Hurricane Helene has claimed over 230 lives, with many still missing as recovery efforts are hindered by ongoing complications.
The storm is the deadliest to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused far more devastation with an estimated 1,400 deaths.
The number of those unaccounted for has dropped as communication improves and rescue operations progress.
President Joe Biden has authorized the deployment of 1,000 active-duty military personnel, alongside 6,000 National Guard members from 12 states and nearly 5,000 federal workers, to assist in search and rescue efforts.
Additional teams are en route to aid overwhelmed local responders.
As of Friday, around 700,000 homes and businesses, primarily in the Carolinas and Georgia, remain without power.
This marks progress from the over 2 million outages initially reported, with utility companies working diligently to restore electricity. However, for those in severely damaged areas, full restoration may take longer.
