Nearly 100 still missing in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene
Ninety-two individuals remain unaccounted for in North Carolina weeks after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in the western part of the state, Governor Roy Cooper announced on Tuesday.
During a press conference, Cooper cautioned that this figure could fluctuate as more missing person reports are addressed.
“I want to emphasize that this is not a final count, as the task force continues its efforts,” he stated.
As a result of the storm, 95 fatalities have been confirmed in North Carolina, with over 220 deaths recorded in total, including in Florida, where the storm made landfall.
Cooper also addressed the “persistent and dangerous flow of misinformation” surrounding the hurricane, which he claimed is complicating relief efforts.
He remarked that such misinformation “creates confusion and demoralizes both storm survivors and response teams.”
“If you’re contributing to the spread of this information, please stop,” Cooper cautioned. “Regardless of your intentions, the people you are truly harming are those in western North Carolina who are in need of assistance.”
His remarks come as federal workers have had to confront rising distrust from some local residents as a result of the spread of a number of false conspiracy theories relating to Helene.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has said it has had to make changes to its operations in the state, briefly pulling out of one county because of threats fuelled by misinformation.
Last Saturday, police in Rutherford County arrested a man who allegedly spoke publicly about harming relief workers and was found with a rifle and a handgun.
The false conspiracy theories – many of them politically motivated – about land confiscation, aid payments, and deliberate weather manipulation have rapidly spread online.
Reports indicate that several extremist groups are active in the region, attempting to capitalize on the disaster and the rumors.
Hurricane Helene destroyed several towns in western North Carolina, where more than six months’ worth of rain landed as the storm rolled through.
Rescue efforts were complicated by the mountainous and rugged terrain of western North Carolina, where homes and bridges were washed away and the popular tourist city of Asheville was cut off.
