Infant airlifted as Hurricane Helene aftermath devastates North Carolina

WASHINGTON – National Guard troops airlifted families out of flooded communities in North Carolina as federal authorities raced Monday to assist those hardest hit by Helene, surging thousands of aid workers to Southeastern states.

Personnel rescued 324 residents in air evacuations by Monday morning following the devasting floods in the western part of the state, according to North Carolina National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Ellis Parks.

Among those helicoptered to safety: an infant, a patient with dementia and others in need of hospital care.

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

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

Helene reached its peak as a Category 4 storm, and then dumped massive amounts of water on the mountains bridging eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, that carried away homes, businesses, roads and bridges. As many as 600 people were still unaccounted for on Monday, President Joe Biden said.

More: Epic flooding in North Carolina's 'own Hurricane Katrina'

In a statement Monday afternoon, Biden confirmed the enormity of the evolving federal effort to provide drinking water, food, power and working toilets – and to reopen roads and clear downed trees and power lines.

“I have directed my team to provide every available federal resource as fast as possible to communities hit by Hurricane Helene,” Biden said, adding that he has “quickly approved every Emergency Declaration request” he has received from the states and deployed FEMA and Small Business Administration teams to help residents whose homes or businesses were destroyed or damaged.

The federal search and rescue teams, Biden said, “were working side-by-side with state and local partners in treacherous conditions to find those who are missing. They will not rest until everybody is accounted for.”

In a speech at the White House, Biden added that as many as 600 people are still missing, and promised devastated communities that help is on the way and the "nation has your back."

FEMA moves teams across the Southeast

FEMA Deputy Associate Administrator Lucas Hitt told USA TODAY the agency sending aid to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. “We're continuing to move people and resources around between the states to where the need is, and as the need develops and evolves,” Hitt said.

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

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground Monday in North Carolina after visiting Georgia on Sunday and was surveying damage alongside Gov. Roy Cooper.

Criswell will remain on the ground in North Carolina, the state with the greatest known damage, until the situation has stabilized, FEMA said.

Here are some of the FEMA-assisted efforts in North Carolina and elsewhere in the Southeast as floodwaters receded in some areas, showing the extent of damage that's estimated in the billions of dollars:

• The Coast Guard is providing essential search and rescue capabilities.

• The Department of Defense has deployed high-water 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 is offering technical support for infrastructure repair.

• The Department Health and Human Services sent Disaster Medical Assistance Teams down to Asheville, N.C., to help the overloaded local healthcare capacity.

• NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was using its satellites to provide an aerial view of the scope of the destruction in parts of Florida, it said in post on X. It said NOAA aircraft also were providing aerial damage assessment images around the state's hardest hit locations.

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

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

FEMA disaster declarations approved by Biden

By Monday, Biden had approved major disaster declarations for Florida and North Carolina, allowing survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart 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 with FEMA, it said on its website.

People can apply in three ways: online by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 1-800-621-3362 or on the FEMA App.

The FEMA assistance in Florida and North Carolina could also include upfront funds to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies. And money may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.

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

“We've got generators, we've got ambulances, we've got trailers and distribution centers full of meals,” Hitt told USA TODAY. “That's what we do. That's our business. And we'll continue to support people in the impacted states as long as it takes.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Helene aftermath floods NC, as FEMA and National Guard help