RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Search and rescue operations are ongoing in Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene. Governor Roy Cooper announced Saturday that more than 200 individuals had been rescued from floodwaters. “This is a historic and catastrophic storm for Western North Carolina, and I’m grateful to first responders working right now to save lives and evacuate residents,” Cooper said.… Continue Reading
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Patients and their caregivers were rescued from a Tennessee hospital’s roof after flooding caused by Hurricane Helene drove them from the building’s interior and conditions made rescue efforts difficult. The dramatic scene Friday afternoon at Unicoi County Hospital near the North Carolina border was one of several that played out across the Deep South in Helene’s wake. Flooding caused by Helene’s storm surge and rain sent thousands of police officers, firefighters, National Guard members and others on rescue missions. Hundreds were saved, but at least 40 died. Five deaths happened near St. Petersburg, Florida, when residents ignored evacuation warnings and got trapped by an eight-foot storm surge.… Continue Reading