Crews have airlifted emergency food and water into remote North Carolina towns that were cut off and devastated as tropical storm Helene turned the western part of the state into a “post-apocalyptic” landscape.
A hurricane when it slammed into the Florida Gulf coast on Thursday, Helene tore a destructive path through southeastern US states, ripping up roads, tossing homes about and severing lines of communication.
The storm killed more than 100 people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.
The death toll is expected to rise once rescue teams reach isolated towns and emergency telecommunications assets come online.
Throughout North Carolina, some 300 roads were closed, more than 7,000 people have registered for United States Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, and the National Guard was flying 1,000 tonnes of food and water to remote areas by plane and helicopter, officials told a news briefing.
Among the demolished towns was the tiny hamlet of Bat Cave, about 100 miles (160km) …