Governor Roy Cooper gives Helene relief briefing at Asheville airport: 'so much more to do'

The cleanup and response to Helene, which killed at least 230 people continued Monday, while Milton strengthened rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane on a path toward Florida, the same area battered by Helene less than two weeks ago.

More than 130,000 customers in western North Carolina were still without electricity Monday.

More than 1,600 local and state search-and-rescue team members have been joined by about 1,700 members of the state National Guard, according to Gov. Roy Cooper's office.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said Monday that an additional 500 active-duty troops have been deployed to North Carolina. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said troops with advanced technological assets will be arriving, bringing the total number of active-duty forces to about 1,500. The troops are bringing surveillance equipment to allow officials to get a better overview of the region.

Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said search-and-rescue aircraft were flying 10-hour sorties providing wellness checks, medical care and evacuations. He called the military's operations the "most important and honorable mission for us, which is to help fellow citizens."

Cooper said more than 50 water systems were destroyed or impaired by the storm and that the pace of restoring service varies by community. He said he couldn't give a specific timeline but said the process might take longer in Asheville and Buncombe County, where at least six dozen people died.

"It's still going to be a while," he said.

Cooper also visited the towns of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure in Rutherford County, which both experienced devastating damage.

"We're going to help western North Carolina come back," Cooper said as he stood with Lake Lure's mayor, Carol Pritchett. "It's too important to our economy, to our state, not to do it."

- The Associated Press contributed.

North Carolina Emergency Management is asking western North Carolina residents and those wishing to donate to Helene recovery efforts to make sure they are using trusted sources of information.

"Since response to this disaster began, we have seen neighbors stepping up to take care of neighbors in a tremendous way," said North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray. "County and municipal governments are often the best sources of up-to-date daily information regarding life-saving supplies, needs and humanitarian services being stood up in these local communities."

According to NCEM, this is the best way to get information on meal sites, points of distribution for commodities, and specific donation needs for counties. A list of reliable sources of local information and resources for each affected North Carolina county is available here.
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NCEM recommends following municipal and county governments on Facebook and other social media channels for the latest local information. Other trusted sources may include local law enforcement agencies and fire departments, chambers of commerce, established local and regional nonprofits, and churches active in providing humanitarian relief efforts.

Local radio stations are also helping get the word out about legitimate aid efforts. For those who do not have electricity or internet, local radio stations are also working to distribute up-to-date information to the communities they serve. A full list of radio stations broadcasting in western North Carolina can be found here.

You can also find general information regarding North Carolina's Helene response, relief and recovery effort here.

You can also help people affected by Hurricane Helene here. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. Donate now at redcross.org/abc.

In hard-hit Yancey County, crews continue to try to reach those deeply affected by Helene's path of destruction.

Devin Burgin knows these roads like the back of his hand.

"When we got out into the areas, we realized how much water and how much damage it truly done, and it was terrifying," Burgin said. "We didn't expect that at all."

Burgin, a volunteer firefighter is facing the toughest challenge of his life.

"What you're looking at, this whole field was completely underwater," Burgin told ABC11. There's a car over there."

Burgin pointed to a field that became a river as his crews worked to reach people trapped in a home across a broken bridge.

In hard-hit Yancey County, crews continue to try to reach those deeply affected by Helene's path of destruction.

"We was able to get to them through this field once it had drained down a little bit," Burgin said.

In and around Burnsville, more bridges were gone, homes destroyed, lives lost.

Burgin has been working nonstop for nine days

"I've seen mortal destruction, houses completely gone, places where if you weren't from here, you wouldn't know there was a house at one point in time," he said.

The toughest call of them all was the one that hit closest to home.

"My step-grandma and grandpa, they had lost their house, and she did not make it out due to a landslide, but he had crawled out of his house," Burgin said. "It was mortal destruction."

He personally rescued his grandpa Ray but his grandma Susan was gone.

She was a great, kind woman," he said. "She loved to make things and do arts and crafts."

But even as he deals with grief and loss, Burgin realizes that his heartbroken community needs him even more.

"I realize I just got to power through my own battles to try and make sure everyone else is OK," he said.

As for his grandfather Ray, he is OK, just torn up and shaken up but visiting family in Winston-Salem. It remains a long road ahead for this family and the greater community in Burnsville and Yancey County.

Top North Carolina lawmakers are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use a Greensboro undocumented migrant facility to support relief efforts in western North Carolina.

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-NC, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, led Republican members of North Carolina's Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on "the urgent need to operationalize" the Greensboro Children's Center (GCC) for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.

The lawmakers wrote in part, "As you may know, Health and Human Services currently operates GCC as an Influx Care Facility meant to house and support unaccompanied alien children (UAC) in the case of an emergency. However, in June 2024, HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at the Administration for Children & Families (ACF) announced that GCC has "ramped down its operations to facility upkeep.

"Based on our understanding of this facility, we think that it could be incredibly useful in supporting the people of western North Carolina as the region recovers from Hurricane Helene," the lawmakers continued. "For example, GCC could be used to temporarily house those displaced by the storm or to serve as a staging area for aid workers stationed in the state."

The letter was also signed by Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, and Reps. Chuck Edwards, David Rouzer, Dan Bishop, Virginia Foxx, Greg Murphy, and Patrick McHenry.

"Our delegation is grateful for the work that has been done by your agencies so far to assist the people of North Carolina. However, much more can and should be done to expediently aid those whose lives have been upended by this storm. We believe operationalizing GCC for the purposes of aid and recovery is an effective way to do so," the lawmakers added.

Read the full letter here