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Although hundreds of people remain missing from Hurricane Helene, authorities hope to find survivors.
Hurricane Helene has left at least 155 dead in the southeastern United States , according to the latest toll compiled Tuesday by AFP from statements by local authorities.
In North Carolina , where President Joe Biden will visit on Wednesday, at least 74 deaths have been recorded ; in South Carolina, 36 ; in Georgia, 25 ; in Florida, 14 ; in Tennessee, four ; and in Virginia, two.
Emergency personnel continue to work on Tuesday to restore electricity and water service in the region.
Although hundreds of people remain missing , authorities hope to find survivors once mobile phone signals return.
Hurricane Helene death toll could rise
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he expects the death toll in his state to rise and that “the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene is unbelievable. Communities have been wiped off the map.”
Copper called the challenges the state will face “enormous,” particularly in western counties like Buncombe, by far the hardest hit with 57 deaths.
Helene struck Florida’s northern Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday night, packing winds of up to 140 mph (225 km/h).
Although it weakened, the trail of destruction that began on the coast extended up to 800 kilometers inland.
The storm, which comes just weeks before the US presidential election, became politicised when Trump accused President Joe Biden’s administration in Georgia on Monday of “not responding”, a claim that the government immediately refuted.
Scientists say climate change likely plays a role in the rapid intensification of hurricanes.
Asked about it, President Biden on Monday attributed Helene’s devastation to that very theory: “Absolutely, categorically, unequivocally, yes, yes, yes,” he said.
