Distressing images show a group of Hurricane Helene survivors submerged in chest-deep water inside a destroyed house as they wait to be rescued.
Unidentified people were filmed at the flooded home in Hendersonville, North Carolina, late last week, remaining completely silent.
A woman was seen holding her cat, while another survivor kept a dog afloat.
Overturned furniture floats silently around Helene’s victims, as the camera pans outward to show deep water as far as the eye can see.
Images were captured of the group of people inside what remained of a home in the city of Hendersonville.
Another photo shows a woman holding her cat. The room is completely silent with no one talking.
The camera pans to show the exterior of the property which, like the interior, is devastatingly flooded.
The fierce storm hit the southeast of the country and has left communities isolated and devastated.
On Thursday, the death toll reached 200 and could rise further as searchers continue their path to the hardest-to-reach places.
Many remain missing and it is unclear whether they have died or simply remain in areas where communications networks and public services have not yet been restored.
Now it’s mostly the mountains of western North Carolina, where the storm washed out roads and knocked out water, power and cell phone service.
Deaths have also been reported in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, in addition to the Carolinas.
The grim toll rose after officials in Georgia and North Carolina updated their numbers, making Helene the deadliest storm since Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005.
Power is slowly being restored as the number of homes and businesses fell below one million for the first time since last weekend.
Most blackouts occur in the Carolinas and Georgia, where Helene crashed after passing over Florida’s Gulf Coast. on September 26 as a Category 4 hurricane.
In remote mountain areas, helicopters flew the stranded to safety while search teams moved fallen trees so they could search door-to-door for survivors.
Cars remain submerged in a flooded area at a used tire dealership after Tropical Storm Helene in Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA, on September 27.
Marisol Juárez and her children stand in front of her family’s destroyed mobile home, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Hendersonville.
Dave Marshall, executive pastor of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, said the level of destruction left him “totally shocked.”
He said: ‘Nobody was prepared. We are shocked and devastated. Everyone knows a friend or family member who has lost a loved one.’
According to the National Guard, there are more than 6,700 Army and Air National Guard members from 16 states now assisting with cleanup and rescue efforts.
President Joe Biden toured parts of North Carolina, including Asheville, which was devastated by extreme weather, earlier this week.
President Biden said the federal government would cover 100 percent of all emergency and debris removal efforts in North Carolina for six months.
Debris is seen here after the storm hit Asheville, leaving the area devastated.
He said he would do the same in Georgia and Florida over the next 90 days, and the US Homeland Security Chief warned that if another storm hit they would be hard-pressed to help.
Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters earlier this week: “FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) does not have the funds to get through the season.”
Outrage is now mounting after it emerged that FEMA spent $640 to support migrants in fiscal year 2024.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted on
While former President Donald Trump posted on X in response to a report on FEMA spending saying: ‘WTF.’