Desperate residents of the storm-battered mountains of western North Carolina lined up for water and food, hunted for cellphone signals and slogged buckets from creeks to flush toilets days after remnants deluged the region. Emergency workers toiled around the clock to clear roads, restore power and phone service, and reach people stranded by the storm, which has a death toll of more than 150 people across the Southeast.
President Joe Biden is set to survey the devastation Wednesday.
Follow AP鈥檚 coverage of tropical weather at .
Here鈥檚 the latest:
2 North Carolina quartz facilities shut down with no reopening date in sight
Two North Carolina facilities that manufacture the high-purity quartz used for making semiconductors, solar panels and fiber-optic cables have been by Helene.
Sibelco and The Quartz Corp both shut down operations in the Appalachian town of Spruce Pine on Thursday ahead of the storm. The town is home to mines that produce some of the world鈥檚 highest quality quartz.
Since the storm, both companies have issued statements saying that their top priorities are making sure their employees are safe. Sibelco says some employees are 鈥渦nreachable due to ongoing power outages and communication challenges.鈥�
Kirk becomes a hurricane and could strengthen into a major storm
Kirk became a hurricane in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday. The storm could strengthen into a major hurricane by Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm was about 1,070 miles (1,720 kilometers) west of the Cabo Verde Island with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).
There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not yet deemed a threat to land.
UNC-Asheville won't restart classes until the end of the month
The University of North Carolina at Asheville will remain closed until Oct. 14 and will not restart classes until Oct. 28 at the earliest in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the school's chancellor said in a social media post Tuesday.
While the public university in western North Carolina鈥檚 largest city received minimal structural damage from the historic flooding and winds, it鈥檚 lacked electricity, running water and internet service since last Friday, Chancellor Kimberly van Noort鈥檚 post said.
The liberal arts and sciences school has about 3,000 students. About 1,300 students were on campus when the storm hit. All of them were relocated within 72 hours, the post said.
Classes at two other UNC campuses in the region struck by the storm 鈥� Appalachian State University in Boone and Western Carolina University 鈥� are canceled through Friday.
Biden will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday
There, he鈥檒l visit the emergency operations center. Also on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Augusta, Georgia, and then head to North Carolina in the 鈥渃oming days,鈥� White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also said close to 6,000 Army Corps of Engineers staffers have been deployed. He estimated the recovery would be a 鈥渕ultibillion dollar undertaking.鈥� He said FEMA had already approved $1.7 million in individual assistance.
Gov. Cooper says active-duty military units may be needed in the long term
Active-duty U.S. military units may be needed in the long-term post-Helene recovery in western North Carolina, particularly as local water systems remain offline, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.
Cooper said Tuesday at a media briefing that during a meeting with Biden on Monday the president 鈥済ave the green light鈥� to use U.S. military assets in the near future.
More than two dozen water plants remained closed as of Tuesday and not producing water. That includes Asheville, where city officials have said restoring full-system service could potentially take weeks as repairs needed for treatment facilities and pipes are extensive.
鈥淲e know that this crisis will likely be a sustained crisis because of water system issues,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淪o we know that this is going to have to be a continuing operation. So I want to make sure we get every single resource that we possibly can into North Carolina for what may be a long haul to make sure that we鈥檙e continuing to get water and supplies all across western North Carolina.鈥�
The North Carolina National Guard already has a large presence in the region in the storm鈥檚 aftermath, with 800 members activated. More than 20 guard aircraft have been used to ferry supplies and perform other duties.
Homeland Security secretary discusses cellphone problems
鈥淚n fact, communication has been difficult in a number of areas if not impossible,鈥� Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday while talking about the federal response to Hurricane Helene.
He said a great deal of infrastructure has been demolished and the government is working with private communications companies and the FCC to rebuild communications towers. He said they have deployed 50 Starlink satellite systems to help rebuild infrastructure.
Hurricane Helene鈥檚 death toll passes the 150 mark
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday that the remnants of Hurricane Helene killed 36 people in the state, pushing the storm鈥檚 overall death toll to 152.
McMaster announced three more deaths during a news conference in West Columbia, South Carolina.
The storm carved a path of death and destruction through the Southeast after coming ashore Thursday in Florida. Nearly half of the deaths were in North Carolina, while dozens of others were in South Carolina and Georgia.
More than 587,000 customers remained without power Tuesday afternoon in South Carolina, the most of any state, according to . That was down from more than 720,000 homes and businesses on Monday afternoon.
Officials said parts of the power grid have to be rebuilt due to the toppling of dozens of transmission lines and the snapping of thousands of power poles.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 remove trees and debris off the power lines until we get the power lines turned off,鈥� McMaster said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the thing that is hindering, but we are working hard to work through that.鈥�
Florida's governor deploys emergency resources to North Carolina and Tennessee
With rescue efforts completed in the state of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Helene, Gov. Ron DeSantis has deployed emergency resources to North Carolina and Tennessee, where officials are still searching for victims amid the mud and debris.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, DeSantis said members of the Florida National Guard, Florida State Guard and teams from the state鈥檚 departments of transportation and emergency management are either on site in hard-hit mountain communities or enroute there.
鈥淛ust yesterday, a joint Florida State Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission team rescued a mother and her 1-year-old infant,鈥� DeSantis said.
In the past 24 hours, DeSantis said the state National Guard has delivered more than 20,000 pounds (9,070 kilograms) of food into areas of critical need in North Carolina and bridge building teams are on their way.
Tennessee governor flies to East Tennessee with top lawmakers to survey storm damage
At one of the stops Tuesday in Hampton, Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee pulled into a residential neighborhood overlooking the demolished high school.
Several residents in the area greeted the cars, saying Lee and others were the first help they had seen since the storm first hit the area. A handful of folks got heated, asking Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby, 鈥淲here has everyone been?鈥� At times Woodby got emotional as she attempted to respond to each complaint, saying she had been trying to get everywhere but communications were still down and still unable to be everywhere at once.
Lee and other lawmakers stopped by destroyed homes, stepping inside to see owners removing wet and ruined flooring. Many hugged and thanked the governor and others for visiting. Orange tape marked many of the homes to note that everyone had been accounted for and not among the many missing.
The paved roads in the neighborhood were in shambles as mud seemed to cake just about everything from cars, clothing and faces. Yet the sounds of Bobcats and other heavy equipment were present as cleanup efforts continued.
North Carolina governor says, 鈥業f you need help, we are working around the clock to reach you鈥�
Cooper and other government officials told residents displaced by Hurricane Helene and those worried about loved ones that a massive effort continued Tuesday to bring stability to the mountains 鈥� and to their lives.
鈥淣o matter where you are in western North Carolina, if you need help, we are working around the clock to reach you,鈥� Cooper said at a media briefing in Raleigh.
The state Division of Emergency Management confirmed 38 storm-related deaths in North Carolina from Helene, with the number expected to rise.
鈥淭he devastation brought by Helene is beyond belief. Communities were wiped off the map,鈥� Cooper said. He planned to return the damaged areas later Tuesday.
More than 1,100 people were staying in close to 30 shelters in the region, with over 400 roads still closed and hundreds of rescues completed, officials said. First responders and others were working to locate people whose loved ones or friends had not heard from or needed welfare checks.
The National Guard ferried close to 200,000 pounds (90,700 kilograms) of food and other necessities out of the Asheville Regional Airport on Monday, North Carolina guard Major General Todd Hunt said.
Residents told to register for assistance with FEMA
Officials called on people affected by Hurricane Helene to register for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as they cautioned that it would be a long, recovery from the storm.
A representative from FEMA, Frank Matranga, said more than 150,000 households had already registered for assistance with the agency and they expect 鈥渢hese numbers to rapidly increase over the coming days.鈥�
Matranga listed some of the federal help that鈥檚 deployed including 1,250 urban search and rescue personnel; 1.9 million ready-to-eat meals; more than a million liters of water; 95,000 tarps; and 150 ambulances. He said those supplies will increase in the coming days as affected states continue to tell the agency what they need.
鈥淭his is, without a doubt, a widespread and extraordinarily devastating disaster,鈥� said Matranga. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to support the response across all of the affected states and do that with empathy and sensitivity. We鈥檙e committed to being there every step of the way, and it鈥檚 going to be a long way.鈥�
In Augusta, Georgia, people wait in line for water
In Augusta, Georgia, a line wrapped around a massive shopping center, past the shuttered Waffle House and at least a half mile down the road to get water Tuesday.
At 11 a.m. it still hadn鈥檛 moved. Kristie Nelson arrived with her daughter three hours earlier. It was a muggy morning for October but they had their windows down and the car turned off because gas is a precious commodity too.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been rough,鈥� said Nelson, who still hasn鈥檛 gotten a firm date from the power company for her electricity to be restored. 鈥淚鈥檓 just dying for a hot shower.鈥�
Augusta and Richmond County have five centers for water set up for it鈥檚 more than 200,000 people. The city hasn鈥檛 provided specifics on the durations of outages for both water and power.
All around the city, trees are snapped in half and power poles are leaning. Traffic lights are out 鈥� and some are just gone from the winds that hit in the dark early Friday morning from Hurricane Helene.
Some 1.4 million people across the three states remain without electricity around noon Tuesday, according to power .
鈥淚t鈥檚 miserable here,鈥� said David Reese who was probably looking at spending his entire day in a line for water, then for gas. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 still feeling blessed. I鈥檝e heard it鈥檚 a lot worse other places.鈥�
Buncombe County manager says they've checked on the welfare of roughly 150 residents with 鈥榟igh needs鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e been going door to door, making sure that we can put eyes on people and see if they鈥檙e safe,鈥� Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said.
Pinder said she couldn鈥檛 specify a number of county residents who remain 鈥渦naccounted for鈥� since the storm.
鈥淲e know that there are places that are still hard to access,鈥� Pinder said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 still trees down or power lines down or water is still moving rather rapidly. So we鈥檙e being strategic in trying to get out to those neighbors now. We have helicopter support, and we鈥檝e been trying to fly into areas that we cannot go by foot or by boat or by car.鈥�
Helene and other storms dumped a whopping 40 trillion gallons of rain on the South
More than 40 trillion gallons of rain drenched the Southeast United States in the last week from Hurricane Helene and a run-of-the-mill rainstorm that sloshed in ahead of it 鈥� an unheard of amount of water that has stunned experts.
That鈥檚 enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys鈥� stadium 51,000 times, or Lake Tahoe just once. If it was concentrated just on the state of North Carolina that much water would be 3.5 feet deep (more than 1 meter). It鈥檚 enough to fill more than 60 million Olympic-size swimming pools.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 an astronomical amount of precipitation,鈥� said Ed Clark, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 鈥淚 have not seen something in my 25 years of working at the weather service that is this geographically large of an extent and the sheer volume of water that fell from the sky.鈥�
The Associated Press
