessee, Walmart parking lot on Friday.

PHOTO: A flood damaged building and debris left by tropical depression Helene is seen in Newport, Tenn., Sept. 28, 2024.
George Walker IV/AP
A flood damaged building and debris left by tropical depression Helene is seen in Newport, Tenn., Sept. 28, 2024.
George Walker IV/AP

Helene "was devastating," Parton said. "Not just because it was my family, because all these people feel like my people. We all feel related, and we are in some sort of way. So it just devastated me, just to know that we had suffering like that. So anything we can do to help."

Parton's businesses in east Tennessee -- Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show -- as well as The Dollywood Foundation are combining efforts to match Parton’s donation with their own $1 million contribution.

"You just try to step up. God has been good to me and so has the public. And I feel like anything I can do to give back and do what I can, I’m always willing to do that," Parton said as the crowd applauded.

PHOTO: The place where the Jet Broadcasting radio station once stood in Erwin, Tenn., Sept. 29, 2024.
Saul Young/The Knoxville News-Sentinel/USA Today Network via Reuters
The place where the Jet Broadcasting radio station once stood in Erwin, Tenn., Sept. 29, 2024.
Saul Young/The Knoxville News-Sentinel/USA Today Network via Reuters

PHOTO: Rescue helicopters land on the roof of Unicoi Hospital in Erwin, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2024.
Regan Tilson
Rescue helicopters land on the roof of Unicoi Hospital in Erwin, Tenn., Sept. 27, 2024.
Regan Tilson

"We are with you, we love you, we hope that things get better real soon, and we’re gonna do our part," she said.

Walmart also announced a $10 million donation to relief efforts.

-ABC News’ Jianna Cousin


GMA Newsletters

Sign up for our newsletters to get GMA delivered to your inbox every morning!

Up Next in news

PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III look at the White House garden and bee hive on the South Lawn of the White House, April 27, 2026, in Washington.

King Charles III visit live updates: Charles, Camilla view White House beehive

April 27, 2026
PHOTO: In this screen grab from a video, Andon Market is shown in San Francisco, Calif.

This San Francisco shop is run completely by an AI agent

April 23, 2026
VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz

Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz

April 23, 2026

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2026 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2026 ABC News