Death toll from powerful storm Helene tops 150 in US

ASHEVILLE – The death toll from powerful storm Helene, which battered the southeastern United States, has climbed to at least 155, authorities said on Tuesday.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to survey the damage.
At least 74 have died in North Carolina, 36 in South Carolina, 25 in Georgia, 14 in Florida, four in Tennessee and two in Virginia, according to tallies from local authorities and media reports compiled by AFP.
Emergency workers laboured to restore power and water services across the region. Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, though officials have expressed hope that some will be found once cell phone service is back up.
“We know that the devastation brought by hurricane Helene is beyond belief. Communities were wiped off the map,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said at a briefing Tuesday, admitting that he believed the death toll in his state would yet rise.
“The challenges are immense,” he added, offering details about power outages, blocked interstate highways, and airlifts of emergency aid to communities not reachable by road.
Buncombe county in western North Carolina, home to the tourist hotspot of Asheville, was by far the most devastated with 57 fatalities. 
In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster shared the new toll of 36 confirmed deaths, but warned, “It’s going up and there will likely be more.”
More than 1.4 million households and businesses remained without power as of 2330 GMT Monday, according to tracker poweroutage.us.
Helene slammed into Florida’s northern Gulf Coast as a huge Category Four hurricane late Thursday, with winds of 225km/h.
Even as it weakened, it tore a path of destruction stretching inland more than 500 miles.