by Nicholas Ballasy
Supplies are being airlifted to local communities devastated by Hurricane Helene with the death toll surpassing 100.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the death toll would rise as rescue crews and other emergency responders arrive in areas isolated from the storm.
One rescue effort north of Asheville involved saving 41 residents while a separate rescue operation saved a baby.
North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Todd Hunt said rescue workers were responding to 911 calls and social media messages.
Deaths have also occurred in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia as a result of Helene, which made landfall Thursday night at Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane, according to the Associated Press.
Helene, with winds as high as 140 mph, diminished in strength as it moved north and was downgraded to a tropical storm, but continued to drop record-amounts of rain throughout the southwest.
Authorities have warned that the rebuilding effort after Helene will be lengthy and costly.
President Joe Biden said he would likely visit devastated areas later this week.
The White House said Vice President Kamala Harris will also travel to those areas “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.”
GOP president nominee former President Donald Trump plan to go to Georgia this week.
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Just the News Senior Correspondent Nicholas Ballasy has been breaking news for more than a decade in the nation’s capital and questioning political leaders about the most pressing issues facing the nation. Since 2008, Ballasy has interviewed former President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Donald Trump, Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. John McCain, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and more.
