The Death Toll Continues to Rise, NC Has Largest Number of Deaths

(CNN) — The death toll from Helene has risen to at least 166 people across six states, according to CNN’s tally, after four more deaths were announced in Henderson County, North Carolina.

Helene is the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the US mainland in the past 50 years, following Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,833 people in 2005.

Here’s the breakdown of deaths from Helene by state:

  • North Carolina: 77
  • South Carolina: 36
  • Georgia: 25
  • Florida: 17
  • Tennessee: 9
  • Virginia: 2

Power Outages Continue to Hamper Communications in NC

It been five days since Helene roared through parts of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic and more than 1.3 million homes and businesses in the deadly storm’s path are still without power.

A majority of these outages are in the western Carolinas where Helene caused “unprecedented destruction,” according to the region’s power provider Duke Energy.

“Major portions of the power grid… were simply wiped away,” the utility wrote in a Monday statement.

It’s going to be a long road to recovery. About half of the power outages caused by Helene in upstate South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina, will require “a significant repair or complete rebuild of the electricity infrastructure that powers this region,” a Duke Energy statement said Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands of people are also still without power in Georgia and outages linger in Florida, Virginia and West Virginia.

Here’s where the outages stand as of 8 a.m.:

  • South Carolina: 493,000+
  • Georgia: 373,000+
  • North Carolina: 347,000+
  • Virginia: 44,000+
  • Florida: 40,000+
  • West Virginia: 10,000+

 

How Should You Talk to Your Children and Young Patients About What is Happening

Elizabeth Hudgins, Executive Director of the North Carolina Pediatric Society shares some helpful websites with advice for young people:

AAP Parenting Resources – Information providers can share with families

AAP Provider Resources

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