U.S. Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) — who has been assisting with rescue and aid efforts in areas most affected by Hurricane Helene — expects that bodies will continue to be recovered for several weeks due to the large number of landslides in remote Appalachian communities. The official death toll is approaching 250 as of Sunday, October 5, while hundreds remain missing, particularly in Western North Carolina. Hurricane Helene is already the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Hurricane Katrina destroyed large parts of the gulf coast in 2005.
At the conclusion of rescue efforts on October 3, Mills reported that he was able to speak with a fire chief in one of the hard-hit communities that is only accessibly by air. “He unfortunately reported that they had four fatalities, two more that is unaccounted for, that washed down the river, and he believes that they’re going to be recovering bodies for the next couple of months due to the amount of landslide that was in the area,” Mills said.
“We were able to get to Burnsville, do a couple of health and welfare checks, get into Asheville, do more of our actual supply distribution. Proud to say that at this point…
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