Summary

  • President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have been visiting some of the areas worst-hit by Storm Helene after it battered south-eastern states last week

  • The latest count suggests 180 people have been killed, with hundreds more missing, according to the BBC's US partner CBS

  • Biden is in North Carolina, where almost half the known deaths occurred and where six months' worth of rain fell in a matter of days

  • Meanwhile, Harris is in badly-affected Georgia after Donald Trump visited on Monday - it's one of the key swing states that could decide the result of the presidential election

Helene's devastating impact in 100 seconds

Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Wilson in Washington DC, with Rebecca Hartmann and Brandon Drenon in North Carolina

  1. Death toll rises to 175

    At least 175 people are now known to have been killed by Hurricane Helene, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

    Hundreds of others remain missing, with search and rescue teams struggling to reach remote areas.

  2. Trailer park residents escaped flooding by boat

    Carl Nasman
    Reporting from North Carolina

    Destruction caused by Hurricane HeleneCarl Nasman / BBC

    We recently visited a trailer park just outside Boone, a town about 100 miles (160km) north-west of the city of Charlotte.

    Water here rose as high as five feet (1.5m).

    Nearly all the trailers have now been condemned.

    Many residents escaped by boat.

  3. Destruction in some areas 'could not be survived'

    Buncombe County in North Carolina was one of the hardest hit regions.

    We've just heard an update from the county manager, Avril Pinder, who said the confirmed death toll there is now 57 people.

    "The devastation in our community is heart wrenching," she said, adding that it was now day six of search and rescue and people were still being saved.

    But she adds, "in some areas, this level of destruction could not be survived".

  4. Homes destroyed and roads collapsed as recovery effort continues

    These pictures from Tuesday show the extent of the damage to the Swannanoa and Black Mountain areas of North Carolina.

    Search-and-rescue efforts continue, and aid deliveries have been made by airdrops and mules. The government has said the clear-up effort could take years.

    Members of the Illinois Water Rescue One team search through debris for survivors in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North CarolinaGetty Images
    Debris is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North CarolinaGetty Images
    : A partially collapsed road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Black Mountain, North CarolinaGetty Images
    : A flood destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Black Mountain, North CarolinGetty Images

  5. Biden sends 1,000 troops to North Carolina

    The president's trip to some of the worst-hit areas by Helene comes after he ordered 1,000 troops to be deployed to North Carolina to help with emergency response efforts.

    "These soldiers will speed up the delivery of life-saving supplies of food, water, and medicine to isolated communities in North Carolina," the president said in a statement.

    More than 4,800 federal personnel have already been sent to the region to help states respond to the storm.

  6. How Helene unfolded

    • It made landfall last Thursday in Florida's Big Bend region as a category four hurricane - before moving north
    • Neighbouring states - North Carolina and Georgia in particular - were devastated by the conditions, with businesses and homes destroyed, and millions left without power and water for days
    • An emergency official in Georgia's Buncombe County has said the state experienced "biblical devastation"
    • South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia have also recorded deaths due to the hurricane, which went on to be downgraded to a tropical storm
    • At least 162 are known to have died and hundreds more are unaccounted for; multiple search and rescue operations are under way and supplies have had to be airlifted to areas cut off by road closures
    • The extent of the damage is still being assessed but the US government has warned that clear-up efforts could take years in some areas - President Biden and Vice-President Harris are due in North Carolina and Georgia in the next few hours
    Map showing trajectory of Helene

  7. Where are the president and VP headed?

    President Joe Biden's first stop this afternoon will be Greenville, South Carolina, where thousands remain without power.

    He'll then do an aerial tour of the region before arriving in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    Helene began as a hurricane - the most powerful on record to hit Florida's Big Bend, and moved north into Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The majority of deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina where Helene landed as a tropical storm.

    Meanwhile, Vice-President Kamala Harris will travel to Georgia before visiting North Carolina later this week.

    Her trip follows a visit by her presidential rival Donald Trump, who was in Valdosta, Georgia, earlier in the week to survey the damage.

  8. More than 160 confirmed dead as Biden and Harris head to worst-hit areas

    Sam Hancock
    Live editor, in Washington DC

    With 162 people now known to have been killed by Hurricane Helene, it has officially become one of the deadliest storms to hit the US in recent times.

    Those deaths are recorded across six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, according to the BBC's US partner CBS.

    President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris are currently on their way to visit two of the worst hit regions - North Carolina and Georgia respectively - which also happen to be key swing states in the upcoming election.

    As well as those confirmed dead, hundreds more are unaccounted for, with Biden saying yesterday "there's no way to contact them again because of the lack of cell phone coverage". Areas of North Carolina in particular are known to have been cut off by road closures, while aid has been airlifted in where necessary.

    We've got reporters on the ground and will bring you the latest from them as we get it, stay tuned.