NORTH CAROLINA, USA — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says the number of Helene-related deaths in North Carolina now stands at 97. The number was higher but the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office revised its total. Buncombe County leaders initially reported 72 earlier this month but are now deferring to NCDHHS's tally of 42 deaths for the county.
Why was the number in Buncombe County higher than what's now being reported?
"In the early aftermath of Hurricane Helene, all deaths were being classified as storm-related and from Buncombe County," said Buncombe County Sheriff's Office PIO Christina Esmay. "However, as the days progressed BCSO was able to identify who had passed away due to the hurricane, who was in fact from Buncombe County, and who passed away from other causes. Compounded with the lack of consistent communication, due to widespread outages, the Buncombe County fatality number that was initially provided to Sheriff Miller has decreased.”
Officials address rumors regarding death numbers:
Rumors and online misinformation online have fueled confusion about the accurate death toll. Over the weekend, Larry Pierson, the Deputy Chief of Swannanoa Fire and Rescue, addressed rumors about "hiding numbers" regarding the number of deaths.
"As we still navigate the process of search and recovery, we beg that people do not share misleading, inflated, or sensationalized information from uninformed sources. We have seen inaccurate social media posts claiming their information is 'verified' with no sources stating who verified it and no response when questions are asked. From the actual responders from hour one, the boots on the ground, the ones who have been involved in rescuing and recovering our people, nobody is 'hiding numbers.' There are inflated numbers of body bags ordered, insinuating there are that many more that the public isn't being told about. Untrue. There is an image of a 'reefer' (refrigerated trailer) at a funeral home insinuating there are so many, it is full. Logic would tell any of us that the funeral home also did not have power, and that is just such a contingency for normal operations at such a facility. Just because a group has 'emergency' in their name does not mean they are part of emergency services or privy to any public safety information, any more than any other citizen. If you have shared a social media post that claims what we are referring to, please delete it; it is not helping our valley, healing our people, or comforting the brokenhearted. A short few days ago, I saw the first obituary for a person I recovered. It hit home as another step in healing for all of us. Each person and the effort for them are treated with the utmost respect and dignity as we have always bestowed on the people we serve. There is so much work to do for the fire department, each area, individuals... and keep checking on your neighbor. We are so proud of the community groups, the neighbor connections built, and the outpouring of love on Swannanoa from so many states," Pierson said.
Jeff Howell, the Yancey County Emergency Management Director, also shared this comment to WFMY News 2 regarding online posts about inflated death toll numbers.
"Any incredulous stories you hear are very likely fabricated by someone with a political ax to grind or just nothing better to do," said Howell.
How many people have died in North Carolina from Helene?
As of Thursday, October 24, the number of lives claimed by Helene in North Carolina is 97.
Here's a look at the lives lost in each county as provided by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
- Ashe - 1
- Avery - 4
- Buncombe - 42
- Burke - 1
- Catawba - 1
- Cleveland - 2
- Gaston - 1
- Haywood - 5
- Henderson - 7
- Macon - 2
- Madison - 4
- McDowell - 1
- Mitchell - 2
- Mecklenburg - 3
- Polk - 1
- Rowan - 1
- Rutherford - 3
- Wake - 1
- Watauga - 2
- Wilkes - 1
- Yadkin -1
- Yancey - 11
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