The Weather Channel is reporting that Hurricane Helene dumped trillions of gallons of water on the Southeast, pushing mud and debris into many Appalachian towns.
Much of the rainfall and flooding happened in North Carolina. The Boone County Fire Protection District says dozens of Columbia-based Missouri Task Force One (MO-TF1) members continue to search the Catawba river in McDowell County this (Friday) morning by boat and on-foot. Boone County Fire assistant chief Gale Blomenkamp says search teams are facing difficult conditions, facing knee-high mud along both banks.
Blomenkamp says MO-TF1 members are searching for residents who may be stranded or cut off from safety due to the hurricane’s devastation. He says MO-TF’s seven human remains detection K-9s and their handlers are continuing their work near Asheville.
The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Helene’s death toll is now over 200.
