Today, Governor Roy Cooper and President Joe Biden took an aerial tour of areas damaged by Hurricane Helene before holding a briefing on storm impacts at the State Emergency Operations Center. During the briefing, President Biden announced the approval of 100% FEMA Reimbursement for six months, a significant funding commitment from the federal government. The briefing was attended by President Biden, United States Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, United States EPA Administrator Michael Regan, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and other top state and federal officials.

Prior to the visit, President Biden approved Governor Cooper’s request for active-duty military personnel and equipment to support ongoing operations in Western North Carolina. The active-duty military personnel are in addition to more than 1,000 North Carolina National Guard soldiers currently deployed who are surging food, water, supplies and conducting search and rescue operations. The NC National Guard has already performed more than 1,400 rescues and delivered more than 700,000 pounds in supplies.

“The damage caused by Hurricane Helene to Western North Carolina is immense, and we are continuing our unprecedented efforts to surge resources into affected communities,” said Governor Cooper. “We’re grateful to President Biden, FEMA and all of our federal partners for their support and commitment to helping our state respond, recover and rebuild from this disaster.”

State, federal and local partners continue to work together to surge resources into Western North Carolina in response to unprecedented damage from Hurricane Helene across the region. Throughout the week, Governor Roy Cooper has traveled to Western North Carolina to assess storm response, meet with those affected and thank volunteers for their hard work.

Photos of the Governor’s briefing with President Biden can be found here.

Food, Water and Commodity Points of Distribution

Efforts are underway to provide food, water and basic necessities to residents in affected communities, utilizing both ground resources and air drops from the NC National Guard. FEMA has delivered 1.89 million meals and 2.5 million liters of water. More than 21,000 people have been registered for assistance.

• Buncombe County – Biltmore Baptist Church, 35 Clayton Road, Arden, NC 28704
• McDowell County – Grace Community Church, 5182 Highway 70 West, Marion, NC 28752
• Watauga County – First Baptist Church, 375 West King Street, Boone, NC 28607

Points of distribution for commodities have been established in each impacted county. These locations are also providing free public Wi-Fi for area residents. Seek information from local governments for counties not listed below.

• Ashe County – Westwood Elementary School, Mountain View Elementary School
• Buncombe County – UNC-Asheville, Asheville Buncombe Tech Ferguson, WNC Ag. Center, Asheville-Buncombe Tech Conference Center, Biltmore Baptist Church, The Greens at Weaverville, Fletcher Nursing and Rehabilitation.
• Henderson County – First Baptist Church Hendersonville, Greens at Hendersonville
• Madison County – Madison County Cooperative Extension Service
• McDowell County – Nebo Crossing Church, Grace Community Church
• Mitchell County – First Baptist Spruce Pine
• Polk County – Polk County High School
• Rowan County – Rowan-Cabarrus YMCA
• Watauga – Cove Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Zionville VFD, Foscoe Christian Church, Watauga EOC, Holmes Convocation Center, Meat Camp Road, Town of Boone PD, First Baptist Boone. 

Power Outages

Across the region, approximately 408,000 customers remain without power, down from a peak of more than one million. Power has been restored to more than 500,000 customers.

Missing Persons

To report a missing person or request non-emergency support, please call NC 211 or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state.

Shelters

A total of 26 shelters have been opened in Western North Carolina, housing 1,244 people. Plans are in place to open additional shelters as needed to accommodate additional needs.

Search and Rescue Operations

Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Western North Carolina. A total of 55 search and rescue teams from North Carolina and beyond, consisting of more than 1600 personnel have conducted search and rescue operations during this event. More than 500 people have been rescued by the NC National Guard. More than 150 pets have also been rescued.

Road Closures

Travel remains dangerous, with approximately 450 roads closed as of Wednesday afternoon. NCDOT is asking people to refrain from unnecessary travel to or in Western North Carolina. Road access is limited to local and hurricane response traffic as crews work to restore critical routes and access to communities isolated by damage. First responders also want to keep the roads as clear as possible to help ensure they may carry out all response missions. NCDOT has posted at ncdot.gov an interstate detour map for travelers to avoid western N.C. NCDOT has dispatched the following resources to assist with the recovery process:

• 1,600 employees, plus 68 contract crews
• 220+ employees in less-impacted areas have been sent to western N.C.
• 1,500+ trucks, graders & backhoes/loaders
• 1,000+ chainsaws
• 8,000+ barricades & signs

Cellphone Provider Coverage

Cellphone providers are working to fix the damage and coverage issues caused by the storm and get stopgap solutions, such as temporary cell phone towers, in place and rapid progress is being made. Restoring communications is critical to saving lives, finding where people are and getting in supplies, and Governor Cooper been in constant contact with cellphone companies urging action and offering support. Please turn your cell phone off and restart it periodically to allow it to reconnect when a network is reestablished.

Fatalities

Fifty-six storm-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina by Office of Chief Medical Examiner. We do expect that these numbers will continue to rise over the coming days. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will continue to confirm numbers twice daily. If you have an emergency or believe that someone is in danger, please call 911. To report that you have been unable to reach a person in Western North Carolina, please call 211.

North Carolina National Guard Deployed

Gov. Cooper has activated more than 1000 North Carolina National Guard soldiers and airmen to both conduct search and rescue operations and deliver critical supplies to Western North Carolina. As of Wednesday, 300 specialized vehicles and aircraft have been deployed in Western North Carolina to facilitate these missions.

Volunteers and Donations

As of Wednesday morning, the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund has raised $2.3 million dollars to help those in Western North Carolina.

Due to dangerous road conditions, and the need to maintain open routes for emergency operations, travel to Western North Carolina is strongly discouraged. Instead, consider the following options for donations and volunteer opportunities:

Storm Damage Cleanup

If your home has damages and you need assistance with clean up, please call Crisis Cleanup for access to volunteer organizations that can assist you at 844-965-1386.

Major Disaster Declaration and FEMA Assistance

President Biden approved Governor Cooper’s request for an expedited request declaring a Major Disaster for 25 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This declaration paves the way for Public Assistance to help our hard-hit local governments, as well as access to FEMA’s Individual Assistance program.

FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs. Homeowners and renters in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians can apply.

North Carolinians may apply for Individual Assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 from 7am to 11pm daily or by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov, or by downloading the FEMA app.

Additional Assistance

There is no right or wrong way to feel in response to the trauma of a hurricane. If you have been impacted by the storm and need someone to talk to, call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. Help is also available to anyone, anytime in English or Spanish through a call, text or chat to 988. Learn more at 988Lifeline.org.

If you are seeking a representative from the North Carolina Joint Information Center, please email ncempio@ncdps.gov or call 919-825-2599.

If you would like general information, access to resources, or answers to frequently asked questions, please visit ncdps.gov/helene.

If you are seeking information on resources for recovery help for a resident impacted from the storm, please email IArecovery@ncdps.gov.

Written Pool Report of Briefing Provided by Adam Wagner, Raleigh News & Observer

Air Force One landed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport around 4:21 pm.

President Joe Biden and Gov. Roy Cooper disembarked about 10 minutes later.

They were joined by U.S. Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, EPA Administrator Michael Regan and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

They were met on the tarmac by a reception line that included Congresswoman Deborah Ross, NC Attorney General Josh Stein, NC State Auditor Jessica Holmes, Morrisville Mayor TJ Crawley, Raleigh Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Melton, Durham Mayor Leo Williams and Wake County Commission Chairwoman Shnica Thomas.

Everyone drove to the N.C. Emergency Operations Center, where a briefing was assembled in the situation room. Biden sat with Cooper on his right and Mayorkas to Cooper's right. N.C. Emergency Management Director Will Ray on Biden's left and Regan to the left of Ray. Behind them, screens showed several maps of North Carolina. In front of them were gathered numerous members of North Carolina's emergency management team, including several members of the National Guard.

Cooper discussed the damage, saying Hurricane Helene had wiped towns "off the map, bridges damaged or completely destroyed, critical infrastructure and water systems, electrical grids, communications all remain seriously damaged. Countless homes and businesses that are lost.

He continued, "An entire region of our state is still in a dangerous situation."

Cooper then said 92 search and rescue teams have saved "countless" lives before thanking the 18 states that have sent assistance to North Carolina. Cooper also said North Carolina is "grateful" for Biden and FEMA's aid.

"This is going to be a long and difficult recovery, but talking with person after person in Western North Carolina, I know that we can come back and that we will come back because the people of Western North Carolina are resilient," Cooper said.

Cooper then called on "my friend" before turning it over to Biden.

Biden also thanked Cooper, a Democrat; South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican; and "all the elected officials who have focused on the task at a hand. In a moment like this, we put politics aside. Or at least we should put it all aside, and we have here. There are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans. And our job is to hep as many people as we can as quickly as we can and as thoroughly as we can."

Wednesday, Biden said, he'd approved a request from Cooper for the federal government to cover all of the costs of debris removal for the next six months. Cooper then led a round of applause.

Biden said there are 70 dead North Carolinians and a hundred more who are still missing. From the air, Biden said, he could see damaged homes that had clearly been washed downstream. Chimney Rock, he said, was "reduced to piles of wood and debris. As you look down, that's what you see as we flew over in a circle in the helicopter."

Biden also discussed his order that the Department of Defense move up to 1,000 soldiers from Fort Liberty up tp participate in the disaster response. Biden also said 50 StarLink satellites have been deployed, with more on the way. And FEMA is making hotel rooms and temporary housing available to victims of the storm.

Biden then said that in the car from the airport to the Emergency Operations Center, he'd been discussing how the storm is showing how neighbors can help each other in the wake of disaster.

"Volunteers, first responders are standing side by side. People lean on each other to pick up the pieces that are left over and that's the best of America. I firmly believe and I've been saying it and saying it and saying it for three years, there's nothing beyond our capacity to do -- nothing, nothing, nothing. This is the United States of America for God's sake. Whenever we've worked together, we've never failed to get something done," Biden said before thanking first responders.

Ray then welcomed Biden before giving an operational update on Helene's impacts.

Ray said "extreme and unrelenting" rain caused the damage to Western North Carolina. There are about 350,000 remaining power outages in Western North Carolina, Ray said. The storm caused flash flood emergencies in 21 different Western North Carolina. Ray said North Carolina is focused on life safety missions, increasing the speed of commodity distribution in Western NC and helping with infrastructure like healthcare, water, power and communications.

There are 26 open shelters in counties with just over 1,200 occupants.

There are North Carolina search and rescue teams operating, along with 13 from other states and 18 from the federal government, Ray said. There have been more than 5,000 search and rescue "interactions" which can include rescues, evacuations or shelter assessments.

"The teams continue to do really incredible work in some pretty austere conditions," Ray said.

North Carolina has 26 aircraft in the area that have lifted over 700,000 ponds of cargo into the region.

Ray also said that more than 33,000 North Carolinians have applied for FEMA Individual Assistance programs.

The open press section of the meeting lasted about 17 minutes.

The full briefing ended around 5:50 pm.

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