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WASHINGTON – National Guard troops flew families from flooded communities in North Carolina as federal authorities rushed to help those hit hardest by Helene on Monday, sending thousands of relief workers to the southeastern states.

According to North Carolina National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Ellis Parks, personnel rescued 324 residents through aerial evacuations as of Monday morning following devastating flooding in the western part of the state.

Among those brought to safety by helicopter: an infant, a dementia patient and others in need of hospital care.

The North Carolina Guardsmen were supported by personnel and helicopters from states including Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, Parks said Monday. The National Guard flew 100,000 pounds of water and food.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was in “surge” mode, deploying 3,500 employees to work with local, state and federal officials. Another 1,200 conducted search and rescue missions in the hardest-hit areas of North Carolina and Tennessee, a senior FEMA official told USA TODAY.

Helene peaked as a Category 4 storm and then dropped massive amounts of water on the mountains between eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, destroying homes, businesses, roads and bridges. Up to 600 people were still missing on Monday, said President Joe Biden.

More: Epic Flooding in North Carolina's 'Own Hurricane Katrina'

In a statement Monday afternoon, Biden acknowledged the enormous scope of the evolving federal effort to provide drinking water, food, electricity and working toilets — as well as reopening roads and clearing downed trees and power lines.

“I have directed my team to make every available federal resource available to communities affected by Hurricane Helene as quickly as possible,” Biden said, adding that he is “expeditiously approving every emergency declaration request he has received from the states and FEMA and Small Business Management Teams are helping residents whose homes or businesses have been destroyed or damaged.

Federal search and rescue teams, Biden said, “worked side by side with state and local partners in treacherous conditions to find those missing. “They will not rest until everyone is held accountable.”

In a speech at the White House, Biden added that up to 600 people were still missing and promised devastated communities that help was on the way and “the nation has your back.”

FEMA is moving teams across the Southeast

FEMA Deputy Assistant Administrator Lucas Hitt told USA TODAY that the agency is sending aid to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. “We continue to move people and resources between states to where there is need, as needed,” Hitt said.

“There's a lot of damage in a lot of places, there's a lot of people with a lot of needs, and we're going to be dealing with this for some time,” Hitt said. “We’ll stick with it as long as it takes.”

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was on site in North Carolina on Monday after visiting Georgia on Sunday, surveying the damage with Gov. Roy Cooper.

Criswell will remain on site in North Carolina, the state with the most known damage, until the situation stabilizes, FEMA said.

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After Helene's destruction, recovery efforts resume

The Southeast is still searching for hundreds of missing people after Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction.

Here are some of the FEMA-supported efforts in North Carolina and elsewhere in the Southeast as flooding receded in some areas, showing the extent of the damage, estimated at billions of dollars:

  • The Coast Guard provides critical search and rescue capabilities.
  • The Department of Defense has deployed flood trucks and airlift support, using both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft to transport personnel and supplies to western North Carolina and Tennessee.
  • The Army Corps of Engineers provides technical assistance for infrastructure repairs.
  • The Department of Health deployed disaster response teams to Asheville, North Carolina, to support overwhelmed local health care capacity.
  • NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, used its satellites to provide an aerial view of the extent of the destruction in parts of Florida, it said in a post on hard-hit locations.

Hitt and other FEMA officials said Monday that federal agencies, private sector, nonprofit and faith-based organizations were responding “to major disasters” in five states – Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“Each of these states is at different stages of their response and recovery efforts. However, all states are dealing with impacts, including impassable roads, disruptions to communications and water systems, and power outages,” FEMA said in an update posted on its website.

FEMA disaster declarations approved by Biden

By Monday, Biden had approved major disaster declarations for Florida and North Carolina, giving survivors immediate access to funds and resources to boost their recovery.

People in 17 counties in Florida and 25 counties in North Carolina, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, can now apply for assistance from FEMA, its website said.

There are three ways to apply: online at the disasterassistance.gov website, by phone at 1-800-621-3362, or through the FEMA app.

FEMA assistance in Florida and North Carolina could also include advance funding to help with essential items such as food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies. Funds may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as to provide assistance in finding temporary housing.

Emergency declarations remained in effect for Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA can provide support for urgent disaster response efforts.

“We have generators, we have ambulances, we have trailers and distribution centers full of meals,” Hitt told USA TODAY. “That's what we do. This is our business. And we will continue to support the people in the affected states for as long as it is necessary.”

On By John Fenwick

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