Pahrump, an unincorporated town in Southern Nye County, was named the worst place to live in Nevada in a study published by 24/7 Wall St. The study ranked the worst place to live in every state based on 22 factors including poverty rates deaths because of substance abuse disorders and median household income named Pahrump as Nevada's worst town and some pros to living in Pahrump as well The factors included how many residents experience poverty lack of access to affordable housing and rates of substance abuse disorders and crime and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2.1 percentage points above the statewide average rate of 12.5 percent Pahrump also experiences 32.4 deaths per 100,000 residents because of substance abuse disorders compared to 27.4 deaths per 100,000 throughout Nevada Pahrump's median household income is $53,743 Are there good things about Pahrump, Nevada?Sure! Every community has its plusses and minuses. Travel Nevada the state agency that promotes tourism to every corner of the Silver State "Although it’s only an hour’s drive from Las Vegas this small city on the southern edge of Nye County is just far enough from the hustle and bustle to feel like a world unto itself "All within range of Pahrump’s amenity-packed casinos hotels and palatial RV resorts (are) the Lower 48’s largest most infamous national park -- the hottest and driest place on the continent -- the world’s rarest fish and the planet’s oldest trees; rugged no-BS biker bars; elegant award-winning wineries and more." Here are the worst places to live in every state with their poverty rates: A study that ranked the worst place to live in every state based on 22 factors named the Kern County unincorporated community of East Bakersfield as the worst place to live in California and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and authored by 24/7 Wall St The about 11,000 residents of the Kern County unincorporated community have a poverty rate of 44.8% far above the statewide average rate of 12.3% study also pointed out the city's drug-induced mortality rate was 42 deaths per 100,000 residents The region was formerly known as the town of Sumner but was later incorporated and renamed Kern City Bakersfield officially annexed the area in 1910 but the area is still referred to as East Bakersfield by the U.S Worst places to live in every stateHere are the worst places to live in every state with their poverty rates: A study that found the worst cities to live in every state named Sutherlin as the worst place to live in Oregon based on factors that diminish overall quality of life Here's why the small town south of Eugene and near Roseburg made the list 24/7 Wall St. collected data from the Census Bureau FBI and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine 22 factors identifying the worst cities to live in each state based on issues that affect their economy poor health outcomes and limited access to essential services compared to Oregon's statewide average rate of 12.1% Drug-induced mortality rates were also considered the death rate caused by substance abuse averaged 29.9 deaths per every 100,000 Sutherlin's median household income was $43,750 compared to the state's $70,084 and the median home value averaged $188,100 compared to the state's $362,200 Sutherlin has a population of just under 9,000 residents and is in Douglas County 60 miles south of Eugene and 14 miles north of Roseburg What are positive things about Sutherlin?There are some more positive attributes about Sutherlin Not only is Sutherlin nestled among six Umpqua Valley wineries, it is just a 30-minute drive from the Wildlife Safari in Winston It is also surrounded by forests and rivers throughout the Umpqua National Forest Sutherlin also lies just outside the 172-mile Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, known as the "highway of waterfalls," where people can find outdoor recreation along the Rogue River Diamond Lake and more than a dozen waterfalls Notable places in Sutherlin people can explore include the Rochester covered bridge and Ford's Pond community park Here are the worst cities and their poverty rates in each state That might as well have been the judge's message to Orrin Richard Alden III from Crow Agency with a sentence of 29 years and seven months for charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in a crime of violence Alden and a group of young men were walking towards the Little Big Horn River after spending some time drinking and smoking pot.  One of the others carried a black backpack with a lot of cash methamphetamine and marijuana inside.  Alden John Doe and another man separated from the others.  After the first shot and Doe tried to retreat holding his side.  He said "You shot me you shot me Tripp," referring to Alden's nickname.  A second shot fired.  After some minutes Alden and the other man returned to the group the latter holding the backpack and the rifle The group walked to Alden's house where he and the other man bagged up their clothing and stashed the bag and rifle in a nearby abandoned building The victim's body was found and retrieved on May 5th from the river.  An autopsy produced the two bullets fired Investigation and witness accounts led to Alden's arrest.  This past September “Far too many juveniles are resorting to deadly violence which is as alarming as it is unacceptable Alden took another young man’s life in a brutal and shocking way," U.S Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in a press release.  "We can’t get the victim’s life back but we will move swiftly and aggressively against those like Alden who think violence is the answer to their problems.” Laslovich just gave.  Action films and video games are not the real world Gallery Credit: Jesse James Gallery Credit: Nick Northern Commit crime like an adult, get imprisoned like an adult.\nRead More A study that ranked the worst place to live in every state based on 22 factors named the Cumberland County city of Bridgeton as the worst place to live in New Jersey access to affordable housing and rates of addiction and crime The 27,000-resident South Jersey city has a poverty rate of 35.1% far above the statewide average rate of 9.8% The median price of homes there is about a third of the state median study also pointed out the city's drug-induced mortality rate of 53 deaths per 100,000 residents This commercial wants me to get some new outdoor clothes Montana has seen several massive corporations use Montana's landscape for their commercials These companies with trucks or off-road vehicles use Montana to show how their products can travel across the rugged Big Sky Country landscape Comanpeis like John Deere and Hyundai have used Montana in their commercials over the past two years These commercials show off locals' hard work daily on their farms or ranches in Montana it perfectly displays the pure beauty of Montana It's hard not to be captivated by views of Paradise Valley or the Bitterroot Mountains another commercial has come out with some star power behind it If there is one brand of clothes many Montanans prefer over others, it's Carhartt and warm clothing items for multiple occasions and Carhartt has clothes that will last you decades Many stores carry Carhartt because of the quality and fondness Montanans have loved over the years Carhartt created a new commercial and has decided to start a Montana line of clothing items but the real kicker is the spokesperson for the clothes Luke Grimes is one of the stars of the hit TV show Yellowstone Luke Grimes has fallen in love with Montana since joining the show premiered and bought land in the Bitterroot Valley Luke Grimes talks about how Montana has become home to him and he can't wait to raise his children here Carhartt and Luke Grimes realize the people who love their brand are in Montana If there is one place that believes in their products Gallery Credit: Will Gordon It kind of makes you want some new gear.\nRead More Comanpeis like John Deere and Hyundai have used Montana in their commercials over the past two years If there is one brand of clothes many Montanans prefer over others, it's Carhartt Carhartt created a new commercial and has decided to start a Montana line of clothing items Luke Grimes is one of the stars of the hit TV show Yellowstone HELENA — A new wildfire north of Canyon Ferry has reached a size of 168 acres Wildland firefighters have been working the fire since Tuesday afternoon A smoke plume from the fire activity can be seen for nearly 50 miles The fire is located in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest northeast of Canyon Ferry The Forest Service has engines and a helicopter responding Fire behavior has been active due to wind and heat Fire crews are asking people to avoid the area MTN News is following this developing story and will bring you the latest as we learn more HELENA — The Helena Ranger District is urging caution after a reported bear encounter east of Clancy The Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest posted the warning on its Facebook page on Sunday a grizzly bear charged a visitor in the Casey Meadows area (NOTE - June 11) The Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest now says that Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks has determined that is was likely a cinnamon-colored black bear not a grizzly bear as they initially reported The encounter comes less than a year after Montana Fish and Parks confirmed the presence of grizzly bears in the Elkhorn Mountains Grizzly bear populations have been on the rise between the Northern Continental Divide and the Greater Yellowstone ecosystems In recent years grizzly bears have expanded into areas they have not been seen for a century or more The encounter east of Clancy follows an incident in late April where a shed antler hunter shot and killed a grizzly sow in the Wolf Creek area The bear had a cub of the year that was captured by FWP FWP planned to transfer the cub to an accredited zoo Here are some precautions to help people avoid and/or handle bear encounters: For more information on living, working, and recreating in Montana’s bear country, visit the FWP Bear Aware website Report a typo Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker a storm surge - the wall of seawater pushed ashore by winds - of eight to 10 feet (2.4-3 meters) moved mobile homes a barrier island community in Pinellas County boats were grounded in front yards.The city of Tampa posted on X that emergency personnel had completed 78 water rescues of residents and that many roads were impassable because of flooding The Pasco County sheriff's office rescued more than 65 people overnight.Officials had pleaded with residents in Helene's path to heed evacuation orders with National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan describing the storm surge as "unsurvivable."Some residents stayed put.Ken Wood a state ferry boat operator in Pinellas County said he should have heeded evacuation orders rather than riding out the storm at home with his 16-year-old cat The house shook."Down the hill from his house the storm flooded some homes with chest-deep salt water he said."Old Andy seemed like he didn't care," Wood said But next time we leave."Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said first responders were unable to answer several emergency calls from residents overnight due to the conditions county authorities found at least five people dead.Two others in Florida died Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's office reported 15 storm-related fatalities in that state while North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said there had been two deaths there.At least 19 people died during the storm across South Carolina the Charleston-based Post and Courier newspaper reported citing local officials.Flood levels higher than 9 feet are possible along Florida’s west coast according to the National Hurricane Center cumulative rainfall of up to 10 inches is possible in parts of the Southeastern United States.Helene was unusually large for a Gulf hurricane though a storm's size is not the same as its strength which is based on maximum sustained wind speeds.A few hours before landfall Helene's tropical-storm winds extended outward 310 miles (500 km) a major hurricane that struck Florida's Big Bend region last year had tropical-storm winds extending 160 miles (260 km) about eight hours before it made landfall.Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta Swati Verma and Rahul Paswan in Bangalore; Writing by Joseph Ax Brad Brooks and Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Paul Thomasch Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor Chef-owner Yan Iskandar honed his skills at top Napa Valley restaurants Malaysia and the Javanese culture of Southeast Asia Thursday-Monday; takeout or third-party delivery only Contact: 415-797-8568, pasarbyyan.com It's long been a whispered sigh about Napa Valley dining — where’s the diversity and there are healthy numbers of very good Italian Yet there’s a sameness to many of the menus and rather bland recipes for diners craving bold spices and more regionally authentic dishes So there are extra emoji hearts in my eyes for the new Pasar in north Napa chef-owner Yan Iskandar treats us to the distinct flavors of Singapore serenading us with dazzling sambal sauce that coats our tongues in a long-lingering chile burn and legitimate recipes like rendang made with silky beef cheeks slow cooked over four hours ($19.50) The concept is Singaporean street food found at bustling public markets fitting for his operation that currently offers only takeout and delivery given that the chef immigrated to Napa Valley nine years ago to do an externship at The Restaurant at Meadowood after studying at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore “We (students) had the most amazing meal on a trip here and I reached out to chef Christopher Kostow (of Meadowood) to say I really want to work with you for a whole year Iskandar was named chef de cuisine at Kostow’s Charter Oak in St then took over as executive chef at Kostow’s Ciccio in Yountville and then I was talking with my sister one day and said I missed our kind of food,” the chef said we need to bring more diversity in cooking to Wine Country still lives in Singapore and handles most of the branding for the flashy colorful logo and website while he puts his culinary chops into sumptuous stuff that showcases native Nusantara regional recipes dressed up with organic Californian ingredients The first sign we’re in for something really special is the sambal which Iskandar calls “the lifeblood of Southeast Asia who four generations ago were gold traders from Indonesia it’s just how we like it” — with dried chiles cooked thick with tamarind though Iskandar keeps me coming back for frequent weekend specials skin-on leg marinated in rempah (an intensely aromatic Malaysian paste of galangal turmeric and other spices) then simmered in coconut milk with kerisik (fresh shredded coconut that’s been toasted to a dark gold) The chef cooks the curry down until it cloaks the chicken then plates it with traditional steamed jasmine rice soft boiled egg and sweet-tart pickled cucumbers pineapple chunks and tapioca sago pearls ($4.50) to cool the fire that’s a bit too spicy for my wimpy palate soupy Malay coconut curry stocked with firm tofu I also like to order a side of chicken wings the poultry marinated in a homemade spice dry-rub and blackened on the grill ($13) Indonesian mee goreng is an excellent option featuring stir fried egg noodles tossed with sliced beef vegetables and plenty of garlic in a slightly sweet sauce topped with boiled egg and sambal ($15.50) “You really would have rendeng only if someone was getting married an uncomplicated snack of steamed sweet potato stuffed with sambal because most Southeast Asian countries had little left to eat after World War II devastation As word has been getting out since Pasar opened in August the chef has been slowly ramping up his menu he unveiled an intriguing cheng tng dessert that’s a warm broth bobbing with barley fresh passion fruit chunks and sea coconuts ($6) Iskandar has also expanded to the Tuesday Napa Farmers Market selling meal kits for assemble-at-home signatures such as Singapore chicken and rice cooked with ginger garlic and lemongrass ($16) and a laksa noodle bowl ($16) Cute stickers on the takeout containers show how to bring dinner together — reheat the laksa gravy in the microwave the chef is happy to work out of the communal incubator operated by Spork Kitchens — the 2400-square-foot kitchen leases space 24/7 with access to all commercial equipment “Not everybody has like $250,000 to throw at a startup (co-owner) Brad Gates manages health inspections licenses and even gives us a checklist of everything we need to do to get in business,” he said because he knew that I was going to do some meats.” Iskandar would like a small brick-and-mortar for sit-down service as people drive in from all over to grab online orders “My goal is to share this cuisine,” he said “and really celebrate the flavors that I grew up eating.” Carey Sweet is a Sebastopol-based food and restaurant writer Read her restaurant reviews every other week in Sonoma Life 2024 at 2:59 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A strengthening tropical storm that forecasters believe could turn into a hurricane could bring some rain and possible coastal flooding to parts of Maryland later this week (National Hurricane Center)MARYLAND — A strengthening tropical storm that forecasters believe could turn into a hurricane could bring some rain and possible coastal flooding to parts of Maryland later this week Tropical Storm Helene is expected to intensify to near hurricane strength by early Wednesday and could be a major hurricane as it approaches the northern U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday Landfall is most likely to occur somewhere in northern Florida along the Gulf Coast The current track of the storm shows it slowly turning to the northwest as it moves over Georgia and is forecast to dump heavy rains across the Southeast the southern Appalachians and the Tennessee Valley later this week and Baltimore areas late Friday into Saturday morning "If the track would go a little further west, we wouldn't see too much in the way of impacts here in the Washington area," FOX 5 meteorologist Tucker Barnes said "But some of the models try to bring us some rain here by Friday and Saturday So we've got some question marks for the end of the week." "A slow-moving weather system and persistent onshore flow continue to hinder our ability to see sunshine for the next several days," the Capital Weather Gang said in its Tuesday forecast "Potential remnants from upcoming Hurricane Helene could then bring further cloud cover and more rain chances late this week." The region was under a hazardous weather outlook Tuesday as rain and showers moved through the area Affected areas included the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay the Tidal Potomac River and the I-95 corridor through central Maryland northern Virginia and the District of Columbia A coastal flood advisory was also in effect until 6 a.m Wednesday for the shorelines in Anne Arundel and Saint Mary's counties in Maryland moderate coastal flooding is possible at times through the end of the week "Friday is our trickiest forecast day as the weather models diverge on how much remnant moisture from upcoming Hurricane Helene spills into our area," the Capital Weather Gang said especially in southern and western areas toward the afternoon." Here's the detailed NWS forecast for the Baltimore area through Saturday: New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 11am and 2pm then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms with thunderstorms also possible after 5pm Thursday Night: A slight chance of thunderstorms before 8pm Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the state with the highest number of reported fatalities Hurricane Helene, which left massive destruction along the Florida coast since making landfall Thursday, is now causing historic flooding, wide-ranging power outages, and other damage in an 800-mile northward path that's affecting the Carolinas More than 220 deaths have been attributed to the Category 4 hurricane in the southeast U.S. More than 2 million homes and businesses are without power In North Carolina, high water from excessive rainfall inundated Asheville and other cities trapping residents in their homes without lights and food Flooded roads are making it difficult for rescue workers to reach them USA TODAY has tracked Helene's path of devastation through the southern U.S Can't see our graphics? Click here. Heavy rainfall continued as Hurricane Helene moved inland as a Category 4 storm with 140 mph-winds and large field of hurricane-force and tropical storm winds Helene enters Georgia early Friday morning as a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds of up to 100 mph The Nolichucky Dam in Greene County is at risk for a breach, the Tennessee Valley Authority says late Friday night. After Nolichucky River waters crest, the TVA announces the dam is “stable and secure,” on Saturday afternoon At least 45 people are rescued from the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital about 120 miles northeast of Knoxville on Friday afternoon after the facility is surrounded by flood waters from Helene Buildings and bridges in Chimney Rock, a village near the popular Chimney Rock State Park are destroyed by flooding from the Broad River The state Department of Transportation says more than 400 roads in North Carolina should be considered closed and that I-40 and I-26 are impassable in multiple locations On Facebook, the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg says floods and wind damage are “the worst event in our office’s history.”  the number of deaths attributed to Helene stands at 227 This story has been updated to include the latest information Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; National Hurricane Center; poweroutages.us; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Mountains Of Debris Left Behind In Milton's Wake Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists The toll from Helene continued to rise Saturday as searchers went door to door in Florida and storms and heavy rain moved into Georgia At least 50 people are dead in five states after the storm made landfall near Perry dead bodies were found in evacuated coastal areas where some had retreated to their attics to avoid the rising storm surge Rescues and searches were ongoing in Florida At least 39 deaths are confirmed in four states That total rose to at least 40 Saturday morning where topped trees killed at least six people Details weren't available on any of the other incidents but at least two firefighters were also killed Eleven people are confirmed dead in Georgia with at least one of those being a first responder F​rom weather.com meteorologist Sara Tonks: The tropics have definitely woken up - we have two more named storms in the Atlantic and two areas the National Hurricane Center is watching for tropical development Neither Isaac nor Joyce are expected to have any impacts to the U.S Both interest areas have low chances of tropical development within the next seven days but we're closely watching the interest area in the Western Caribbean which is in the same spot as where Helene formed The forecast from the NHC is currently calling for slow development and an area of low pressure entering the Gulf of Mexico by the end of next week P​atrick Watson owns an antique mall in Valdosta Its brick walls were blown out as Helene moved inland overnight Thursday into Friday morning "Last night from about 11 or 12 until 3 in the morning we were hunkered down in the hallway at the house," Watson told Live Storms Media "And then we got a call this morning that this had happened." He said his business opened during the COVID-19 pandemic and it became a place where local vendors could sell their wares "This building's been here since 1900 I don't want to lose this place." (​WATCH: Businesses Damaged In Valdosta) Seeing a disaster play out like this one moves many of us to want to help Remember that most experts recommend cash donations to make sure your contribution is used to its best advantage and donations should only be sent to reputable organizations We’ve compiled a short list of agencies that provide assistance after a disaster businesses and other utility customers remain without power across 10 states Each outage can represent several people or households on account meaning the number of individuals affected could be many times that number H​ere are the latest top numbers from PowerOutage.us: F​rom weather.com meteorologist Sara Tonks: Areas around Lake Lure in Rutherford County are experiencing extremely dangerous flooding as water is overtopping and flowing around the Lake Lure Dam Mandatory evacuations are in place below the dam in low lying Some residents were stuck in their homes earlier this afternoon from fallen trees according to the Greenville - Spartanburg National Weather Service Several nearby weather stations have reported 24 hour rainfall totals nearing a foot Officials where Helene made landfall in Taylor County, Florida, asked anyone who is looking for a friend or loved one to email the following information to TCEM@taylorsheriff.org so that search and rescue teams know where to prioritize efforts: noting whether it’s inland or on the coastline -Number of individuals and any animals who live there -Contact information for both yourself and the resident(s) -Any additional information that might be helpful or important like a recent photograph or notes on any disabilities or special needs M​ore than 50 people were stranded on the roof when the hospital in Erwin "Everyone has been rescued safely from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin," U.S Senator Bill Hagerty from Tennessee posted in an update about 30 minutes ago From weather.com on camera meteorologist Danielle Banks: While the initial focus is 100% rightfully on the loss of life and direct devastation caused by Helene we are also genuinely worried about the public health impacts in the days to follow Some areas hit by the storm are dealing with high heat index values COMBINED with extensive power losses Those who would normally turn to a neighbor or friend for help may not be able to as those people may be dealing with power outages themselves even if you can only offer a place to cool off (​READ: Why Post-Storm Power Outages Are So Dangerous) F​rom weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: The heavy rain is over in the southern Appalachians and some rivers will continue to rise into tomorrow Strong wind gusts occasionally from 40 to 60 mph will continue though this evening as far north as parts of southern Illinois and the Ohio Valley before this sprawling Helene gradually winds down by Saturday additional power outages are possible in these areas And as we've already seen today in Rocky Mount will remain a threat until sunset in parts of Virginia (​WATCH: Here's The Latest Forecast For Helene) T​he National Weather Service is tracking more than 274 reports of rainfall flooding from Florida to Virginia over the past 48 hours Among the most recent flash flood reports: From Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, speaking in a news conference about an hour ago: And it’s going to take awhile before that area gets back to any sense of functionality.” A​t least five people are confirmed dead in Pinellas County and Gualtieri said some were found by searchers going door to door on barrier islands this morning The county sits on a peninsula surrounded by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay Flash flood emergencies are ongoing in some parts of South Carolina “We had people positioned there but we can’t stop the waves can’t stop the rivers and certainly can’t stop the trees from being uprooted when they’ve had days and days of rain before the storm got here,” Gov P​inellas County 911 calls continue to stack up. Recent and current calls for service include medical issues a person stuck in an elevator and structure fires along barrier islands that were evacuated ahead of Helene U​nicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee is completely flooded according to an update from the state emergency management agency Efforts were underway to evacuate patients and staff but water filled with debris continues to rise from the nearby Nolichucky River M​ore than 50 people were on the roof of the building and seven were in rescue boats as of about 12:27 p.m. Several police cruisers and ambulances were lost to the flooding The area is near the North Carolina about 90 miles northeast of Knoxville Four more people are confirmed dead due to falling trees in South Carolina Two had previously been confirmed in Anderson County The latest are in Aiken County which is near August Brian Kemp said at least 115 homes are damaged in the state Kemp said some people were still being rescued and efforts were underway to restore power to a hospital in Valdosta Kemp said the biggest issue was falling trees from saturated ground A​tlanta Public Schools and Cherokee County Schools remain closed today Six deaths in South Carolina and one in North Carolina are blamed on falling trees At least two of he South Carolina deaths happened in Anderson County in the northwest part of the state F​alling trees are often a deadly, underreported danger in storms and high winds The risk is increases when the ground is wet O​f the seven deaths confirmed so far in Florida five are in Pinellas County and one in Tampa in Hillsborough County The Tampa death was reported last night when an overhead sign fell on a vehicle in the Ybor City neighborhood O​fficials warned everyone on the barrier islands of Pinellas County to leave ahead of Helene bridges were closed and anyone who didn't risked being cut off from help T​he other death in Florida was in Dixie County Florida Highway Patrol announced the following bridge reopenings: -Southbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper confirmed two additional deaths bringing the total toll to at least six One death due to a falling tree was reported in Charlotte the other due to a motor vehicle collision in Catawba County Heavy rain from Helene filled rivers and creeks across the Southeast At least four river location in North Carolina have set a new record for highest crest: -Pigeon River at Canton -French Broad River at Fletcher -Swannanoa River at Biltmore -West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel As Helene dumped rain over metro Atlanta, video posted to X showed cars submerged in the Buckhead area Rutherford County, North Carolina, Emergency Management say water is overtopping the Lake Lure Dam. Residents from nearly 30 streets are being asked to evacuate to higher ground immediately. According to NOAA data the dam may begin spilling when water levels reach 991 feet; at 9:30 a.m Pasco County Sheriff officials say they rescued approximately 200 people by boat overnight and into the morning hours County fire rescue and National Guard officers were also involved in the rescues About 4.2 million homes and businesses across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic are now without power, according to PowerOutages.us Here are the number of electric customer outages state-by-state as of 9 a.m A fourth death has been reported as Helene continues to batter the Southeast This marks the second fatality in Florida joining two others in Georgia “Another fatality…in Dixie County due to a tree falling on a home during the storm.” Video shared on the official account for the city of Treasure Island showed early morning damage assessments near the Treasure Island Causeway At 8:30 a.m. ET, over 3.9 million homes and businesses in the Southeast were without electricity, according to PowerOutages.us The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shared body camera footage of a teenager being rescued after attempting to drive through flooded streets in Tampa Those in low-lying areas of Buncombe County were asked to seek higher ground immediately In an advisory alerting to a flash flood emergency “Emergency management reported widespread catastrophic flooding resulting in damage to infrastructure and inundation of countless homes and businesses Emergency managers request that those in low-lying areas seek higher ground immediately Potential for life-threatening landslides is greatly increased.” The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a second flash flood emergency notice affecting metro Atlanta Haywood County, North Carolina, emergency services warned residents to stay in place and consider all roads closed until further notice. “Stay where you are. DO NOT attempt to drive. Do NOT enter water. Climb to higher ground to evacuate,” a Facebook post read Officials said some people in the county needing rescue were unable to make contact with emergency responders. “Most of Haywood County is losing power if not already without it,” Haywood County Public Information Officer Allison Richmond told The Weather Channel. Roughly 11,000 of 39,000 homes and businesses tracked by PowerOutages.us were without power From his personal Facebook account, Cedar Key Fire Rescue Chief Robert Robinson wrote I am on First and D at least six houses are completely demolished or gone.” Authorities from the City of Tampa released a “major update” around 6 a.m First responders are assessing the damage as the sun begins to rise police and fire rescue officers have responded to the following calls in Tampa Residents are advised to remain in shelter for now Specialized vehicles have been deployed to respond to calls as some roads are still impassable for regular vehicles In a Facebook post, officials from the Hinesville Police Department in Georgia announced that emergency services are temporarily suspended as a result of Helene. “Liberty County has suffered significant damage because of Hurricane Helene. At this time all emergency services have been suspended. Travel in Liberty County is hazardous to impossible currently,” the department wrote reports “dozens” of residents being rescued from their homes due to major storm surge flooding Photos show residents being escorted by rescue officials According to Pinellas County 911 emergency crews are “extremely busy” responding to “hundreds of structure fire and water rescue calls in the heavily impacted areas.” The agency says many areas remain flooded Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina proclaimed an official state of emergency, activating the National Guard and swift water rescue teams In Florida alone, roughly 1.2 million homes and businesses are without power, according to PowerOutages.us Georgia and South Carolina account for another 650,000 and 240,000 outages respectively authorities had warned of extended power outages lasting up to a week in some of the hardest-hit locations Authorities have confirmed one storm-related death in Tampa Two additional deaths occurred in Wheeler County when a mobile home was tossed by the storm Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists H​ere are our live updates from Friday: Details weren't available on any of the other incidents but at least two firefighters were also killed F​rom weather.com meteorologist Sara Tonks: The tropics have definitely woken up - we have two more named storms in the Atlantic but we're closely watching the interest area in the Western Caribbean P​atrick Watson owns an antique mall in Valdosta \\\"Last night from about 11 or 12 until 3 in the morning we were hunkered down in the hallway at the house,\\\" Watson told Live Storms Media \\\"And then we got a call this morning that this had happened.\\\" (​WATCH: Businesses Damaged In Valdosta) We’ve compiled a short list of agencies that provide assistance after a disaster H​ere are the latest top numbers from PowerOutage.us: F​rom weather.com meteorologist Sara Tonks: Officials where Helene made landfall in Taylor County, Florida, asked anyone who is looking for a friend or loved one to email the following information to TCEM@taylorsheriff.org so that search and rescue teams know where to prioritize efforts: noting whether it’s inland or on the coastline M​ore than 50 people were stranded on the roof when the hospital in Erwin \\\"Everyone has been rescued safely from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin,\\\" U.S (​READ: Why Post-Storm Power Outages Are So Dangerous) F​rom weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: And as we've already seen today in Rocky Mount (​WATCH: Here's The Latest Forecast For Helene) T​he National Weather Service is tracking more than 274 reports of rainfall flooding from Florida to Virginia over the past 48 hours From Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, speaking in a news conference about an hour ago: “The areas of Gulf Boulevard have never And it’s going to take awhile before that area gets back to any sense of functionality.” A​t least five people are confirmed dead in Pinellas County “We had people positioned there but we can’t stop the waves can’t stop the rivers and certainly can’t stop the trees from being uprooted when they’ve had days and days of rain before the storm got here,” Gov we’ve got a lot of work to do.” P​inellas County 911 calls continue to stack up. Recent and current calls for service include medical issues U​nicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee is completely flooded M​ore than 50 people were on the roof of the building and seven were in rescue boats as of about 12:27 p.m. A​tlanta Public Schools and Cherokee County Schools remain closed today F​alling trees are often a deadly, underreported danger in storms and high winds O​f the seven deaths confirmed so far in Florida O​fficials warned everyone on the barrier islands of Pinellas County to leave ahead of Helene bridges were closed and anyone who didn't risked being cut off from help T​he other death in Florida was in Dixie County Florida Highway Patrol announced the following bridge reopenings: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper confirmed two additional deaths bringing the total toll to at least six -Pigeon River at Canton -French Broad River at Fletcher -Swannanoa River at Biltmore -West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel As Helene dumped rain over metro Atlanta, video posted to X showed cars submerged in the Buckhead area Rutherford County, North Carolina, Emergency Management say water is overtopping the Lake Lure Dam. Residents from nearly 30 streets are being asked to evacuate to higher ground immediately. According to NOAA data About 4.2 million homes and businesses across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic are now without power, according to PowerOutages.us “Another fatality…in Dixie County due to a tree falling on a home during the storm.” At 8:30 a.m. ET, over 3.9 million homes and businesses in the Southeast were without electricity, according to PowerOutages.us The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shared body camera footage of a teenager being rescued after attempting to drive through flooded streets in Tampa “Emergency management reported widespread catastrophic flooding resulting in damage to infrastructure and inundation of countless homes and businesses Potential for life-threatening landslides is greatly increased.” Haywood County, North Carolina, emergency services warned residents to stay in place and consider all roads closed until further notice. “Stay where you are. DO NOT attempt to drive. Do NOT enter water. Climb to higher ground to evacuate,” a Facebook post read Officials said some people in the county needing rescue were unable to make contact with emergency responders. “Most of Haywood County is losing power if not already without it,” Haywood County Public Information Officer Allison Richmond told The Weather Channel. Roughly 11,000 of 39,000 homes and businesses tracked by PowerOutages.us were without power From his personal Facebook account, Cedar Key Fire Rescue Chief Robert Robinson wrote “Slowly easing out anywhere safe to do so I am on First and D at least six houses are completely demolished or gone.” Authorities from the City of Tampa released a “major update” around 6 a.m reports “dozens” of residents being rescued from their homes due to major storm surge flooding According to Pinellas County 911 emergency crews are “extremely busy” responding to “hundreds of structure fire and water rescue calls in the heavily impacted areas.” The agency says many areas remain flooded Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina proclaimed an official state of emergency, activating the National Guard and swift water rescue teams In Florida alone, roughly 1.2 million homes and businesses are without power, according to PowerOutages.us Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather \\nMountains Of Debris Left Behind In Milton's Wake We had heavy snow some through the Helena area Wednesday morning We will be left with scattered mountain snow showers in the afternoon with clearing skies Temperatures will begin to warm today with a slight west wind developing Highs in the western valleys will reach the teens and 20s while the plain will still be stuck in the single digits We will have a bit of a break from snowy weather tomorrow Just some mountain snow showers in southwestern Montana will be present We continue to warm back into the teens and 20s for most areas Friday will be the return of wintry weather as another center of low moves to our south 1-3 inches for lower elevations can be expected at this point in the forecast Unsettled weather will be around this weekend —————————————————————————————————————————— A WINTER STORM WARNING continues for Central and Southeast Phillips and Eastern Roosevelt Until 5 PM Wednesday A WINTER STORM WARNING continues for the Absaroka/Beartooth Mountains and Crazy Mountains Until 5 PM Wednesday A WINTER STORM WARNING continues for Hill County and Northern Blaine County Until 5 PM Wednesday A WINTER STORM WARNING continues for Lolo Pass and Highway 93 Sula to Lost Trail Pass until 11 AM Wednesday A WINTER STORM WARNING continues for the Missoula and Bitterroot Valley until 11 AM Wednesday A WINTER STORM WARNING continues for Highway 200 Thompson Falls to Plains and Highway 200 Trout Creek to Heron until 11 AM Wednesday A WINTER STORM WARNING continues for Butte and Highway 12 Garrison to Elliston until 11 AM Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Canyon Ferry Area and Helena Valley until noon Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains and Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass until noon Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Missouri Headwaters until noon Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Montana Hi-Line adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Front and Eastern Toole and Liberty Counties until noon Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Southern Rocky Mountain Front and the Meagher County Valleys until noon Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Big Belt Gallatin and Madison County Mountains and Centennial Mountains and Northwest Beaverhead County until 5 PM Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for Gallatin Valley until 5 PM Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Bears Paw A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Madison and Beaverhead River Valleys until 5 PM Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for Garfield and McCone Counties until 5 PM Wednesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY continues for Richland County until 5 PM Wednesday A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Canyon Ferry Area and Western and Central Chouteau County until 11 AM Wednesday A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY continues for the Rocky Mountain Front and adjacent foothills and plains and Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass until 11 AM Wednesday Helena Temperature Records Today:High: 63 (2007)Low: -28 (1893)AVG: 35/16 Great Falls Temperature Records Today:High: 62 (1941)Low: -27 (2014)AVG: 36/15 Have a great Wednesday!Joey BianconeMeteorologist Facebook: Meteorologist Joey BianconeInstagram: joeybianconewxEmail: joey.biancone@ktvh.com This is a "study" put together by a different website that looked at the worst city to live in every state The website 24/7 Wall St compiled the list by looking at each city or town or village or any community's quality of life Quality of life was determined by a number of factors The information was collected from the Census Bureau Before we get to the worst town in Montana In case you're ready to stop paying a billion dollars on rent Gallery Credit: megan shaul Montana's worst city to live in is... Helena Valley Southeast Helena Valley Southeast's poverty rate was 3% higher than the state average Its median home value was 37 thousand dollars less than Montana's average Those are the negatives against Helena Valley Southeast but there are some positives like the household income being 3 thousand dollars higher than the state's average and its drug-induced mortality is lower than the state so I'm not sure how the list settled on Helena Valley Southeast as the worst city to live in Some other notable states worst cities to live in include: Blackfoot's poverty rate is 2% higher than the state's average and a median home value is almost 100 thousand dollars less than the statewide average Kelso's median home value is an alarming 200 thousand dollars less than the median house value Drug-induced mortality is high in Riverton The \"Worst\" City In Montana To Live In Is...\nRead More The website 24/7 Wall St compiled the list by looking at each city or town or village or any community's quality of life - District: Baker Public Schools- Enrollment: 130 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)- Niche grade: B WINTER WEATHER ALERTS are in effect for most of Montana for the next couple of days A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect most of north-central Montana from 5am/11am/5pm Friday until 5am/5pm Saturday A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for central and southern Phillips County and Petroleum County from 11am Friday until 5pm Saturday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the southern Rocky Mountain Front and the mountains in central Montana from 8pm Thursday/11am Friday until 5am/5pm Saturday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of northeastern Montana including Valley County and northern Phillips County There is going to be some light snow around tonight and light snow accumulations of up to an inch or two are possible We are also going to have overcast skies tonight with a few areas of fog around It is also going to be cold tonight in north-central Montana as lows are going to be in the -0s and 0s lows tonight are going to be in the teens and low to mid 20s A significant snowstorm is then going to impact our area tomorrow and Saturday snow will develop from southwest to northeast but the snow will taper off from southwest to northeast during the afternoon and evening locations around and west of I-15 and in southern portions of north-central Montana including around Great Falls and Lewistown will see snow begin to develop during the mid to late morning This snow will then overspread the rest of north-central Montana during the afternoon and evening snow will arrive around or after sunset tomorrow Widespread snow is then likely tomorrow night in north-central Montana and there are going to be areas of snow around the Helena area tomorrow night Some of the snow that falls tomorrow and tomorrow night will be heavy at times Light to moderate snow will then continue to fall on Saturday but this snow will gradually taper off from west to east as the day goes on This snowstorm will drop a significant amount of snow A widespread 3-12” of snow is expected in central and north-central Montana from this evening through Saturday evening with most locations receiving 5-10” of snow 3-8" of snow is expected through Saturday evening 6-18” of snow is expected through Saturday evening difficult travel conditions are expected tomorrow and Saturday (especially tomorrow afternoon through Saturday morning) so please use extreme caution when driving and consider delaying your travel if possible give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go It is also going to continue to be cold tomorrow and Saturday in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the single digits highs tomorrow are going to be in the mid to upper teens and low to mid 20s in most locations and highs on Saturday are going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations It is also going to be breezy in some areas east of I-15 tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph There is also going to be a breeze around on Saturday along the Divide and the Rocky Mountain Front as well as in northeastern Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph we are going to have mostly cloudy skies with a few snow showers around in north-central Montana and scattered snow around Helena Snow is then likely around Helena on Monday and there is going to be some scattered snow around in north-central Montana on Monday generally around and west of I-15 as well as along the MT 200 corridor We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures on these two days as highs are going to range from the single digits to the mid 30s with the coldest temperatures along the Hi-Line east of I-15 and the warmest temperatures around Helena We are then going to have partly to mostly sunny skies on Tuesday with a few snow showers around during the morning We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures again on Tuesday as highs are going to range from the mid teens to the mid 30s with the coldest temperatures in northeastern Montana It is also going to be a little breezy in some areas on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph Some isolated rain and snow showers are then possible on Wednesday as another weak disturbance passes through our area We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Wednesday Partly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions are then expected on Thursday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather Warmer air is also going to return to our area for these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph Wildlife and Parks has confirmed grizzly bear sightings near Helena this year According to a press release from the department grizzlies or evidence of the species have been seen in the North Hills and Grizzly Gulch areas near Helena They have also been spotted in the Elkhorn Mountains near Clancy bears were found in areas they had not been seen in over 100 years grizzlies have recently been seen in the Little Belt Mountains the Pryor Mountains southeast of Billings and the Shields Valley north of Livingston “Vigilance is important for those who live and recreate in the outdoors,” said Quentin Kujala “This is a busy time of year for bears and our field staff are responding to calls in these particular areas and across the state.” FWP recommends people take the following steps to avoid attracting bears to their property and being safe in bear country: How to avoid attracting bears to your property A WINTER STORM WARNING has been issued for the Pryor and Bighorn Mountains through noon today A HIGH WIND WATCH has been issued for Areas east of the Continental Divide and along the immediate Rocky Mountain Front through Tuesday A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY has been issued for southeast Montana through noon today A partial solar eclipse will dim our sky ever so slightly starting around 11:39 AM Solar Eclipse glasses or other indirect viewing methods are needed to observe this particular eclipse as well as mostly cloudy skies in the mountain west luck out in Helena and a majority of the north central plains with partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies The maximum coverage will be at 12:40pm for Helena For those who were hoping for a total solar eclipse as the next "Great American Eclipse" will have a path of totality over the state of Montana There will be several more partial eclipses between now and then we have a chance at some gusty wind in the Helena area today and tomorrow A high wind warning has been issued for the Rocky Mountain Front and East Glacier for gusts up to 80 MPH in some isolated locations I don't think it will get that intense in Helena but it for sure will be breezy over the next couple days including while we are viewing the eclipse Travel can be dangerous with crosswind coming off the mountains A brief disturbance will make its way through Tuesday night into Wednesday morning It will bring scattered instances of showers with the possibility of a few flurries tomorrow morning The end of the week will be warm and mostly dry Temperatures across across the state can meet or exceed 70 degrees on Friday Partly to mostly cloudy skies will stick around for the rest of the week There's a chance of some showers over the weekend ahead of the next major system early on next week Helena Temperature Records Today:High: 80° (2022)Low: 10° (1982)AVG: 55/31 Great Falls Temperature Records Today:High: 79° (1996)Low: 4° (1982) Happy eclipse chasing!Joey BianconeMeteorologist Facebook: Meteorologist Joey BianconeInstagram: joeybianconewx Crews are in the early phases of fighting a 174-acre wildfire in the Big Belt Mountains southeast of Helena The Deep Creek Fire off Highway 12 between Townsend and White Sulphur Springs is 0% contained Forest Service spokesperson Ashley Snellman She says 35 firefighters and multiple helicopters are on the blaze which started Sunday in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest amid unseasonably warm temperatures in the ‘90s “The weather’s definitely hot and dry and windy But crews are just continuing to keep working and building fire line along the flank,” Snellman says Snellman says the fire is threatening several cabins and primary homes around the steep and heavily timbered Deep Creek Canyon Law enforcement have limited nearby stretches of Highway 12 to one lane though residents are advised to stay out of the area if possible Kevin Trevellyan is Yellowstone Public Radio's Report for America statehouse reporter KARNES COUNTY — A few miles southeast of where a two-lane farm road cuts across Highway 80 lies a sliver of land — 147.5 acres to be exact — holding the stories of two Texas families each family has held a half-interest in the property in northeast Karnes County succeeding generations often unaware they owned a share of the scrub-studded parcel oil and gas riches have made the land valuable and descendants of the two families must now reckon with the disparate fortunes found or lost since their ancestors crossed paths here Doing so means untangling the knots that bind together not just century-old family matters and business deals but also the racial oppression that so often determined who was allowed to prosper a white family considered pioneers of the area fighting for full ownership of a beloved ranch they believe is theirs On the other side are the Eckfords: hundreds of descendants of a formerly enslaved couple trying to reclaim their stake in the land and the lost link to their inheritance Both families are hoping to share in royalty payouts that could be worth millions of dollars Out on this expanse in the heart of the Eagle Ford Shale the circumstances surrounding how these acres of scrub and ranchland passed from one family to the other are complex involving life during a time of overt racism a clouded deed of trust and the sale of an estate All is now under scrutiny as the courts determine whether the Korths effectively divested the Eckfords of their half-interest over the more than seven decades during which the land has been in their possession Theirs is a story of a land dispute but it’s also about legacy About one family wanting to hold on to the investment of generations and another seeking justice over what went missing in the days of Jim Crow And none of it would have happened but for a shale play that brought oil giants and their hungry interests to town throwing into question who rightfully owns the 147.5-acre tract The first mention of the Eagle Ford Shale in Karnes County’s community newspaper appeared in the classifieds section in late 2009 “Have you been contacted by an oil and gas landman recently?” the short announcement asked It pointed readers to a website where landowners posted the sort of lease offers on the table for those lucky enough to own property within the 26-county swath over the geological formation rich in oil and natural gas Drilling in the nation’s second largest shale field covering roughly 20,000 square miles in an arc stretching northeast from Laredo It transformed Karnes County’s ranching and farming economy into an oil and gas powerhouse with well pads scattered throughout its brush and grasslands Oil and gas companies had begun poring over property deeds and approaching local landowners to sign over drilling rights as early as 2007 That’s when representatives for Crashiel Resources acting on behalf of a drilling subsidiary of ConocoPhillips reached out to Lou Eda Korth Stubbs Nixon and Ellen Ann Korth Vickers The Korth sisters had inherited many acres of land from their father a successful rancher and banker who had inherited it from his father The land included 147.5 acres on the eastern end of one of their ranches hunted doves and coyotes and leased the land to graze cattle But as the landman and title lawyers assigned to their property tracked down its ownership An inventory of Fritz Korth’s estate at the time of his death in 1948 noted that he owned only an undivided half interest in the 147.5 acres “known as the Eckford Estate.” “We had always thought we owned it,” Ellen Ann would say later gas and mineral lease proposal sent to Lou Eda the landman included a breakdown of the Korths’ mineral interests showing the 147.5 acres — which would net the Korth sisters an $18,437 signing bonus — were jointly owned by the Korth descendants and what it described as the “Estate of Louis Eckford The Korth family entered into a contract with ConocoPhillips in early 2008 signing division orders that reflected their shared half interest in the tract It wasn’t until 2011 that ConocoPhillips began contacting the owners of the other half interest listed as belonging to Louis Eckford there were more than 200 rigs at work in the Eagle Ford Shale A century worth of records and deeds linked the land to Louis and Eliza Eckford. They had acquired it in the late 1880s, less than 30 years from the day freedom finally came to the Black people enslaved in Texas Eliza’s half had been sold to Fritz Korth after her death his share would have been inherited by his nine children and later by their descendants There were at least 200 at the point ConocoPhillips began tracking them down While some Eckford descendants were still in Texas many had not known about their lasting connection to this place In a January 2011 post on The Mineral Rights Forum website Natasha Haskins described her shock when she found out she had an interest in her ancestors’ land “I don’t know anything about the property because it was owned by my great great grandparents in the early 1900’s and since the majority of my father's side family members are deceased with the exception of nine I automatically qualified as the heir to 1/2 the mineral rights,” she wrote asking for advice on what she was getting herself into Louis Eckford was born in Texas around 1840 His enslavement appears to be recorded on page 42 of the 1860 census of Karnes County wed the next year and welcomed their first child a year later — a union that wasn’t recognized for at least a decade when the Texas Legislature legalized the marriages of people “formerly held in bondage” and legitimized their children Much of what is known about the couple has been passed down through family lore and deduced by piecing together history captured in handwritten documents Some of the early work of pulling those threads together was done by Willie Jean Eckford Hardaway a great-great-granddaughter of Louis and Eliza who was among the first descendants to hear from the companies interested in the family’s mineral rights Willie Jean was steadfast in her exploration using quiet moments to escape to a small office in the back of her San Antonio home uprooting documents confirming some of the details of stories that until then had been faint tales passed by word of mouth Other details were lost to the past; her father had been an only child and died decades before So deeper she went trying to fill in as many of the empty spaces in the tapestry of her family’s history as she could “It was mostly [out of] curiosity,” said Quinton Hardaway Jr. who became her widower when she died of cancer in 2016 and that’s when she took it and ran with it.” What eventually became known is that after emancipation Louis and Eliza settled in the Flaccus community — also called the McTennel Colony — a settlement of Black residents where many freed slaves retained the surnames of the people who had held them as property They appeared to mesh with the local white community the residents of Flaccus wrote to the editor of the Karnes County News to thank “prominent white friends,” including the editor and the county judge “We the colored citizens of the McTennell colony wish to make a few remarks concerning our celebration,” they wrote “It passed off quietly and we hope all who were present enjoyed themselves.” (The spellings of McTennel vary in records.) Louis’ name appeared on the county voter rolls as early as 1867 but the stench of the Civil War still permeated the area where most residents had supported the Confederacy a secretive organization that supported the preservation of slavery had been active in the area with a “castle” in nearby Helena White residents in the county made the trip to Karnes City to attend minstrel shows Texas was a segregated society controlled by white men who denied Black people full citizenship and pursued measures to keep them subservient The state Legislature initially refused to ratify the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments which abolished slavery and guaranteed equal rights under the law And the white power structure either sanctioned or turned a blind eye to the racist terror Black Texans faced from lynch mobs to the emergence of the Jim Crow freed slaves and other Black people seemed to find prosperity in Karnes County began acquiring and selling land near McTennel Creek with the 1880 census listing him as a property owner and farmer But their fortunes would turn around the time the county promoted itself as the “banner county of the south west” rich in fertile lands and access to the railroads connecting it to the major hubs of San Antonio and Houston Four years later — just after a second transaction involving the land that showed it had been paid off in full — he was dragged from his home considering that just a few months before he had been asked to give remarks during the Arbor Day celebration in McTennel Colony which was described by a local paper as a settlement of “intelligent progressive and prosperous colored people.” Louis was put “under restraint and medical treatment” at a state facility in Austin at the time known as the Texas State Lunatic Asylum The court in Louis’ trial had determined there was no one to manage his affairs leading his descendants to believe his trial amounted to nothing more than a land grab but Eliza hired an attorney and convinced a probate court to allow her to serve as his guardian his stake in the 147.5 acres passed to their nine children while Eliza retained half (Eliza later gained slightly more than half when she was preceded in death by a child whose share was distributed to his mother and siblings.) Louis’ descendants initially believed he died in a fire at the state hospital buried in an unmarked grave in the capital city but The Texas Tribune found a newspaper clipping from 1894 that indicates he made it back home two years before his death a former good colored citizen of this county but who has been confined in the lunatic asylum in Austin for some time has so for recovered as to allow his return home,” read an entry in the local paper left for Austin Wednesday after his father.” Ownership of the 147.5 acres remained unchanged — with Eliza preparing a will that would leave her share to her seven surviving children — through 1923 when Eliza took out a $300 loan from Fritz Korth a local rancher known as a money lender who would also serve as a director of the local bank The loan was secured by a deed of trust on the land The Eckford descendants today have questions about the loan doubting Eliza would put the property on the line when it was worth far more than the loan amount But the deed of trust would come into play when she died two years later a year short of the repayment term on the loan Eliza had picked someone to administer her estate but a probate judge rejected Eliza’s choice arguing he lived too far from Karnes County part of a prominent family that owned the local bank It’s unknown why the Eckford children didn’t claim any of the land while its sale to pay Eliza’s debts languished for 14 years — or if they knew they still owned the half that had belonged to Louis and the 147.5-acre tract passed into the control of the Korths Though the area was first inhabited by indigenous people and later Spanish colonists and Mexican settlers many of the small towns that dotted early Karnes County were established in the mid- to late 1800s by what are described locally as pioneering families With its loamy soils spreading out from the banks of the San Antonio River and the arrival of the railroads broadened access to markets He established his wide-ranging business and ranch interests early on He would wear various hats throughout his life serving as a Runge city commissioner and a director of the Karnes County National Bank His two sons would grow into prominence themselves served as secretary of the Navy under President John F while Romeo Korth took after his father as a rancher and banker succeeding Fritz as a director of the bank and serving on a local school board and various associations Fritz’s death in 1948 made the front page of the Karnes County News good and beloved pioneer citizen” and described his funeral as “one of the largest ever held here.” It fell to the brothers to manage his estate The probate proceedings noted Fritz’s half interest in the 147.5 acres on which the family had maintained cattle and worked the land since taking possession in 1939 The Korth ownership share was split between the brothers and their mother though Romeo would eventually buy them out The 147.5 acres had become part of a larger ranch called the “The Colony” that Romeo and his family would work for many years to come though some ranch hands would continue referencing the smaller area as the Eckford tract would later recall summers spent on the ranch stacking hay bales and eating his dove and quail soup having gone to school in San Antonio and married while in college would eventually return to help run the ranch the wealth drawn in part from the family’s ranching enterprises allowed them to broaden their portfolio including the ranch inherited by the Korth sisters the extended family has amassed significant land holdings in South Texas The Korths were long ensconced on the land and things would have remained that way if not for the landmen that came calling and the effort to lock up drilling rights would bring these two families back together generations later The issue moved into the courts in September 2012 when Burlington Resources Oil and Gas Company asked a district court to grant them a receivership lease covering the Eckford interest in the 147.5 acres The legal mechanism is used by companies when they’re unable to locate the mineral rights owners of an estate despite “diligent effort.” It would allow Burlington Resources to drill and set aside any leasing bonuses or royalty payments so the missing owners — in this case the unknown descendants of Louis Eckford — could later claim them in court trying to establish that it owned the entire 147.5 acres outright The ensuing dispute captures the parallel yet starkly different stories of the two families Ownership of the tract was passed on through wills and estates over generations on the Korth side and unknowingly carried over on the Eckford side Lawyers for the Korth family point to their stewardship of the land and the property taxes they’ve paid over more than 70 years to defend their ownership claim didn’t come back to Karnes County until the oil and gas companies arrived The Eckford descendants have countered that they didn’t initiate this squabble; the companies eager to drill the land did who stopped recognizing their co-ownership of the land even though it was on record the Korths argued that Eliza Eckford transferred full ownership to Fritz Korth through the 1923 deed of trust used to secure the $300 she borrowed from him which did not specify that she only owned half They also claimed full ownership of the land through adverse possession a complex legal framework under which someone can claim ownership of a property even if it didn’t originally belong to them This set off a legal roller coaster of partial victories for each side and winding appeals that have extended the dispute for more than a decade a district judge rejected the Korths’ claim regarding the scope of the 1923 deed but he agreed the Korths had met the requirements for claiming the land through adverse possession and awarded them ownership without a trial The Eckfords appealed with a lawyer in the family who grew up in Texas but had been living in California hadn’t specialized in oil and gas issues or real property for that matter but she had done appellate work She eventually rearranged her life to spearhead the family’s legal case believing it a service she owed to those who had come before her Marks had a modest upbringing; as a child she was bused north from East Austin to what had been a white high school. Her father had been in the military, and her mother worked at a state home for young boys with disabilities. Her grandparents had both graduated from college but could not get teaching jobs because of their race. Instead, her grandfather rose to be the head waiter at premier Austin hotels Her grandmother operated a tea room for the Black faculty of what would become Huston-Tillotson University “I had so much responsibility to give back given the sacrifices that my family made so that I could have a good life,” Marks said When the San Antonio-based court of appeals in 2017 ruled the local judge had been too quick to award the Korths ownership The Texas Supreme Court rejected their request to hear the case and the matter was ultimately sent back to Karnes County district court and set for trial in the summer of 2023 About $574 million worth of oil and gas has been extracted so far in the area that includes the land in question according to public production data records compiled by the Eckfords’ lawyers But what share of that is attributed to the 147.5 acres is not a matter of public record The percentage of royalties to be paid out is likely millions of dollars members of the Korth and Eckford families filed into a Karnes County Courthouse recently restored to its original 1895 style The seat of government looked much as it had more than a century before when the early chapters in the Korth and Eckford saga played out some in the same second-floor courtroom in which the families would sit during a trial of the Korths’ lawsuit seeking full ownership The two families sat on slatted benches on opposite ends of the courtroom Behind the Eckfords hung portraits of former county judges including some who appeared to be ancestors of T the banker who had administered Eliza Eckford’s estate and whose name would echo through the courtroom during the five-day trial Eckford family lawyer Wayne Collins told the jury was about two families who settled near Ecleto Creek and tried to grasp at the American dream The trial itself turned out to be an unconventional setting for two family reunions During pauses in the proceedings or while congregating in the hall the Eckford descendants connected for the first time with distant relatives They traded photos pulled from pocketbooks and wallets asked about each other’s children and traced family lineages who are your parents?” was repeated over and over the smaller contingent of Korths traded stories about working on the ranch and recalled how grandfather Romeo had ridden horseback into his 90s and were planning a formal family reunion in October including awkward breaks during which the two families mostly steered clear of each other their attorneys recited winding family histories and laid out the complicated legalities of adverse possession and co-tenancy to a 12-person jury Several hours were filled replaying video depositions of the Korth sisters the landman hired by Burlington and a title attorney who reiterated that the Eckford children held on to their half interest in the 147.5 acres because Eliza could not have sold to Fritz Korth what did not belong to her Eckford and Korth descendants also took the stand offered a detailed look of the ranch’s geography and explained the backstory of a series of photos that chronicled the family’s deep ties to the ranch vaccinating calves and working on the ranch but also one of her at age 4 holding a pail in front of cotton shrubs He also described the family’s efforts to enrich the land — a necessity his grandfather your livestock will never survive,” Stubbs recalled him saying Among the Eckfords who testified was Thelma Loftis who at 84 is the oldest living descendant of Anthony Eckford She said she was there to provide insight into her family Kneeland Youngblood read off the names of some of the nearly 30 Eckfords who had been in court that week each standing in the audience as they were called Where the Korths had a long and dedicated connection to the ranch the Eckfords’ presence in the courtroom was subtly framed as the living legacy left behind by Louis and Eliza who had survived slavery and whose descendants had survived the Jim Crow era Though the historical context of the time period in which much of the case’s events played out was evident that for the Eckfords this was about more than mineral rights began to weigh over the proceedings as the trial came to a close As the judge began reading his instructions to the jury for their deliberations Marks rose from the attorneys’ table and walked to the back of the room out of the jury's view Leaning on an archway at the courtroom entrance Marks had composed herself as she spoke of the importance of considering the people behind the events in question to figure out “why they did what they did or didn’t do.” The ancestors of both families had desired to leave a legacy for their children before focusing on the Eckfords and the unlikelihood that Eliza would have put her entire legacy at risk for $300 Indicating her relatives sitting in the audience “they are the embodiment of achievement that Louis and Eliza couldn’t have imagined.” Morales stuck to the documents in retelling the story including the more than 70 years of property tax receipts in the Korths’ names and the deeds given to Fritz Korth He told the jury the Korths did not consider the two families co-owners and that the inventory of Fritz Korth’s estate showing only a half interest in the land holds no legal weight the Korths had ousted them from the land over the more than seven decades they had been in possession And he questioned what he called the “118 years of silence from the Eckford children” and why Louis and Eliza’s adult children did not come forward when the land was put up for sale after Eliza died “We don’t know why five generations ago they did what they did Three hours after the jury was sent back to deliberate a bailiff crossed the creaky floors of the courtroom and handed the judge a note saying a decision had been reached The jury faced multiple questions regarding the Korths’ claim that they owned the land in its entirety including whether the Korths had acquired a presumption of deed whether they had adversely possessed the land and whether they had acquired full title to the land The room collectively held its breath as the jury answered “no” to each question The Eckfords exchanged both stunned and relieved glances or nods as the judge confirmed that the jurors had agreed on the verdict the Eckford descendants stood to tearfully embrace each other Ethel Turner’s thoughts turned to Willie Jean whose research had served as a foundation for the legal fight but who hadn’t lived long enough to see it resolved it remains unclear how the decadelong saga will end The lawyers came back together last week for a post-trial hearing and the judge must still enter his final judgment in the case the Korth family’s lawyer has indicated they could appeal and kick off another round of litigation “We’re disappointed with the jury verdict,” Morales said two weeks after the trial “We thought there was plenty of evidence to support the ouster over 72 years of possession and we’re certainly looking at any and all appellate issues in the case.” The Eckfords also have a pending legal claim regarding the accounting of the royalty interests to be paid out from the production on the land as is typical when there’s a title dispute Craig Smith remembers traveling as a child to Karnes City the place his grandmother knew as her homestead with a house just four blocks from the courthouse in which he sat all week watching the trial He had thought about his grandmother while there how she had run an upholstery shop in San Antonio at a time when Black people could not easily start businesses and how the case had shown their greatness — and the greatness of what Louis and Eliza accomplished The “richness” of their story was what the family was fighting for The Eckfords weren’t asking to be paid back for anything They were questioning why their share in the land was taken from them “When people see other people being courageous enough to stand up and ask for justice,” he said “that’s a great thing because there may be other families other individuals that have been taken advantage of through no fault of their own but blocked by a system that was manipulated against them.” “It’s only justice that people are seeking,” he said Choose an amount or learn more about membership a total solar eclipse will cross parts of North America with the moon passing between Earth and the sun The path of totality will stretch from Texas to Ohio and across northern New England A 108-mile-wide shadow will be drawn across this part of the country with the total eclipse lasting upward of four minutes in this area Totality reveals the true celestial spectacle This is why thousands of people will be traveling to the path of totality the northwest corner of the state will only see about a quarter of the sun eclipsed Southeast Montana will have approximately half of the sun's disk blocked by the moon The eclipse will begin at approximately 11:40 a.m Only people in the totality path can briefly and safely look at the eclipsed sun when the moon completely blocks the sun's bright disk To safely view the partial eclipse here in Montana Several people have commented on where you might be able to get them: The next total solar eclipse over the continental United States won't happen for another 20 years But northeast Montana will be in the path of totality the Treasure State experienced near-totality of a solar eclipse Some moments of Montana’s 2024 wildfire season — which ravaged nearly 388,000 acres — will be burned into memories all across the state fire season got off to a relatively quiet start The biggest of the early season, the Horse Gulch Fire It claimed nearly 15,000 acres northeast of Helena and the life of a pilot who passed away while collecting water to fight the blaze In Western Montana, blazes came for the Bitterroot. Just days later, the Miller Peak Fire sprang up seven miles from Missoula On July 25, lightning ignited the Johnson Fire, which took out more than 8,000 acres outside of Sula. These were followed by the Railroad-Daly Fires which reached more than 12,800 acres along the Skalkaho Highway southeast of Hamilton On August 23, more lightning started the Sharrott Creek Fire the fire kept pouring smoke into the valley into early October The biggest fire of the season, the Remington Fire crossed into Southeastern Montana from Sheridan County the fire quickly hopped the border into Montana’s Powder River while also impacting the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and the Custer National Forest It burned more than 196,000 acres before it was contained in mid-September While not even close to Montana’s worst in the past decade the 2024 season brought intense smoke and burned more acreage than 2022 and 2023 combined That is likely connected to the intense dry conditions facing much of the state For the fifth consecutive year, much of Montana saw drought. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data from mid-December, virtually all but the far northwestern corner of the state is contending with some form of drought. This includes “extreme” drought near Missoula and in Southeastern Montana. But, looking ahead to the first three months of 2025, they predict improved conditions for most of Montana. triggering days of driving rain and destroying homes that had stood for decades.In Horseshoe Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast about 70 miles (120 km) west of Gainesville Charlene Huggins surveyed the debris of her blown-out house pulling a jacket out of the rubble on Saturday."Five generations lived in this house son and my granddaughter," Huggins said "So there's a lot of memories here It just breaks your heart."Not far away James Ellenburg stood on the property where his own family has lived for four generations "I took my first step right here in this yard."The roof of one home sat flat in the dirt its walls blown away.In coastal Steinhatchee a storm surge – a wall of seawater pushed ashore by winds – of eight to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 meters) moved mobile homes the weather service said.Other areas saw a storm surge of 15 feet (4.5 meters).In the nearby tiny community of Spring Warrior Fish Camp people were surveying the damage on Saturday and still waiting for emergency or first responder aid."No one thinks of us back here," said David Hall as he and his wife dug through seagrass and dead fish in the office of the hotel they owned Many of the community's homes are built on stilts because of a local ordinance and survived heavy damage.Kristin Macqueen was helping friends clean up after their house was destroyed in nearby Keaton Beach "It's complete devastation," she said "Houses have just been ripped off their slabs."Reporting by Alyssa Pointer in Hendersonville Maria Alejandra Cardona in Horseshoe Beach Florida; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen Daniel Trotta and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Nick Zieminski A home is surrounded by sandbags off McHugh Lane in Helena Monday as flood waters from the nearby Ten Mile Creek spread into residential areas A pair of domestic geese cross McHugh Lane Monday where flood waters have covered the roadway With Ten Mile Creek flooding several parts of the west Helena Valley Monday Lewis and Clark County officials closed some area roads as residents worked to protect their homes Lewis and Clark County Disaster and Emergency Services -- along with county commissioners, the sheriff’s office and public works -- began responding Sunday to flooding throughout the county Recent weather caused Ten Mile Creek to spill over its banks starting early Sunday morning most area waterways were high but remained within their banks The exceptions were Ten Mile Creek and Lyon’s Creek Ten Mile Creek has flooded across McHugh Lane and into several areas of the Helena Valley Flood District "We haven’t seen any damage to public infrastructure but we have seen people’s basements flooded," said Reese Martin Officials did not have an accurate assessment of flood damage on private property as of 4 p.m County public works has cleared culverts of debris and has begun to open the waterway into the Helena Trap Club property in an attempt to alleviate some of the flooding County public works employees set up a pump Monday afternoon in attempt to divert flood waters in the Helena Valley near the trap club McHugh Lane was closed to through traffic at its intersections with Forestvale and Motsiff Roads Mill Road was closed to through traffic at its intersections with McHugh Lane and Hedges Drive It is unclear how long the roads will remain closed "We're having issues with drivers going through the water at a high rate of speed and causing a wake in people’s yards where they're trying to protect their homes," he said please avoid these roadways and take an alternative route to your destination,” he said "Local residents are strongly urged to take the necessary steps to protect their property." Sandbags and sand can be purchased at local retailers The county has not made a call for volunteers The county will continue monitoring area creeks but it is difficult to predict if the water will continue to rise "We really don’t know at this point," he said adding that one-tenth of an inch of rain was in the forecast for Tuesday Helena Public Schools officials are cautioning parents against leaving children unattended at bus stops where there is running or standing water "Water depths can be deceptive," the school district said in a press release "As melting increases water levels are rising and water is moving swiftly in various locations in the north Helena Valley." The intersection of Stadler Road and McHugh Lane sits underwater Monday  Mill Road was closed to through traffic at its intersections with McHugh Lane and Hedges Drive Reporter Tom Kuglin can be reached at 447-4076 @IR_TomKuglin Email notifications are only sent once a day It is no secret that wildfires and wood smoke negatively affect air quality in Helena and across Montana and Lewis and Clark and several othe… A 200-acre wildfire sprang from a prescribed burn southeast of Helena Friday afternoon A federal judge decided she won't hear a case by Montana Democrats that seeks to remove the Green Party from the 2018 election ballot The weekend’s rains delivered their predicted surge to area rivers but the high water probably won’t last much beyond midweek A body found under suspicious circumstances in south Helena Friday is so badly decomposed that officials say they will probably need dental re… Environmental Protection Agency's senior advisor joked that he might be at the end of his tenure when he visited Butte l… Two Butte residents involved in a 2017 shooting death in Helena were sentenced to prison Tuesday for various federal drug and weapon offenses Two major road construction projects are beginning this week in Helena and East Helena Steve Bullock has declared a statewide flooding emergency Montana's campaign contribution limits will stay in place for the June 5 primary elections after a federal appeals court decided against revis… Here are the felony arrests reported in the Helena area during the month of April Defendants are innocent until proven guilty Rising floodwaters in the Helena Valley have forced Rossiter Elementary School to close "indefinitely," and more parts of Lewis and Clark Coun… Montana’s senators were among lawmakers grilling former Montana congressman Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Thursday on the Trump administration… Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account (For the latest news on Helene, please go to Wednesday's live storm coverage.) Storm surge and hurricane warnings were issued Tuesday for Florida's Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Helene started gaining strength on the path to what's expected to become a massive and powerful hurricane Helene was heading toward the island of Cozumel off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as of the National Hurricane Center's 10 p.m The storm is projected to dump heavy rain and trigger possible mudslides across western Cuba while passing between the island and the Yucatan on Tuesday night From there, forecasters say Helene will veer toward Florida's Gulf Coast and the state's Big Bend, already battered by Hurricane Debby seven weeks ago. As it churns over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Helene is expected to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane with 115-mph winds by the time it makes landfall Thursday night The NHC warned the storm could bring life-threatening storm surge as high as 15 feet hazardous winds and around 10 inches of rain to parts of Florida most of which is under a state of emergency Because the storm is so large and is forecast to be moving quickly as it crosses the coast, the hurricane center also warned that strong winds and torrential rain will be felt hundreds of miles inland across the Southeast after landfall the southern Appalachians and the Tennessee Valley “Everyone along the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region needs to be prepared for hurricane impacts,” said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva adding that Helen has the potential to become the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the U.S ∎ Hurricane watches were in effect Tuesday across the Yucatan Peninsula and portions of western and central Cuba Further watches and warnings were expected later Tuesday ∎ In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Tuesday in anticipation of Helene's impact later this week. "Stay vigilant and stay safe," he said in a post on X. ∎ As counties and municipalities begin preparing shelters for evacuated residents, especially near low-lying and coastal areas, the state has closed at least 59 parks across Florida, according to the state parks website ∎ If the storm makes landfall as a hurricane it would be the fourth in the mainland U.S Track the storm: See the latest path, models It's not every day a weather forecast is called "aggressive.'' That's the term used to describe Helene's predicted progression from potential tropical cyclone to Category 3 hurricane in less than three days "It's an aggressive forecast for good reason," said John Cangialosi, a senior specialist at the National Hurricane Center. "We're trying to get ahead of the possible rapid intensification before it gets to Florida." scientists track new systems for several days before forecasting they'll grow into a major hurricane whose exposure to extraordinarily warm waters is fueling a quick strengthening and therefore the early predictions to warn the public "The entire forecast is also basically faster than has ever been seen for 36 hours and 48 hours from a tropical depression,” said Sam Lillo a meteorologist and software engineer for DTN Weather Residents across the Big Bend of Florida are storm weary Last month the region was pummeled by Hurricane Debby’s flooding rains and tornadoes flattening homes and leaving entire neighborhoods underwater both of which made landfall in Taylor County created about a combined $500 million in agricultural losses according to a University of Florida analysis as Helene churns toward the state’s Gulf Coast residents are preparing for possibly more devastating impacts “We’re still suffering," Michelle Curtis told the Tallahassee Democrat The Perry native said blue tarps from damage inflicted by the one-two punch of Idalia and Debby are still a common sight in her neighborhood a fourth-generation peanut and cotton farmer whose crops were wrecked by Hurricane Michael six years ago spent Monday preparing generators so his neighbors' cows would not go without water everything we can think to do,” Pittman said “It looks like it could be a very serious situation come Thursday.” Taylor County in Florida's Big Bend has plenty of recent experience with hurricanes having encountered Debby seven weeks ago and Idalia 11 months back So the sheriff's office wasn't going to wait for Helene to arrive instead issuing a mandatory evacuation order for the whole county Tuesday afternoon “Hurricane Helene is predicted to be a catastrophic and life threatening storm system,” the office said on Facebook “This system will be unlike anything we have experienced to date A curfew is effective from sunset to sunrise this is a MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER for everyone.”  Franklin County in the Florida Panhandle issued a mandatory evacuation for all its nearby barrier islands Bald Point and Alligator Point went into effect at noon Franklin County Emergency Management announced on Facebook then do not shelter at home; leave until the storm has passed and then return,” Franklin County Emergency Management said “Remember that if you have health concerns EMS will not be able to respond if wind speeds reach 40 mph sustained It is unsafe for ambulances to be dispatched in high winds.” Wakulla County also announced on Tuesday that a mandatory evacuation order would go into effect 8 a.m Officials warned no shelters would be open in the county and urged residents to be prepared to take cover elsewhere counties and cities across the state opened sandbag locations and prepared shelters Florida State and Florida A&M universities announced closures through Friday Instead of getting ready for the lunch rush on Tuesday restaurant owner Stanley West and a friend lifted metal chairs onto the deck of a pontoon boat hauling them away for safekeeping so they wouldn't turn into projectiles in hurricane-force winds said he's not taking any chances with Helene which could unleash a 15-foot storm surge along the Big Bend coast "Usually I leave some stuff because I'm not worried about it too much," West told the Tallahassee Democrat we're going to try to get out everything that we can It's easier to bring it back and have it than it is to lose it." Residents throughout the northern Florida county spent Tuesday boarding up their homes prepping their boats and making evacuation plans Lines for gasoline stretched for blocks and grocery stores were packed with residents buying water ain't nothing I can do but cross my fingers and pray and I will be doing a lot of that," West said A combination of the storm surge and high tide could flood some parts of Florida with water levels as high as 15 feet above ground including up to 8 feet in the the highly populated Tampa Bay area The storm surge doesn't draw as much attention as a system's sustained winds which determine whether it classifies as a hurricane and if so what category but it can cause substantial destruction and even death by inundating coastal areas An 8-foot storm surge would cover even the tallest human Helene's approach to the Florida Gulf Coast is particularly concerning because the area's configuration with wide, gently sloping continental shelves makes it more vulnerable to rising waters. Here's how the storm surge develops Sheriff Jared Miller of coastal Wakulla County said on social media the storm surge in the area could rise to 12 feet calling such a development "a historic event and not survivable for those along coastal or lowing areas that would be affected.'' Helene’s wind radius is forecast to be among the largest ever recorded in a storm at similar latitudes Tropical storm force winds already extend outward up to 140 miles from the center said Helene is expected to grow even larger as it reaches the Gulf of Mexico Its large size is a direct result of the Central American gyre While gyre typically refers to a rotating current in water It’s a broad circulation of air that spins counterclockwise The gyre often appears in the western Caribbean at this time of year it can develop into a large storm such as Helene Previous research has shown the gyres often produce exceptional rainfall that can lead to catastrophic flooding The Fujiwhara effect – which describes the rotation of two storms around each other – is one of meteorology's most exquisite dances It's most common with tropical cyclones such as typhoons or hurricanes Forecasters say soon-to-be Hurricane Helene could eventually undergo a Fujiwhara "interaction" with another storm over the central US which the weather service refers to as a trough of low pressure As Helene moves across Florida into the Southeast "models suggest it will undergo a Fujiwhara interaction with a trough of low pressure over the Ozarks," the National Weather Service in Shreveport said in an online forecast discussion posted Monday this means the remnants of the landfalling hurricane will move in close proximity of the larger Ozarks trough and then try to circulate around it before it gets absorbed forming a larger closed trough," the weather service said "This phenomenon is incredibly rare at this latitude!," KATV meteorologist James Bryant posted on X Where is the storm now?Helene was located in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday evening and it's forecast to bring dangerous conditions such as flooding and storm surge across the Cayman Islands The storm was located about 100 miles east-southeast of Cozumel and 145 miles south of the western tip of Cuba according to the National Hurricane Center's 10 p.m The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was moving west-northwest at 10 mph the center of the system is expected to push across the northwestern Caribbean Sea on Tuesday night before emerging over the eastern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday The system could dump 4 to 8 inches over western Cuba and the Cayman Islands with isolated totals around 12 inches warning of "considerable flooding." Other threats include storm surge and heavy wind gusts "Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch areas in Cuba and Mexico by early Wednesday," the weather service said "Hurricane conditions are possible within the U.S watch areas late Wednesday and early Thursday." As Florida braces for the arrival of Helene forecasters are warning the storm will produce widespread impacts stretching hundreds of miles inland from where it makes landfall Forecasters say the storm system could drop around 10 inches of rain across parts of northern Florida and throughout portions of the Tennessee Valley Rainfall amounts from 4-8 inches are predicted for much of the Southeast from southwest Florida to parts of Alabama “This is expected to be a large hurricane with a major storm surge threat and impacts that will reach hundreds of miles inland from where this storm makes landfall,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter said “We expect significant flooding problems that could reach as far inland as Atlanta and potentially a secondary area of significant flooding in the southern Appalachians.” Along the shore of Tampa Bay, storm surge could reach 5-8 feet above ground level, according to the hurricane center. "The potential for life-threatening storm surge and damaging hurricane-force winds along the coast of the Florida Panhandle and the Florida west Gulf Coast is increasing," the hurricane center said Tuesday morning The storm is forecast to become a major hurricane before approaching the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday According to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida since 2000: Charley and Jeanne in 2004; Dennis and Wilma in 2005; Irma in 2017; Michael in 2018; Ian in 2022; Idalia in 2023 oil producers scrambled Monday to evacuate staff from Gulf of Mexico oil production platforms as the second hurricane in two weeks was predicted to tear through offshore oil producing fields Chevron and Shell have begun evacuating offshore staff Just two weeks ago, Hurricane Francine roared across the Gulf of Mexico peaking as a Category 2 with 100-mph winds as it made landfall in Louisiana Ron DeSantis on Tuesday expanded the number of counties under an emergency declaration to 61 the vast majority of the state’s 67 counties the governor signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 41 counties allowing Florida to offer resources to local communities ahead of any potential storm impacts The state also requested an emergency declaration from FEMA DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday DeSantis said the state is deploying high water vehicles and generators as well as amassing 18,000 power linemen to respond to Helene 3,000 National Guard soldiers are on standby and authorities have begun to stage flood protection devices across the Gulf Coast The governor told residents to heed emergency warnings and familiarize themselves with their evacuation zone water and “prepare for your power to go out." "There’s a lot of uncertainty with this storm but the one thing that is certain is that we are going to see some impacts.” and parts of the Gulf of Mexico are record warm "The ocean heat content in the Gulf is extremely high which future-Helene will pass over," said University of Miami meteorologist Brian McNoldy this week on X "The area-average value is obliterating previous values for the date," he said The Loop Current is a flow of warm water that travels through the Gulf of Mexico McNoldy cautioned Tuesday that "It's not even a tropical depression yet Start your day smart: Sign up for USA TODAY's Daily Briefing newsletter In a morning update from the National Hurricane Center meteorologists issued a hurricane watch for the majority of the Gulf Coast of Florida Petersburg and Tampa Bay are under hurricane watches "A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area," according to the hurricane center "A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous." Some areas of the state are under tropical storm watch while a storm surge watch was issued across most of the Gulf Coast indicating that "there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline," during the next 48 hours Read more: Will Hurricane Helene emerge like a monster from the Gulf? The storm has not reached hurricane wind levels yet, but forecasters with the National Hurricane Center predict it will happen sooner rather than later The system is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Wednesday and make landfall on Thursday The hurricane center predicted the storm will reach winds of 115 mph before landfall, making it a major Category 3 storm. Forecasters warn the storm could bring life-threatening storm surge, hazardous winds and heavy rain. Parts of Florida are already under a tropical storm and hurricane watch "It`s expected to make landfall on the Florida Panhandle Thursday and then gradually weaken as it tracks northward into eastern (Tennessee) Friday," read the forecast discussion from the National Weather Service Here are the latest predictions for the storm's impact on Tennessee its current location and possible paths it could take as it continues to strengthen It's expected to bring rain to the eastern part of the Volunteer State and Western North Carolina toward the end of the week but predictions for the amount are still variable at this time "From late Thursday through Friday Night, a tropical system may move north into the Tennessee valley and southern Appalachians. Confidence is low about the exact impacts, timing, and path of this storm," according to hazardous outlook reports. It still may be a bit early for more solid predictions on the tropical storm but there is one thing in the forecast for most of the state...rain How much rain could Tennessee see from Tropical Storm Helene?Tropical Storm Helene is expected to dump inches of rain as it continues its northward path The National Hurricane Center expects it to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches with isolated totals of around 10 inches in the Southeastern U.S Here's the forecast via the National Weather Service as of Tuesday East Tennessee: There is an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms are possible Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the upper 70s Chances of rain are expected into the weekend with the highest chances of rain happening Thursday and Friday Middle Tennessee: Chance of rain Tuesday with the chance of rain and possible thunderstorms into Wednesday with highs in the upper 70s Rain is possible throughout the entire week with the highest chances of rain and storms predicted for Thursday and Friday West Tennessee: Chances of rain in the western part of the state are much slimmer than in Middle and East Tennessee The Memphis area and West Tennessee have a 30% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms today and tomorrow the area could see upwards of a 60% chance of rain The National Hurricane Center does warn that the potential rainfall in some areas could result in local flash and urban flooding with possible minor to isolated moderate river flooding Much of Tennessee is forecast to see some rain as we head into the weekend but East Tennessee could see the brunt of the storm according to the latest models from the National Hurricane Center Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on Hurricane Helene for Saturday, Sept. 28. For the latest news, view our live updates file for Sunday, Sept. 29. Hospital-goers scrambled to rooftops to be whisked away in helicopters And inmates were desperately removed from a jail directly in the path of floodwaters These were among countless harrowing moments as Helene brought a cascade of destruction across the Southeast The record-breaking storm hit Florida as a hurricane with wind speeds of 140 mph that flattened buildings It has since weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with 25 mph winds as floodwaters besieged parts of North Carolina and Tennessee Hundreds of road closures cut off Western North Carolina amid what Buncombe County has billed as a “catastrophic natural disaster,” in a morning news release from the county. There was no cellular coverage Saturday morning in the county of over 250,000 people. In Asheville, one video posted by ABC 11 showed a house floating away and collapsing into raging floodwaters "This is looking to be Buncombe County's own Hurricane Katrina," County Manager Avril Pinder said during an afternoon news briefing referring to the 2005 storm that led to widespread flooding Roy Cooper said 10 people had died in North Carolina due to the storm More than 200 others had been rescued by water and helicopter rescue crews who will continue operations through the night Stay safe: These 3 easy mistakes can be deadly after a hurricane Across the border in Tennessee, officials urged some 100,000 residents to seek higher ground Saturday morning as the Nolichucky Dam in Greene County was on the brink of failure, a warning reiterated by the National Weather Service Saturday morning. Hours later, NWS ended its "flash flood emergency." In a Saturday afternoon update the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said the dam remained intact and there were no reports of dam failures A flood warning was in effect to cover the effects of high water The flooding concerns come as President Joe Biden approved emergency disaster relief aid for Tennessee on Saturday eye-popping rainfall totals were measured in the North Carolina mountains including 29.6 inches at Busick and 24.2 inches at Mount Mitchell the highest peak east of the Mississippi River and a landmark along the Blue Ridge Parkway “It’s destroyed,” Jordon Bowen of the Florida State Guard Special Missions Unit told The Palm Beach Post referencing the area where Helene made landfall Dozens of deaths have been attributed to Helene’s onslaught according to authorities and media reports across the Southeast A tally of the deaths approached 50 on Saturday morning as officials have said they expected the death toll to continue rising as they go door-to-door in the aftermath of the storm property damage and storm's impact on multiple states by a top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House's homeland security adviser Ron DeSantis authorized the Florida National Guard to send air assets to North Carolina in support of the hurricane response Friday: Stranded people at East Tennessee hospital rescued Multiple people died in Buncombe County amid the damage and havoc caused by Helene officials said in a Saturday afternoon news briefing it is a fatal event," said Winston Parrish chaplain for Buncombe County Sheriff's Department "Our emergency crews are not just conducting rescues at this time but they are also recovering people who have perished in this tragedy." Officials did not say how many people have died in Buncombe County due to the storm Officials said search and rescue operations in the Western North Carolina community would continue through the night Some exhausted rescue workers have conducted operations with little to no sleep over the past 72 hours “We have biblical devastation through the county We’ve had biblical flooding here,” said Ryan Cole the assistant director of Buncombe County Emergency Services He said the sheriff's department is working to try to prepare information on the number of deaths Asheville Police Chief Michael Lamb said his department had a list of about 60 people with relatives they had not been able to reach His department planned "welfare checks" at homes to check those individuals The storm appeared to cause severe damage to Asheville's water system that will require "extensive repairs," said Ben Woody The county was working to open water distribution sites and planned to announce the sites when they get water and are open “We expect to have that up and running by tomorrow,” Pinder said Woody reminded people to boil water vigorously for at least one minute before using it as drinking water This is a “generational weather event,” he said “Although providing an accurate timeline is impossible I want to be clear that service restoration will be an extended effort.” The city of Asheville also announced an overnight curfew – from 7:30 p.m Sunday –because most of the city remained without power on Saturday UNC Asheville cancels classes as downtown hotels fill upClasses at the University of North Carolina at Asheville are canceled until Oct the university's student alert system announced on Saturday UNC Asheville spokesperson Michael Strysick told the Citizen Times that approximately a quarter of students living on campus left before the storm He said school staff went door-to-door after the storm performing checks on students Strysick said UNC Asheville is coordinating with other UNC system schools and is looking into bringing mobile Wi-Fi to campus "We're doing the best we can under difficult circumstances," Strysick said and any with remaining availability have no running water and aren’t accepting more guests the general manager of the Flat Iron Hotel locals who went to the hotel searching for accommodations were unable to be helped Most people at the hotel today are trying to leave said all 60 of the hotel’s rooms were full The Downtown Inn and Suites was closed because it did not have water which posted on Facebook that it has a displacement rate for locals affected by Tropical Storm Helene have billed Helene as a “catastrophic natural disaster,” as Saturday dawned with all rivers still at “major flood status," per an 8 a.m All roads in the western part of the state "should be considered closed," the North Carolina Department of Transportation said Saturday Neighboring Haywood County announced a curfew between 9 p.m and urged residents to stay off the roads and conserve fuel Buncombe County has received over 5,000 calls to 911 The county urged people not to call to report downed trees The region has seen more than 130 water rescue missions “I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay away from the water,” said Buncombe County Fire Marshal Kevin Tipton The 911 center said it would not be providing updates on road conditions Public safety officials urged people to be cautious on the roads The Highway Patrol urged drivers to avoid the eastbound lanes on Interstate 40 near Asheville The North Carolina Highway Patrol said drivers should take I-40 to Interstate 240 to Interstate 26 if attempting to go south from Buncombe County Interstate 26 reopened from Asheville to South Carolina Motorists were advised to avoid the area's highways and roads for non-emergency travel Most airlines at Asheville’s regional airport announced plans to cancel flights Saturday, officials announced on social media The airport is open and flights can take off and land but there are “operational difficulties” due to outages and staff are unable to get to work Helene's catastrophic winds and flooding caused somewhere between $95 and $110 billion in damage and economic loss making it one of the costliest storms in history according to an early estimate by AccuWeather Other catastrophic storms include Hurricane Ian in 2022 which caused about $180 to $210 billion in damage; Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017 with a combined total of about $270 billion; Hurricane Sandy in 2012 with $210 billion; and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with damages of about $320 billion AccuWeather's estimates have been adjusted for inflation A confluence of weather patterns over the eastern U.S set up the historic flooding that forced people from their homes in the dead of night Friday along the Nolichucky River in Tennessee as officials warned of dam failures and raging torrents ravaged communities In several forecast discussions earlier in the week, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists described a band of moisture ahead of Helene. This is called a predecessor event and they’ve been documented in the past to cause heavy rains ahead of the arrival of tropical storms and hurricanes Along the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday almost 10 inches of rain fell in Asheville and 8 inches in Tryon according to preliminary weather service data Another 6 inches fell over the two days in Bristol-Johnson Tennessee and more than 4 inches in Knoxville Then Helene’s massive circulation moved into the mix with more rain, and then transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone. Recent studies have shown some hurricanes are soaking up more moisture from the warming Gulf of Mexico record-breaking rainfall totals were reported in some Southeast locations with more than a foot of rain across swaths of Georgia and South Carolina Virginia and West Virginia saw widespread amounts ranging from 4 to 7 inches Rain flowing into rivers in the mountainous areas quickly turned into cataclysmic flooding setting a record high on the Pigeon River at Newport record high levels were set on the French Broad River and the Swannanoa River near the Biltmore estate At least three of the flood level records broken Friday were set more than a century ago, when the lingering remnants of one tropical system in July 1916 were followed by another Deaths from dangerous weather conditions unleashed by Helene have been reported across the storm's path and authorities expect the death toll to continue to rise at least 11 deaths have been attributed to the storm Ron DeSantis said in an update on Saturday morning DeSantis said Friday a person died in Dixie County a person was killed in a storm-related traffic fatality in Ybor City in Tampa Brian Kemp's office said at least 15 people were killed during the storm "One of our finest lost his life trying to save others," Kemp said at a news conference The first responder was Vernon “Leon” Davis, assistant chief of the Blackshear Fire Department, Pierce County Coroner William Wilson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Davis died when a tree fell on his city truck shortly before 1:30 a.m Also killed in Georgia were a 27-year-old woman and her 1-month-old twin boys who were in bed together when a tree crashed through their mobile home McDuffie County Coroner Paul Johnson told the outlet At least 19 people had died during the storm across South Carolina two people were killed by trees that had fallen on their homes the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and coroner's office told local media outlets Two firefighters in Saluda County were also killed Coroner Darryl Ables told USA TODAY by phone a 4-year-old was killed and others were injured in a wreck on Thursday that occurred as Helene's outer bands were slamming the state a person died and another was hospitalized after a tree fell on a home just after 5 a.m according to the Charlotte Fire Department Virginia also recorded its first storm death from a falling tree and building collapse in Craig County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced in a video on his Facebook page Friday crashing in with sustained wind speeds of 140 mph The small area along the state’s Gulf Coast near Tallahassee has seen many bracing storms over the years but none with the force of Helene “It’s total devastation,” Scott Peters, the owner of a bar flattened by the storm in Florida is among those whose property the storm flattened at Steinhatchee a small town just dozens of miles from where Helene made landfall The town took on a record-breaking 9.63 feet of storm surge leaving what was dry land submerged in 40 to 50 inches of water told USA TODAY the storm reopened wounds from Hurricane Idalia Roofs that had been repaired were destroyed all over again and boats overturned and jammed into marina pilings The storm wrecked dozens of homes at Horseshoe Beach another coastal town south of Steinhatchee Some of the homes were shoved off their concrete footings while others had their roofs flayed off by the wind Helene ripped away the staircases to Bill and Debbie Dotson’s home so the couple is staying in a tent on the ground beneath it is built atop concrete footings in case of flood waters The Dotsons said they thought Helene caused more damage to the area than Idalia The 2023 storm also destroyed one of their staircases and damaged another a $15,000 repair job a local contractor had only recently finished Helene is the couple’s fourth hurricane since moving to the area in 2021 “We had the discussion about hurricanes but you never imagine something like this “We sure are grateful that it’s standing.” Helene’s winds died down as the storm bore into Tennessee and North Carolina but it dumped enough water to nearly swallow a hospital send rivers soaring to record highs and prompt local officials to urge citizens to flee for high ground ahead of potential dam failures Officials from Florida to as far north as Virginia urged people to make for higher ground The Nolichucky River near the North Carolina border came close to sweeping away Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee. Rising waters forced 54 hospital staffers and patients to head for the roof to be whisked away aboard helicopters and boats "The hospital has been engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water," Ballad Health wrote in a cry for help on X earlier in the day and hours before conditions calmed down enough for rescue vehicles to move into the area The Pigeon River running through Newport blew past record levels to reach a height of 27 feet The nearby French Broad River was also expected to almost reach record levels by Saturday morning Surging water levels in downtown Newport prompted officials to evacuate the jail Approximately 60 inmates were taken from the Cocke County Jail to the Jefferson County Jail a representative for Jefferson County said USA TODAY; Reuters; Knoxville News Sentinel; Asheville Citizen Times Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on Hurricane Helene for Sunday, Sept. 29. For the latest news on the storm, view our live updates file for Monday, Sept. 30. ASHEVILLE, N.C. − More than 2 million people remained without power late Sunday across the Southeast in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene including more than 430,000 in North Carolina and submerged communities under raging floodwaters At least 90 people have died across multiple states since the record-breaking storm hit Florida's Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane with 140-mph winds Thursday and the Carolinas and weakening to a post-tropical cyclone North Carolina officials were still trying to grasp the level of devastation Roy Cooper said at a news conference that at least 11 people died in the devastated state "and tragically we know there will be more." Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said more than 1,000 people were reported missing through the county’s online portal but added that she expected the number to drop dramatically when cell service is restored Rescue crews are “still trying to save every single person we can” in the hard-hit community Hundreds of roads were washed away, cellular service for over 250,000 people was cut off, and vast swaths of cities such as Asheville were left underwater. Cooper said Helene had become "one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of North Carolina." Officials said earlier that more than 200 people had been rescued in the state by water and helicopter crews "We have biblical devastation through the county We’ve had biblical flooding here,” Cole said At least two people in eastern Tennessee have died due to the recent devastation caused by Helene One death was confirmed in Unicoi County and the other in Johnson County "We do expect this number to change," spokesperson Myron Hughes of the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency said during a 5 p.m Tennessee officials reported that 153 people were still unaccounted for in the state as of Sunday afternoon Many communities across eastern Tennessee were still underwater and coping with crumbled roads The remnants of Helene brought rivers to record levels and forced evacuations including Carter County Schools which will likely be closed "for an indefinite period of time due to the ongoing disruptions," count spokesperson Ivan Sanders said Sycamore Shores Hospital had shut down but nearby hospitals were up and running Cooper said the number of customers without power is down from more than 1 million to 464,000 on Sunday afternoon and efforts are underway to restore cellphone service to the thousands without it Attempts to provide relief and make repairs are hindered by residents driving in areas impacted by the storm state officials said at an afternoon news conference "Travel in western North Carolina remains limited and dangerous," Cooper said "Please stay off western North Carolina roads." The governor said Helene dropped 10 to 29 inches of rain on the mountains in parts of the state resulting in life-threatening landslides and floods That has prompted reports of up to 1,000 missing and for some of their loved ones to go searching for them “I know there are a lot of people who are concerned about relatives and friends they cannot get in touch with,’’ Cooper said "It’s one of the reasons we’re pushing so hard to get communications back up because we know a lot of these people are just simply out of communication and are OK." Residents in Asheville were scrambling for resources after widespread flooding and power outages caused gas and water shortages Gas stations began to close on Sunday and businesses started to only accept cash as many remain unable to process credit and debit purchases due to lack of power and spotty internet service amid the distant clatter of chainsaws cutting through downed trees a line gathered at BJ's Food Mart for its 9 a.m When the cash-only gas station and market opened screams across the street could be heard: "No gas an hour-and-a-half-long line had formed at the Wells Fargo building ATM Residents were piling in to get cash for groceries Some were trying to get out of town and others just wanted enough cash for the coming days "We came downtown looking for gas," Stephan Amann told the Asheville Citizen-Times "We were in line for one of the gas stations on Merrimon wanted to leave town but found no better options but it looks like there's really nowhere to go," he said The U.S. has averaged eight yearly disasters that caused more than $1 billion in damage since 1980. But in the last five years, the number of such catastrophes has more than doubled to 18 and the cost of its damage is estimated at between $15 billion and $100 billion Scientists who study the Earth's climate and weather say storms like Helene are more likely to occur in the future prompting an insurance crisis as insurers reduce coverage on some markets – most notably Florida for storms and California for wildfires – or withdraw from them altogether "Natural disasters are natural disasters," said Ian Maki LaNette Wimer sat on hold with the Red Cross for two hours Sunday morning more than a thousand miles away in Denver was searching for information about her parents where Helene swept through leaving devastation in its wake The last time Wimer spoke to her family they made no mention of the coming storm who do not have cellphones or internet access She said the Red Cross has agreed to do a wellness check Wimer said she’s been left with "a lot of anxiety Do they have their medications?" Wimer wondered Other than reaching out to anything I can find online North Carolina residents trying to connect with family members may call NC 211 (or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out of state) to report missing loved ones People in the affected areas can alert others that they are safe by checking in on Facebook crisis response or reporting themselves safe through Red Cross Reunification by calling 1-800-ED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) How to donate and assist Helene victimsAs authorities assess Helene’s destruction along a large portion of the country, rescuers and other emergency workers have been deployed to hard-hit and isolated communities. Relief efforts and funds have also been created to help victims and survivors Federal officials have advised against sending unsolicited donated goods or heading toward disaster-affected areas The Federal Emergency Management Agency noted there are no requests Here are some organizations that accept donations to help those impacted by the storm: Tracking the monster storm: Maps show Hurricane Helene's 800-mile path of destruction across southeastern US Asheville bears brunt of 'heartbreaking' devastationOn Sunday officials in western North Carolina continued to search for flood victims Asheville Police Chief Michael Lamb said his department has a list of about 60 people with relatives they had not been able to reach Helene wiped out large parts of Asheville including businesses in the beloved River Arts District a central gateway between downtown and West Asheville has become a sort of hub for gathering as residents reel from the historic damage caused by Helene The French Broad River crested at a record 24.67 feet Friday and was still well above its banks at 12.68 feet Sunday around noon was ankle-deep in mud attempting to save what she could of her business It looks like the water came up to about five feet inside," Quevedo said Five hair stylists worked at the salon along with her all we're doing is we're trying to salvage what we can," she said I'm not really sure what we're going to do I think it's just kind of one step at a time." − In parts of Appalachian eastern Tennessee near the North Carolina border the damage from Helene’s deluge was evident Sunday in washed-out bridges destroyed buildings and lack of power for some residents Unicoi County officials said restoring power could take weeks Some residents said they had relatives who were still missing At a church shelter in Greeneville run by the Red Cross volunteers made pancakes early Sunday for a handful of people still sleeping on cots after being forced from their homes those impacted by the storm streamed into a local high school serving as a shelter to get hot food Many were trying to figure out what to do next residents expressed concerns over access to water as grocery and convenience stores have rapidly run out of supplies Grocery stores have metered customer entrances and the city and county had yet to establish water distribution sites as of early Sunday afternoon snaking line of more than 100 people outside the Ingles Markets in west Asheville on Sunday This was one of the few open grocery stores they could find Hayes ran out of water Saturday morning and said she's gathered water from a nearby creek to flush the toilet She tried to call her 18-year-old daughter a student at Western Carolina University in North Carolina Hayes' 12-year-old son tried to console her as she broke down in tears and acknowledged the mental toll the disaster was taking on them “We keep talking about (what) we’re thankful for,” Hayes said where the storm has left more than 35,000 homes and businesses without power Twyla Bosley is waiting to hear back from her daughter told her floodwaters had started to breach their basement “That's been the last thing I've heard,” Bosley said I lost count of how many missing-person reports I made I’ve been in contact with the sheriff's department in Marion and nothing yet.” knowing that the lack of cell service and internet access is likely what’s preventing her daughter from reaching out she can’t help but worry after seeing images of the widespread flooding in Asheville What if she got trapped there?” Bosley said “My daughter has a major fear of flood waters A scramble for survival: No time for shoes as Asheville family flees by boat, fearing they lost everything Over 2 feet of rain had fallen across North Carolina's mountainous region in recent days because of a rare confluence of weather patterns over the eastern U.S before Helene arrived in Florida on Thursday night At least 5,000 emergency calls to 911 were fielded since Thursday. And with more than 200 North Carolinians requiring rescue following Helene’s torrential rains, local, state and federal officials mobilized to help. Read more here. Thousands of members of the National Guard have been mobilized to join search and rescue missions and clear debris after Helene battered the Southeast The bulk of National Guard members were deployed in Florida where 3,900 were stationed across 21 counties to offer humanitarian relief and security as well as cleaning up debris and rescuing residents from rising floodwaters where members rescued 50 patients and staff from a hospital in Unicoi County who were trapped because of extreme flooding Madison County, Florida, residents recall horrors of HeleneHurricane Helene made landfall around 11:10 p.m Thursday just east of the Aucilla River's mouth roughly 40 minutes south of Madison County Winds ripped the roof off Kenneth Butler's home which had just been fixed after Hurricane Idalia damaged it last year "it sounded like someone was grabbing tin and just throwing it everywhere," he said Water drenched the home as the storm raged on All he and his family could hear was the sound of a train whistle Doreen Gross and the five grandchildren who live with her did not take any chances unoccupied house he was planning to sell and let them stay in it for the storm But the home's sturdy walls didn't shield them from the wails of the winds It was the scariest thing she had ever seen Gross said − and she survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Looking outside Thursday night was like watching a scene from "The Wizard of Oz," she said the National Weather Service ended its "flash flood emergency," but a flood warning was still in effect FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell will travel to Georgia on Sunday and North Carolina on Monday as part of the administration's effort to speed support to survivors and deploy more search and rescue teams to "accelerate recovery efforts" in North Carolina In Georgia, more than 583,000 were without power, in addition to about 432,000 in North Carolina Florida also had more than 137,000 customers without electricity Authorities have warned it will take days for services to be fully restored Forecasters began warning last Tuesday that a confluence of weather patterns was coming together that would likely soak the Southeast and even farther north A front overhead was going to interact with a plume of moisture being pulled in ahead of Helene and circulation around the storm pushed moisture up from the extremely warm Gulf waters," said David Easterling a rain expert with NOAA's National Climate Assessment Technical Support Unit Interactions like this, with a band of moisture ahead of a tropical storm or hurricane, are called predecessor events and they’ve been documented in the past to cause heavy rains ahead of the arrival of tropical storms and hurricanes Jet stream winds blowing aloft at more than 115 mph provided lift that further enhanced moisture in the developing storms Another 6 fell over the two days in Bristol-Johnson Forecasters were keeping watch on the Atlantic as hurricane season approaches its last two months Tropical Storm Joyce which formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on Friday was about 920 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands late Sunday and was gradually weakening Hurricane Isaac was about 535 miles north-northwest of the Azores moving over the open Atlantic ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center noted a tropical depression in the eastern tropical Atlantic currently known simply as "12," is expected to strengthen over the open Atlantic over the next several days Contributing: Michael Loria and Jeanine Santucci (This story was updated to add new information.) In a hurry? Here's what's happening with Tropical Storm Helene in less than a minute. Hurricane Helene is expected to become a major hurricane Thursday before making landfall along Florida's Big Bend Coast according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center Impacts will be far-reaching from the huge storm and most of Florida is either under a hurricane or tropical storm watch or warning. Life-threatening storm surge damaging winds and flooding rains are expected for a large portion of Florida and the southeastern United States Current predictions have Helene rapidly intensifying as it moves north in the Gulf of Mexico Winds could get up to 130 mph over the next 24 hours That would make Helene a strong Category 4 hurricane AccuWeather meteorologists also forecast Helene to peak as a Category 4 hurricane as it moves into the extremely warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 130-156 mph before landfall ➤ Spaghetti models for Hurricane Helene ➤ Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location The National Hurricane Center said residents should complete preparations for the storm as soon as possible but Helene's fast forward speed will allow strong to penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States including over the higher terrain of the southernAppalachians," the Hurricane Center said In a rare weather news alert, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that Helene has the potential to cause serious flash flooding and rainfall totals up to 18 inches hundreds of miles inland after landfall Where will Hurricane Helene make landfall?Landfall is expected along the coast of the Florida Big Bend Thursday evening Helene is expected to interact with a deep-layer trough over the Lower Mississippi Valley and swing back to the northwest and stall near the Tennessee Valley late Friday into the weekend ➤ WeatherTiger: Hurricane Helene could be cataclysmic blow that will likely be among Florida's worst  "It is still too soon at this point to be overly focused on an exact landfall location and time since NHC track forecasts can be off by an average of 60 nm at the 36-hour forecast time," the Hurricane Center said “Everyone along the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region needs to be prepared for hurricane impacts,” said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva adding the system has the potential to become the strongest hurricane landfall in the U.S “AccuWeather expert meteorologists expect this to be a highly impactful storm,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said “This could be the storm that the 2024 hurricane season is remembered for.” Use the slider to compare the old cone of concern to the experimental version now posted by the National Hurricane Center Hurricane Helene is expected to grow even larger before it makes landfall Thursday and impacts can be expected hundreds of miles from the center "This can be a large hurricane with life-threatening impacts such as storm surge and flooding rain hundreds of miles away from where the storm makes landfall," Porter said and rainfall impacts will likely extend well away from the center and outside the forecast cone particularly on the east side," the National Hurricane Center said the fast forward speed while Helene crosses the coast will likely result in farther inland penetration of strong winds over parts of the southeastern United States after landfall." Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for 61 of Florida's 67 counties Counties under the state of emergency are: Alachua ➤ Live updates: Get the latest on Tropical Storm Helene A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions Follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours A tropical storm watch means sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph are possible within the specified area within 48 hours in association with a tropical the center of Hurricane Helene was located near latitude 23.1 North Helene is moving toward the north near 9 mph A northward or north-northeastward motion at a faster forward speed is expected during the next 36 hours Helene will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight and Thursday and cross the Florida Big Bend coast Thursday evening Helene is expected to turn northwestward and slow down over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday ➤ Track all active storms Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gusts and Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches the Florida Big Bend coast Thursday evening including over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 345 miles Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts ➤ Track Tropical Storm Helene A catastrophic and deadly storm surge is likely along portions of the Florida Big Bend coast where inundation could reach as high as 20 feet above ground level There is also a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the remainder of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula Residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so.Potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds are expected within the eyewall of Helene when it makes landfall in the Florida Big Bend region late Thursday Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by early Thursday before tropical storm conditions arrive Damaging and life-threatening hurricane-force winds will penetrate well inland over portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia late Thursday and Thursday night where Hurricane Warnings are in effect Strong wind gusts are also likely farther north across portions of northern Georgia and the Carolinas particularly over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians.Catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding is expected across portions of the southern Appalachians through Friday Considerable to locally catastrophic flash and urban flooding is likely for northwestern and northern Florida and the Southeast through Friday Widespread minor to moderate river flooding and isolated major river flooding are likely Tropical storm conditions are expected over portions of western Cuba within the Tropical Storm Warning area The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide: Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds along the southern coast of Pinar del Rio Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above ground level in areas of onshore winds within the warning area along the north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula WIND: Hurricane conditions are expected within the U.S with tropical storm conditions beginning Thursday morning Tropical storm conditions are expected in southern Florida tonight and will spread northward across the rest of Florida Tropical storm conditions are expected over portions of the warning area in western Cuba during the next several hours RAINFALL: Hurricane Helene is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 4 to 8 inches over western Cuba the Cayman Islands and the northeast Yucatan Peninsula This rainfall brings a risk of considerable flooding Helene is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 6 to 12 inches with isolated totals around 18 inches This rainfall will likely result in catastrophic and potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding Numerous landslides are expected in steep terrain across the southern Appalachians ➤ Excessive rainfall forecast TORNADOES: A tornado or two may occur tonight over parts of Florida The risk for tornadoes will increase on Thursday expanding northward across Florida into parts of Georgia and South Carolina SURF: Swells generated by Helene will affect the southern coast of Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico during the next couple of days Swells will spread northward toward the west coast of Florida and the northeastern Gulf Coast tonight and Thursday These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions Please consult products from your local weather office The National Hurricane Center first launched its new "cone of concern" for Hurricane Ernesto on Aug Ernesto stayed well away from Florida and the U.S. so residents didn't see many differences between the original and new cone One of the biggest differences between the two is that the new cone will show wind warnings issued for interior counties Both cones will be visible on the Hurricane Center's website. Find the new cone by going to the graphics page for the storm, then click on "New Experimental Cone," which will be highlighted in red We will continue to update our tropical weather coverage daily. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on Hurricane Helene for Monday, Sept. 30. For the latest on recovery efforts, view our live updates file for Tuesday, Oct. 1. ASHEVILLE, N.C. − President Joe Biden is sure to get a first-hand look at the devastation is Asheville when he visits North Carolina on Wednesday as part of his tour of the Southeastern states ravaged by Hurricane Helene which caused more than 100 deaths and left nearly 1.6 million customers without power as of Monday evening Biden is less likely to see communities like Lake Lure and neighboring Chimney Rock not only because they're more than 30 miles away and much smaller Chimney Rock was largely submerged, its buildings swept away by the water and their debris blocking entry points into the village of 140 residents, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported “What was once a town is now a river,'' said Tracey Stevens police station and pier while washing away businesses and semi-trucks were tossed into mangled piles tree branches and food from local grocery stores flowed into the streets The Associated Press reported at least 133 people have died because of Helene Forty of those fatalities have been confirmed in Buncombe County County Manager Avril Pinder said in a Monday afternoon briefing raising the total in North Carolina to nearly 50 Officials have received about 600 missing persons reports although many are expected to be resolved when communications are restored "We don't have water and we do not have power across most of the county," Pinder said "The roads are still incredibly dangerous." Some supplies were being airlifted because ground transportation was limited with so many damaged roads and the county planned to begin distributing food and water Monday Roy Cooper activated more than 500 soldiers and airmen from the National Guard including hoist and emergency aviation assets and high-water response vehicles On the ground: How flood damage is cutting off North Carolina communities from emergency relief Hurricanes, tornadoes, snow and heat: Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter for more weather news and analysis ∎ AccuWeather has increased its estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene to between $145 billion and $160 billion Helene is expected to be one of the costliest storms in U.S history because of its overwhelming storm surge ∎ Vice President Kamala Harris will cut short a campaign trip and plans a visit to the storm-ravaged Southeast has criticized Harris for campaigning as the tragedy unfolded ∎ The South Carolina Department of Public Safety has confirmed 29 storm-related deaths, many involving fallen trees. Impassable roads and lack of stable power has forced several school closures in the state ∎ Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Helene killed a minimum of 25 people in his state. In Tennessee, the state Department of Health has confirmed six weather-related fatalities across four counties The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency noted several county health departments have been closed due to the storm's impact ∎ Helene is one of the deadliest hurricanes to make landfall on the U.S only eight hurricanes have claimed more than 100 lives in the contiguous 48 states which flooded Houston and the surrounding region in 2017 ∎ Energy production in the Gulf was recovering Only 3% of crude oil and 1% of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico remained shut down in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said late Sunday Storm tracker: Hurricane Center tracking Tropical Depression Joyce, 4 other systems In the days after Helene swept through western North Carolina Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer cautioned that those in the county waiting for the water system to come back online must prepare for the long term "And I’m not talking about days," she told the Citizen-Times "We want them to plan for longer than that.” With the city's water system "severely damaged" — which feeds not only the city of Asheville but also Buncombe County and the northern portion of Henderson County — officials said that restoring service to the full system could take weeks Assistant City Manager Ben Woody described the damage as "catastrophic" and said crews are still attempting to access infrastructure buried by debris or underwater Water distribution began on Monday with four county run sites and one city site As federal and state supply delivery lagged though it eventually reached the county for its sites the city spent "hundreds of thousands" of dollars to purchase water through a private provider Biden sent FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to be on the ground in Asheville "until the situation has stabilized," the federal agency said Monday FEMA teams are deploying to Mission Hospital and are currently treating patients while another team is moving to Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine Ten federal search and rescue teams are on the ground in the region and another nine teams are on the way Also being being brought to the region: 25 trailer-loads of meals 200 federal ambulances have been provided to the state The agency has also supplied 40 Starlink satellites to help with responder communications and 18 helicopters are on standby to help deliver additional resources to affected areas Residents in parts of western North Carolina where help has not arrived are fending for themselves Taylor Shelton said her husband spent two days cutting through large fallen trees with a chainsaw to open a passageway for the couple and their three children to drive out of their darkened house in Yancey County The devastation they saw along the way left them awestruck very big trees are down everywhere," she said "We saw houses that are just washed away." Shelton said the couple still hasn't been able to get in touch with her husband's parents in nearby Burnside noting that she was experiencing the same things — no power no Wi-Fi and limited to no cell reception — as many others in the county In the hours after Helene lashed the county Manheimer and her youngest son donned backpacks and went looking for her dad They picked through the wreckage of the neighborhood Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered rescue teams to mobilize air lifts for people from Florida who may be stranded in western North Carolina in areas with blocked roads and power and cellphone outages “Operation Blue Ridge” launched Sunday an effort similar to one he’d ordered almost a year ago to help Florida residents in Israel following the Oct and from Haiti earlier this year amid that country’s political violence Recovery efforts are ongoing in Florida in the aftermath of Helene At least 11 people were killed in the state including at least nine in Pinellas County − hundreds of miles from where the storm made landfall DeSantis said he missed a call from Biden because he was in the air viewing damage The governor added that the federal government should concentrate its efforts on helping those in western North Carolina though he said Florida might ask for more federal assistance in the future 'Biblical devastation': Helene leaves trail of destruction 'It's a race against time': Historic town begins digging outMARSHALL − Days after flooding devastated this tiny town of less than 800 people cleanup crews on Monday worked to remove thick mud and debris while business owners pulled belongings from waterlogged downtown buildings set along the French Broad River north of Asheville was slammed by a deluge that reached to the first-floor roof of some downtown buildings It also damaged a water-treatment plant across the river.Most of the town was without power and cellular service The damage extended to some businesses that in recent years have become part of an artistic renewal in the downtown area As excavators and equipment buzzed around him Chad Adamowski and his friends were shoveling mud out of his tattoo and music store hoping to tear out walls before mold set in When Helene inundated and isolated communities across the Southeast it knocked out cell phone service in Canton The loss of service "crippled" the town's ability to communicate during and after the devastating storm leaving residents few options to get crucial updates and check on their loved ones “I must also express my deep frustration and anger with the failures in cellular communication, particularly the inability to rely on services when we needed them most,” he said in a statement our ability to communicate with basic emergency services was crippled Making cell communication accessible during a disaster should be something these companies have the resources and know-how to offer Major cellular providers have said they are working around the clock to provide temporary solutions and fully restore service But the reality on the ground has been harrowing for people stuck without means to reach their loved ones or get help Communications in the region could be impacted for days and large companies need to do more to prepare for communication breakdowns triggered by disasters fueled by climate change a professor who oversees the disaster management certificate program at the University of Central Oklahoma “Communication failure is not a matter of 'if,' it's a matter of 'when,'” Provencio said. "We know that extreme events are occurring more frequently and with more intensity, and so whether you're talking about hurricanes, earthquakes or tornadoes, it's something that will impact you and impact your communications." Read more here. Disaster relief organizations are providing free food and supplies in the Asheville area amid massive, urgent need. Global relief organization World Central Kitchen began distributing free meals for the public on Monday WCK is also providing meals in Florida and Georgia The organization was founded by celebrity chef José Andrés in 2010 to provide fresh food on the frontlines of humanitarian disasters in the United States and around the world "WCK is in North Carolina working to reach flooded communities and families stranded by Hurricane Helene." More: Power outage maps: Mass outages remain in Carolinas, Georgia, Florida after Helene Suzanne Vale on Monday posted the names of her neighbors in a group Facebook chat in hopes someone knows how they’re doing She is among hundreds of people turning to social media for help to contact friends and loved ones in parts of the Southeast that were battered by Helene Communication blackouts created by Helene's fury have made obtaining information difficult Vale and her husband drove from their Burnsville home in the Blue Ridge Mountains to their house in Dunedin their worry immediately became centered on Burnsville where washed-out bridges and roads have left residents trapped with no means to communicate with the outside world “No one’s been able to get a hold of anyone up there “It's beyond comprehension what’s happened.” – James Waters watched Helene's torrential rains and fierce winds decimate his farm among the hilly slopes of Appalachian North Carolina ripping out fences and causing a landslide It took him a full day to dig to the main road with a farm excavator. He found windy roads strewn with downed power lines, fallen limbs, thick mud and debris. In some areas, cars were washed into ditches One neighbor found a dead body near a riverbank People couldn’t find out whether their relatives were alive or dead Waters knew he had a huge recovery ahead of himself he first grabbed his chainsaw to help clear roads and check on neighbors "The whole side of the mountain came down," he said. "Then it filled up the valley with mud." Read more here North Carolina town bands together: 'That's what we do' said his international security firm has supported and evacuated over 400 people from disaster areas across the Southeast Some of the rescues required helicopters and even thermal drones "While we’ve seen the highest demand from clients in the North Carolina region we are actively conducting wellness checks and delivering food and water supplies along the storm’s path," he said and its impact will be felt for months to come." a message on the website said officials were "working to reopen" but provided no timeline − The innkeeper wonders whether it’s worth rebuilding this town dotted across a small archipelago − again The clam farmer worries about impact on his harvest And the business leader contemplates what Mother Nature will throw at them next as the climate changes Hurricanes on repeat: Natural disasters 'don't feel natural anymore' People waited outside the emergency room at HCA Healthcare’s Mission Hospital in Asheville checking the conditions of relatives who had been admitted his 65-year-old mother arrived at the hospital the night before because she was running low on oxygen Hensley and neighbors had to chainsaw a tree blocking his car so he could get out of his neighborhood “It looks like Mother Nature just stomped all over that little town,” Hensley said “It’s just destruction everywhere you look.” Biden expected to visit the region affected by HeleneBiden plans to visit the areas ravaged by Helene this week once he can do so without disrupting emergency services "It's tragic," Biden told reporters on Sunday pledging recovery assistance after declaring major disasters in Florida and North Carolina and emergencies for Florida on Monday to receive a briefing on storm damage As authorities assess Helene’s destruction along a large portion of the country, rescuers and other emergency workers have been deployed to hard-hit and isolated communities. Relief efforts and funds have also been created to help victims and survivors. Federal officials have advised against sending unsolicited donated goods or heading toward disaster-affected areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency noted there are no requests, at the moment, for donations other than money. Contributing: Jacob Biba, Sara Honosky, Will Hofmann, and Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen-Times; Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; Reuters Go to Home PageSubscribeAdvertiser disclosureSearch The Points Guy and started her devastating path up through the southeastern U.S If you have travel plans to visit any of these areas it's important to know that you might not be able to visit not just in the immediate future but also for an extended period while recovery and cleanup continue Here's a guide on what to do if you have a trip planned to the southeast U.S. which traverses Asheville's historic Biltmore Village "reached a record high level of 26 feet on Friday afternoon The region is still experiencing road closures Visit North Carolina, the tourism arm of the North Carolina government, updated its statement on its website Oct "Visitors should call their travel provider to confirm alternative travel plans including reservations with lodging providers and heed any guidance from local officials you should consider them to be unavailable and delay your trip until you have confirmation they are open and ready to welcome visitors," the statement reads Though travelers should avoid the mountains in western North Carolina the tourism board did say that the several less impacted areas are "ready and welcoming visitors including the counties of Cherokee (Murphy area) Macon (Franklin and Highlands area) and Swain (Bryson City area)." "All roads in Upper East [Tennessee] should be considered potentially hazardous and motorists should avoid traveling in these areas." (Note that while Nashville and Memphis both received record-setting rainfalls both are accessible and open for tourism.) Several areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park remain closed Kuwohi Road (formerly known as Clingmans Dome Road) and the Cataloochee Valley area The National Park Service continues to assess conditions in the park following the storm. The NPS updated its website Sept. 30 to say: "While parts of the national park are open outdoor recreation is currently discouraged due to park staffing being stretched and visitor safety concerns is fully open to those who can access the county through safe routes We are working hard to get all major park roads open to the public as soon as possible." The Sarasota government updated its website on Oct Beachgoers and 'disaster tourists' are slowing down and impeding our storm recovery efforts There may be seen and unseen hazards on the beach Please stay off the beach and allow City staff to continue with recovery efforts in the area." While Tampa Bay International Airport (TPA) Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) are all open it's best to check with your hotel directly before going As the state continues to clean up after the storm, the tourism board, Explore Georgia recommends contacting your hotel directly about existing reservations Many parts of western South Carolina, including Greenville, were without power after the storm. But Duke Energy brought in nearly 2,000 additional workers and "has committed to having power restored to all by Oct. 4," according to the Greenville government's website Towns in southwest Virginia along the Tennessee and North Carolina border, including Damascus and Galax experienced flooding and other storm-related damage The full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed in both Virginia and North Carolina due to storm damage; Shenandoah National Park is open All of the affected states are currently in the midst of assessing and mitigating damage while simultaneously waiting for electric and water services to be fully restored PowerOutage.us reports that just over 700,000 people across the Southeast are currently without power as of Oct 4 (down from nearly 1.8 million people on Monday) As of Oct. 4, Alaska Airlines is offering a flexible travel policy to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) for tickets purchased on or before Sept Hawaiian Airlines has no current travel advisories As of Oct. 3, American Airlines is waiving change fees for flights to through or from Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) and Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) for tickets purchased by Sept Southwest Airlines has no current travel advisories but always allows ticket changes without penalty Delta is offering rebooking options for a large number of airports and destinations in the southeast U.S. United is allowing fee-free changes to flights to and from Asheville through the end of October If you made a reservation directly with a hotel first check its website and see if it has posted any updates You can also call the main reservations number Keep in mind many phones may not be working and properties may likely be managing the crisis so calling the property directly should be a last option If you booked through a third-party online travel agency or aggregator like Expedia or Travelocity, it's important to understand the cancellation policy. The OTA still owns your reservation prior to your travel so contacting the hotel directly will likely result in you being referred back to the OTA or travel portal for assistance Vrbo hosts must provide full refunds for impacted reservations regardless of their cancellation policy." Vrbo extended the policy Oct it's important to understand the cancellation or rebooking policy for the specific cruise line you will be traveling on Currently, there are no cruise port closures in the affected areas. However, cruise lines might need to reroute to avoid areas experiencing storms or their aftermath per the terms of the cruise contract to which you consent before sailing cruise lines do not owe you compensation if they alter your itinerary you will be refunded for any shore excursions you booked through the cruise line that were to take place in the ports you're skipping (Check with your tour provider directly if you've booked a third-party excursion.) TPG's guide on what happens if a cruise gets canceled is the next place to refer to for guidance if you receive notice that your cruise is canceled Related: What happens if my cruise line changes my itinerary or ship? If you purchased travel insurance before Helene became a named storm you should be able to recoup most of your travel expenses if you purchased a policy after the storm was named it's too late to buy travel insurance "Insurance covers the unexpected," Jenna Hummer public relations director of Squaremouth (a company that provides comparisons of travel insurance from major U.S "So once something is considered 'foreseen' — in this case when a tropical storm or hurricane has been named — you can no longer get coverage for that storm." "Trip cancellation and trip interruption will reimburse lost or unused prepaid nonrefundable expenses due to a hurricane making it impossible to get to your destination," Stan Sandberg "Many plans will also provide coverage if there is a mandatory evacuation at the destination A few plans will even provide coverage in the event there is a NOAA hurricane warning at your destination during your trip dates." Trip delay coverage will reimburse you for unexpected travel costs such as food internet service and lodging when your flight is delayed for an extended period of time Related: Top travel mistakes to avoid during hurricane season "Remember that your credit card won't cover anything not purchased on that card," Hummer said regarding trip insurance that's part of a credit card's benefits if you haven't paid for your whole trip with that card or other people in your group used another payment method TPG has a comprehensive guide on credit cards that include trip cancellation and interruption insurance and what might be covered in a natural disaster Related: 4 times your credit card's travel insurance can help with travel woes, and 7 times it won't If you'd like to help those in the storm's path, there are several options to explore: Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented rain and devastation across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The cleanup is just beginning and will continue for quite some time. If you have plans to travel to the area, check ahead to see if your accommodations are still open and if the area you're hoping to visit has power and running water. It may be prudent to delay or cancel your plans until a future date. For more helpful tips on navigating travel during hurricane season, read: The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach That’s why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality walk through a flooded road while returning to their home after Hurricane Helene passed near the area Destruction to the Faraway Inn Cottages and Motel is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Hud Lilliott surveys what’s left of his home after Hurricane Helene passed the area at Dekle Beach An unidentified man paddles a canoe to rescue residents and their belongings at a flooded apartment complex after Hurricane Helene passed the area on Friday a law enforcement officer from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission surveys destruction from a high water buggy in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene A fire and rescue vehicle drives through destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves’s mother’s house in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday Workers clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Petersburg Fire Rescue help a resident from the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday A partially submerged vehicle sits in flood water from after Hurricane Helene passed the area A member of the Nashville Fire Rescue goes door-to-door in the floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday Faith Cotto comforts her mother Nancy as they look at the remains of their home which burned during the flooding from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday An American flag sits in the floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday Tampa firefighters work to contain a house fires while they walk in a flooded street around the Sunset Park neighborhood after Hurricane Helene on Friday walks along a flooded street from Hurricane Helene at Green Key Road near US 19 Friday Union Cathederal church is seen after of Hurricane Helene moved through the area on Friday A damaged 100-year-old home is seen after an Oak tree landed on it after Hurricane Helene moved through the area cuddle their dog after being rescued from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday A Citrus County Firefigher carries 11-year- old while conducting rescues from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Friday Foundations and steps to buildings that were destroyed by the storm surge from Hurricane Helene are seen along the shoreline in the aftermath of the storm surveys the damage to their flooded home after returning with her children Morgan stayed with her grandmother and her children in Hernando Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday urged residents impacted by Hurricane Helene to pay heed to local authorities as the storm continues to wreak havoc on a significant swath of the southeast “The storm continues to be dangerous and deadly and lives have been lost and the risk of flooding still remains high,” Harris said at the start of a campaign speech in Douglas I continue to urge everyone to please continue to follow guidance from your local officials until we get past this moment.” one person died after a tree fell and a building collapsed in Craig County The death toll from Hurricane Helene has reached at least 44 across five states: Florida Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Friday that a “catastrophic failure” was not taking place at Walters Dam which sits in North Carolina close to the Tennessee border A local mayor had urged residents to evacuate due to the dam potentially breaking but TEMA said in a statement that the “dam has not failed” after talking to Duke Energy Among people who have died in Georgia are a 27-year-old mother and her two 1-month-old twins who were killed when trees fell on their house in Thomson The coroner said an 89-year-old woman was killed when trees fell on her house elsewhere in the same county Electric vehicles can catch fire if they are inundated by saltwater so owners who live in the path of a major storm like Hurricane Helene should take precautions The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been researching this problem since it was first seen after Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeast in 2012 But no one seems to have detailed statistics on just how often this happens Hurricane Ian compromised the batteries of as may as 5,000 electric vehicles Several more electric vehicles caught fire in Florida last year after Hurricane Idalia It happens often enough that Florida officials were worried about the possibility before Hurricane Helene arrived because they were expecting a potentially devastating storm surge up to 20 feet deep in the northwestern part of Florida These fires do seem to be linked specifically to saltwater because salt can conduct electricity Similar problems haven’t been reported after freshwater flooding in California that was driven by heavy rains early this year A weather TV reporter in Atlanta interrupted his live report about Hurricane Helene on Friday to rescue a woman from a vehicle stranded by rising floodwaters Standing in the rain with the submerged vehicle behind him Fox reporter Bob Van Dillen described how the woman drove into a flooded area he said he called 911 and she can be heard screaming as he tries to assure her that help was on the way I’m going to see if I can help this lady out a little bit more you guys.” The death toll from Hurricane Helene in South Carolina is 19 people with many of the deaths happening from falling trees as the storm moved through early Friday two firefighters were killed when a tree fell on their truck while they were answering a call Five people were killed in Spartanburg County according to Coroner Rusty Clevenger who planned to release details about the deaths later Senior Deputy Coroner Shelton England said Four people were also killed in Aiken County by trees falling on homes including a 78-year-old husband and his 74-year-old wife Two people died in Anderson County when trees fell on their houses a married couple died when their car slid on a wet highway and ran into a tree Helene is the deadliest tropical storm in South Carolina since Hurricane Hugo killed 35 people when it came ashore just north of Charleston in 1989 Recent major hurricanes that made landfall in the U.S have left hundreds dead and caused billions of dollars in damages there have been seven major destructive hurricanes: Laura Hurricane Beryl was the first of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Exceptionally warm ocean temperatures caused it to strengthen into a Category 5 storm rapidly in early July Beryl has been blamed for at least 36 deaths The storm caused an estimated $28 billion to $32 billion in damages according to AccuWeather’s preliminary estimates Atlanta received 11.12 inches (28.24 centimeters) of rain in 48 hours breaking the city’s all-time record since record keeping began in 1878 Georgia’s Office of the State Climatologist said on X The previous record of 9.59 inches (24.36 cm) in 48 hours was set in 1886 The windswept beauty of what residents claim is one of Florida’s longest stretches of undeveloped coastline was left deeply scarred after Hurricane Helene crashed ashore in rural Taylor County along the state’s Big Bend It’s a part of the state where salt marshes and pine flatwoods stretch unspoiled into the horizon a region that has largely avoided the crush of condo developments strip malls and souvenir shops that has carved up so much of Florida’s coastlines It’s a place where Susan Sauls Hartway and her four-year-old Chihuahua mix Lucy could afford to live within walking distance of the beach on her salary as a housekeeper At least until her home was carried away by Helene but I had no idea it was going to be this bad,” she said Hartway and Lucy wandered around their street near Ezell Beach searching for where the storm may have deposited her home Hartway said there is nowhere in the world she would rather be But she’s watched as wealthier residents from out of state have bought up second homes here She wonders how many of them will sell out — and what will happen to the locals who have nowhere else to go Best on Friday estimated that insurers will pay $5 billion or more to cover losses from Hurricane Helene some of which is uninsured and some of which may be repaid with federal aid it’s the amount that insurance companies are on the hook for Best said insurers paid $2.5 billion to $4 billion in losses for Hurricane Idalia last year and it expects losses from Helene to be more severe given its broader wind field and a path that hit more urban areas inland Officials in a western North Carolina town have issued a curfew due to safety risks from flooded streets and downed power lines from what remains of Hurricane Helene “It’s very dangerous out there,” Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb said Lamb said the curfew would occur over a 12-hour period starting at 7:30 p.m although officials said any death count won’t be released until family notifications have been made Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said hundreds of residents were forced to seek safety at shelters The county’s 911 center received more than 3,300 calls over an eight-hour period Friday and more than 130 swift-water rescues have been conducted said county Emergency Services Assistant Director Ryan Cole He said it took crews more than four hours to reach several homes that were hit by a mudslide “This is something that we’re going to be dealing with for many days and weeks to come,” Cole said Former Tropical Storm John has dissipated over Mexico but its remnants will continue to produce rain over the Mexican states of Guerrero and Michoacán first as a hurricane Monday and a second time as a tropical storm Friday National Hurricane Center has downgraded Helene from a tropical depression to a post-tropical cyclone a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall in Florida late Thursday night was 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Louisville It was moving northwest at 17 mph (28 kph) The storm was expected to continue producing heavy rain in the area and cause severe flash-flooding as a result Isolated tornadoes Friday evening were possible in Virginia and North Carolina a “catastrophic failure” of Waterville Dam spurred Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis to hand down evacuation orders for all of downtown Newport according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Newport is a city of about 7,000 people roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of where dozens of people were being rescued from the roof of a hospital More than 1 million customers remained without power in South Carolina several hours after the remnants of Hurricane Helene left the state and the sun started to come out Utility officials warned power could be out for many for a long time Crews were still assessing the damage and in some cases needed to cut their way through debris just to determine what was left standing Tomorrow it’s going to be 86 degrees and clear You’re going to say ‘Why can’t I watch the football game Why can’t my life be back to normal?’ Life’s not going to be back to normal until probably the middle of next week,” Dominion Energy South Carolina President Keller Kissam said Friday The 1.2 million South Carolina customers without power represent more than 40% of homes and businesses in the state Henry McMaster said the storm moved east of where it was forecast and gave the state a bigger blow than expected “We urge everybody to be patient and keep your neighbors in your prayers,” McMaster said Four people were critically injured and numerous others sustained minor injuries after a tornado touched down in Rocky Mount Three buildings received significant damage including two restaurants and an auto service center Nash County Communications Director Jonathan Edwards said Friday The damage appeared to be concentrated on Wesleyan Boulevard and Tiffany Boulevard An 18-wheel tractor-trailer truck also flipped over in that area At least 15 people have died in Georgia from causes related to Hurricane Helene the rural community along Florida’s Big Bend has taken direct hits from three hurricanes — and seen the closure of its local paper mill which for decades had been one of the economic lifelines for a county where one in six residents lives below the poverty line “The word that just keeps coming to my mind is just devastated,” said Aaron Portwood which is based in the county seat of Perry Portwood’s house in Dekle Beach on the county’s long undeveloped coastline was gutted by Hurricane Helene Portwood said he’s worried about the future of this county that is steadily having its tax base wiped off the map Two firefighters killed during Hurricane Helene in South Carolina were struck by a tree The tree hit their firetruck around 6:30 a.m Friday about 4 miles (6 kilometers) west of Batesburg-Leesville The Saluda County Coroner’s Office has not released the names of the firefighters At least 17 people have been killed in South Carolina as Hurricane Helene tore through the western part of the state A mudslide and record floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Helene washed out a section of an interstate highway at the North Carolina-Tennessee state line Photos and video posted on social media showed at least one lane of I-40 had collapsed above the swollen Pigeon River The Tennessee Department of Transportation said the interstate was closed in both directions The National Weather Service said a flash flood warning continued for the Pigeon River which crested Friday morning about 3 feet (1 meter) above its previous record level set by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 is making an emergency release of water from a northeast Georgia dam following heavy rains from Hurricane Helene Georgia Emergency Management Director Chris Stallings said no residents who live near Lake Rabun in the state’s mountainous northeast corner were in danger of being flooded But he said the water release would likely flood roads and bridges that some residents use to access their homes they’re going to be stuck there for at least a day or multiple hours,” Georgia Gov Brian Kemp told reporters at a morning news briefing The dam is the third in a series owned by Georgia Power along the Tallulah River which cuts a deep gorge through part of the area “We’ve got to get water out so it doesn’t cause dam failure,” Stallings said He was unable to say how long the water release would last saying that would be up to technical experts Georgia Power didn’t immediately respond to phone calls Dozens of people were being rescued by helicopter from a flooded Tennessee hospital inundated by Helene The company said on social media that county officials had ordered an evacuation of the hospital Friday morning due to rising water in the Nolichucky River Boats ordered up by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were unable to safely evacuate the hospital Ballad reported that an additional seven people remained in rescue boats as the hospital was engulfed by “extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water.” A tornado was confirmed Friday in northern Rocky Mount city communications specialist Robin Cox said There was damage to businesses in the area but the city did not yet confirm if there were any injuries Cox said there were emergency workers on the scene as of 2:30 p.m Ron DeSantis said Friday that even communities hardest hit by Hurricane Helene would get back on their feet The governor said it’s extremely difficult when someone loses a home with photos and family keepsakes that don’t have a dollar value We also understand that this is a resilient state,” DeSantis said at a news conference in storm-damaged St “We’re going to get people back on their feet,” DeSantis said It’s not going to be easy in the immediate future but there’s going to be a light at the end of the tunnel.” John came ashore near Tizupan in Michoacan state with sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kmh) after making its initial landfall farther east on the coast on Monday as a Category 3 hurricane triggered mudslides and toppled scores of trees reforming as a tropical storm Wednesday and eventually regaining hurricane strength At least eight people have died as a result of the storm At least 17 people have died after Hurricane Helene moved across South Carolina overnight Friday The dead included two firefighters responding to calls in Saluda County Henry McMaster said at a Friday news conference Two additional deaths were reported in Newberry County Coroners reported 13 other deaths — four in Greenville County three in Spartanburg County and two in Anderson County “We’re asking keep all of those families and friends in your prayers,” McMaster said The death toll from Hurricane Helene has reached at least 30 across four states According to an Associated Press tally Friday The company said on social media that county officials ordered an evacuation of the hospital Friday morning due to rising water in the Nolichucky River Ballad reported that 54 people were relocated to the roof and seven remained in rescue boats as the hospital was engulfed by “extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water.” “The situation at the hospital is very dangerous and TEMA and National Guard resources are engaged in what can only be described as a dangerous rescue operation,” Ballad wrote Four people were killed overnight by falling trees in Greenville County bringing the death toll in Hurricane Helene to 13 in South Carolina Greenville County Senior Deputy Coroner Shelton England confirmed the deaths Friday afternoon He said more information would be released later During the storm four people were killed in Aiken County three people in Spartanburg County and two people in Anderson County Some bridge lanes connecting barrier island communities on Florida’s Gulf Coast started reopening on Friday The northbound lanes of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge connecting the St Petersburg area to the Bradenton area were opened Friday afternoon though southbound lanes remained closed for cleaning up debris and assessing damage according to the Florida Department of Transportation Southbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge connecting the Tampa area with the St Petersburg area also were opened to traffic while northbound lanes were still being inspected and cleared of debris The Courtney Campbell Causeway connecting Hillsborough and Pinellas counties remained closed because of debris and roadway damage,” the agency said in a statement “Bridge inspectors and maintenance clean-up crews are still on-site doing their best to clear the roadway and open it back up to motorists.” Tropical Storm Helene was downgraded to a tropical depression by forecasters on Friday afternoon The storm was located about 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Louisville and was moving toward the north-northwest at about 28 mph (44 kph) The center said the storm was forecast to stall over the Tennessee Valley Friday night and through the weekend Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts Forecasters said Helene was expected to become extratropical later in the day A map shows the Friday afternoon rainfall outlook for Tropical Storm Helene (NOAA) People living on about 30 streets in a western North Carolina county were ordered Friday to evacuate as water from Tropical Storm Helene overtopped the entire length of a dam in a town best known for the 1980’s movie “Dirty Dancing.” state Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson Kat Russell said Friday Russell didn’t know how many people lived on the 29 streets within what she called the dam inundation area within Rutherford County where Lake Lure and the town of the same name are located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Asheville The lake flows into the Broad River and was created nearly 100 years ago The dam is listed as 480 feet (146 meters) long and about 120 feet (36.6 meters) high Russell said there is some erosion on one side of the dam caused by the overtopping Downstream communities have been made aware of the overtopping but have been told they would have several hours to alert residents to their own evacuations if needed The North Carolina and South Carolina state agencies also have received emergency action plans if conditions worsen Waters in the iconic lake used to film scenes for the movie “Dirty Dancing,” transforming Lake Lure into upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains An electrical utility group is warning of “catastrophic” damage to Georgia’s utility infrastructure by Hurricane Helene which represents the state’s electric cooperatives says that the hurricane damaged more than 100 high-voltage transmission lines and that more than 60 substations were out of service Friday morning A down tree and power lines seen along Margret Mitchell Drive in the Buckhead area Without transmission lines and substations the cooperatives can’t feed electricity to homes and businesses The group warned Friday that “there will be extensive delays in total restoration” and told customers especially those who rely on electric power for medical needs Of the more than 1 million Georgia electricity customers without power on Friday afternoon more than 400,000 were customers of cooperatives Restoration for customers of those utilities in rural areas can take much longer because customers are far apart At least nine people have died in South Carolina from the winds and rains of Hurricane Helene Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger reported three deaths happened Friday morning Four deaths have already been reported in Aiken County and two deaths in Anderson County Jim Justice was thankful Friday that several days of rain including Friday’s arrival of the remnants from Hurricane Helene helped reduce the risk of autumn forest fires during an exceptional drought in much of the state “I’m tickled to death that we finally have gotten this amount of rainfall,” Justice said during his weekly news briefing many ways in regard to this terrible potential that we had for forest fires.” The town of Fort Myers Beach has canceled its Hurricane Ian Remembrance and Resiliency Ceremony due to cleanup efforts from Hurricane Helene the town said it had to cancel the ceremony and did not say if it would be rescheduled The town planned the ceremony for Saturday morning to mark when Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida A residential street near the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta and the parking lot of a shopping center across the street is completely flooded Flooding in the area is expected to get worse lives part-time with his dad whose house is on the flooded street His dad is not in the state and his house is on stilts but Swalm anticipates “devastating” damage to the house’s yard and wooden patio He also believes his dad’s cars are submerged and his kayaks have floated away Preliminary data shows rainfall in parts of northwest South Carolina southwest North Carolina and southeast Tennessee reached at least half a foot between Tuesday and Friday according to the National Weather Service office for Greenville-Spartanburg Some parts of the region saw more than a foot of rain Even as Helene’s wind and rain move northward air travel snarls remain at many airports in the southeast saw nearly 400 inbound and outbound flights canceled through 1 p.m with another 500 inbound and outbound flights delayed according to flight tracking software FlightAware That’s nearly half of all flights to the airport The larger Atlanta Airport saw nearly 200 inbound and outbound flights canceled That’s nearly a quarter of all the flights at that airport Problems also lingered at airports in Florida including in Tampa Georgia saw a majority of flights canceled The National Weather Service in Morristown said late Friday morning that several water rescues and evacuations were happening near the mountains in the northeastern part of the state Local officials had ordered people in locations such as Embreeville and Roan Mountain to evacuate A Florida resident provided a devastating first-hand look at hard-hit Cedar Key Friday morning after parts of the town were flattened by Hurricane Helene Five people have died in Pinellas County in Florida after Helene blew through the area overnight Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the deaths all occurred in neighborhoods where residents were told by authorities to evacuate but many chose to stay and then found themselves trapped by 8 feet of storm surge — an unprecedented event in the county Debris cover the street in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene at Harbor Lights Club mobile home park in Pinellas County Gualtieri said survivors told them they didn’t believe the warnings after other residents told them the surge wouldn’t be that bad He said people wound up hiding in their attics to get away from the water we told people what they needed to do and they chose otherwise,” Gualtieri said He added that his deputies tried overnight to reach those who had been trapped we tried to use high-water vehicles and we just met with too many obstacles,” Gualtieri said He said the death toll could rise as emergency crews go door-to-door in the flooded areas to see if anyone remains At least six people died in South Carolina as Hurricane Helene tore through the western part of the state early Friday Four people died overnight in Aiken County said Coroner Darryl Ables who planned to release more details later the coroner’s office said two people were killed when trees fell on houses The storm brought wind gusts to near hurricane force across much of the state west of Columbia power was out for 45% of the 2.9 million homes and businesses in the state Nearly everyone was without power right after the storm passed through in several counties including Greenville and Spartanburg where more than 900,000 people live saying it could take at least days to restore power Brian Kemp gave staggering numbers to describe the early damage from Helene Friday morning: 115 buildings were heavily damaged with multiple people trapped inside One shelter temporarily housing Georgians lost its roof Heavy rains in the North Carolina mountains brought flooding to Boone and the town was placed under a state of emergency Thursday The nonconference game was scheduled for a 3:30 p.m App State also canceled a home field hockey game against Bellarmine that was slated for Friday “We are getting boats to start carrying out more effective evacuations,” Efrén Valdez Unicoi County Hospital was closed Friday due to the weather and its 11 patients were being moved to other hospitals The company urged people who need care to go to the nearest hospital or call 911 every Ballad Health facility postponed all elective surgeries northwest North Carolina and southeast Kentucky Some of its clinics and urgent care offices were also closed Atlanta Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Ronald Slatton said rescue efforts Friday morning helped about half a dozen people who didn’t feel safe in their homes in Hanover West A creek behind some of the residences had risen to about four or five feet “We’re just here standing by if they need us,” he said of his expectations for the rest of the day Hurricane Helene ripped the sheet metal roof from a large brick building that houses a furniture and antiques store and blew out the back wall plywood and twisted metal covered the grass outside cabinets and other knickknacks in the store’s inventory Many shops and businesses along the tree limb-covered sidewalks of the downtown area appeared unscathed But a few had shattered storefront windows and mangled awnings Electricity was out across the city and traffic moved slowly on many roads with stoplights blacked out and trees blocking several streets A convoy of tractor trailers and full-size trucks prepares to pull away from the site of a fatal crash involving a Three Forks fire engine and a pickup truck carrying a family of five Crews worked through the night to clean up the site where the fiery blaze claimed the lives of six people near Helena which was carrying the family of five in the fatal accident Thursday night is taken away from the scene Friday morning The wreckage of a Three Forks fire engine is loaded on a semi to be hauled away The wreckage from a two-vehicle crash involving multiple fatalities is seen 10 miles east of Helena along Highway 12 June 19 Six people are confirmed dead after a two-vehicle crash at about 9 p.m Thursday 10 miles east of Helena on Highway 12 "We had a fire truck that was going eastbound on U.S 12 and a pickup that was traveling westbound on U.S 12 and at some point the two of them came together," he said Becker said there was only one occupant in the fire truck at the time of the crash but that the pickup contained five passengers: a Helena couple and their three children Jefferson County Undersheriff Mike Johnson said three of the passengers in the pickup were under the age of 18 but said he would not release the names of the family until their identities were confirmed "The deceased have been sent to the state crime lab for positive identification," he said noting he would probably know by Monday afternoon Whether the six victims were killed on impact or as a result of the fire is still to be determined The driver and sole occupant of the fire truck who was heading back to Three Forks in a fire engine that had been in Helena for repairs "Everybody was just in shock," said Brad Eastty a firefighter and public information officer with the Three Forks Fire Department "Obviously there's a wide range of emotions (in the station)," he said "Todd was pretty central to the operations here at Three Forks fire." He said Assistant Chief Keith Aune has stepped into the position of chief the Three Forks community has rallied around the fire department "Certainly we've gotten everybody from the local paper to the businesses and the board members just a myriad of folks calling up for support saying 'What can I do?'" Eastty said a memorial service is planned to honor Rummel on Wednesday June 25 at noon in the Three Forks High School gymnasium in addition to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the possible contributing factors and causes of the fiery crash you've got fuel tanks on the pickup," he said "All of that would've been enough to start a car fire "That's part of the puzzle that we're trying to piece together," he said Becker said Highway 12 was shut down around 8:45 last night and He said a crash with this many fatalities is extremely rare "I don't recall having one where we had six people killed in one crash." chief deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office described the scene as an “inferno,” and officials were heard over a police scanner saying witnesses saw a mushroom cloud when the two vehicles collided Officials planned to call a wrecker service to “try to separate what’s out there,” he said “It literally was just all melted together,” he said The Montana Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is handling the death investigation Check helenair.com during the day for updates as more details about the collision emerge Jefferson County Undersheriff Mike Johnson on Monday identified the five members of a Townsend family killed in last week’s fiery crash on Hig… Montana Highway Patrol officials say they will conduct a meticulous investigation to determine the cause of a collision that killed six people… A mechanical failure in the front drive train of a 2002 International fire truck was determined to be the cause of a June 19 crash that left s… Americans in the Southeast have felt the impact of Hurricane Helene’s devastation across multiple states Bill Lee surveyed flooding damage in the eastern part of the state after Hurricane Helene hit the area with heavy rains Unicoi County Hospital tried to evacuate 11 patients and 43 others Friday morning after Hurricane Helene caused the Nolichucky River to flood The conditions made rescue efforts difficult This aerial drone view shows damaged homes and a vehicle collapsed into water after storm surge from Hurricane Helene A stop sign can be barely seen above a flooded parking lot after torrential rain from Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding Workers clean and gut a property that was flooded from the storm surge An uprooted tree landed on a pickup truck in front of a home on East Main Street after Hurricane Helene A tattered American flag hangs on a rope on a now closed road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Workers clean up a dock where a boat shed was destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene The Riverside RV park was flooded from the overflowing Catawba River after torrential rain from Hurricane Helene tries to find a water shutoff valve amid the rubble of the destroyed city hall in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene A vehicle sits outside of its garage after storm surge from Hurricane Helene A passerby checks the water depth of a flooded road Torrential rain from Hurricane Helene left many area streets flooded traffic lights are inoperable due to no power Jose Salazar dumps debris as he helps gut a property that took on a storm surge in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Residents wait in long lines for gas at Parker’s Kitchen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Sunday Daniel Dickert walks to plant an American flag on is property were his boat shed was destroyed and his home damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Residents wait in line with gas cans at a Gas Plus gas station in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Sunday A Dominion Energy lineman works on a power line in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Sunday After waiting on long lines to fill up their gas tanks at the Sheetz station people were also filling up containers of gas for their generators after Hurricane Helene caused power outages A barrier blocks a flooded Carbon City Road due to the torrential rain from Hurricane Helene An aerial view of flood damage along the Pigeon River left by Hurricane Helene Supplies were being airlifted to the region around the isolated city Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder pledged that she would have food and water into Ashville — which is known for its arts culture and natural attractions — by Monday We need food and we need water,” Pinder said on a Sunday call with reporters “My staff has been making every request possible to the state for support and we’ve been working with every single organization that has reached out What I promise you is that we are very close.” Roy Cooper predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads failing infrastructure and widespread flooding He implored residents in western North Carolina to avoid travel both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people One rescue effort involved saving 41 people north of Asheville Another mission focused on saving a single infant The teams found people through both 911 calls and social media messages North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Todd Hunt said Hurricane Helene roared ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph (225 kph) winds A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams More than 2 million homeowners and other utility customers were still without power Sunday night South Carolina had the most outages and Gov Henry McMaster asked for patience as crews dealt with widespread snapped power poles it is just going to take time,” McMaster told reporters outside the airport in Aiken County The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina was doused with over 2 feet (61 centimeters) of rain from Tuesday through Saturday Jessica Drye Turner in Texas had begged for someone to rescue her family members stranded on their rooftop in Asheville amid rising floodwaters “They are watching 18-wheelers and cars floating by,” Turner wrote in an urgent Facebook post on Friday Turner said help had not arrived in time to save her parents heartbreak and devastation my sisters and I are going through,” she wrote The state was sending water supplies and other items toward Buncombe County and Asheville but mudslides blocking Interstate 40 and other highways prevented supplies from making it The county’s own water supplies were on the other side of the Swannanoa River away from where most of the 270,000 people in Buncombe County live Law enforcement was making plans to send officers to places that still had water food or gas because of reports of arguments and threats of violence FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell toured south Georgia on Sunday and planned to be in North Carolina Monday “It’s still very much an active search and rescue mission” in western North Carolina “And we know that there’s many communities that are cut off just because of the geography” of the mountains where damage to roads and bridges have cut off certain areas Biden on Saturday pledged federal government help for Helene’s “overwhelming” devastation He also approved a disaster declaration for North Carolina making federal funding available for affected individuals With sanctuaries still darkened as of Sunday morning some churches canceled regular services while others like Faith Baptist Church in Perry opted to worship outside Standing water and tree debris still covers the grounds of Faith Baptist Church The church called on parishioners to come “pray for our community” in a message posted to the congregation’s Facebook page We don’t have electricity,” Immaculate Conception Catholic Church parishioner Marie Ruttinger said Brian Kemp said Saturday that it looked “like a bomb went off” after viewing splintered homes and debris-covered highways from the air In eastern Georgia near the border with South Carolina officials notified Augusta residents Sunday morning that water service would be shut off for 24 to 48 hours in the city and surrounding Richmond County A news release said trash and debris from the storm “blocked our ability to pump water.” Officials were distributing bottled water Helene was the deadliest tropical cyclone for the state since Hurricane Hugo made landfall north of Charleston in 1989 Moody’s Analytics said it expects $15 billion to $26 billion in property damage A new tropical depression in the eastern Atlantic Ocean could become a “formidable hurricane” later this week The depression had sustained 35 mph (55kph) winds and was located about 585 miles (945 kilometers) west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Matthew Brown in Billings Anderson Stevenson Wilke & Retz Funeral Home Assisting the Montana communities of Helena Decorated World War II and Korean War Veteran Rodney was born to George and Josephine (Masanovich) Nick in a log house without water or electricity on a ranch four miles southeast of East Helena He was raised with three sisters and two brothers They attended grade school in a one room log building at Lower Mitchell Gulch; it also had no water or electricity The school ran from spring to fall since winter isolated the students Rodney attended Helena High School and in his sophomore year the 1935 earthquake damaged the school and he had to finish his schooling in the railroad coach cars and graduated in 1938 Rodney’s family had a dairy at that time and when the war broke out they moved to Helena He was deferred at that time but he wanted to serve his country and enlisted in the Army Air Corp After going through training and gunnery school he was assigned to a Combat Flight Crew as a Tail Gunner on a 4 Engine Bomber They were assigned to the 15th Air Force and 304th Bomb Wing From their new base they would bomb targets all over Europe In the early part of the war they did not have Radar and you had to bomb visually and if your target had a cloud cover you could not drop your bombs; you had to bring your bombs back and land at your base Even if you got shot at going to your target and coming back Landing with a full load of bombs was no picnic Rodney checked out as an aerial photographer so he could get more missions to his credit on a B-24 Liberator came back to the United States and received an Honorable Discharge from the Army Air Force on October 22 and a farm machine dealership and had been calling his home and telling him he wanted Rodney to come work for him lawn mowers and he even set up a windmill and was the only one who would climb to the top The Air Force sent him a telegram signed by President Truman in July of 1950 to report for duty for the Korean War Rodney was assigned to a Combat Flight Crew on the B-29 Bomber the crew was flown to an Air Base in Japan they would fly and bomb Korea; some of these missions were pretty long He completed another Air Combat Tour and was sent back to the States where he received another Honorable Discharge from the Air Force on August 21 Rodney also received another Honorable Discharge from the Air Force Reserve with the Rank of Technical Sergeant and a number of Certificates for Valor and Meritorious Service Some of the awards and Decorations Rodney received include 2 Air Medals: World War II with three Oak Leaf Clusters and Korean War two Oak Leaf Clusters; two Good Conduct Medals World War II and Korea; World War II Victory Medal; National Service Medal; European-Middle Eastern Medal; Korean Service medal; U.N Service medal; one Overseas Bar; and European-African Middle eastern Ribbons with one Silver Star and one Bronze Star His 456th Bomb Group (H) 304th Bomb Wing 15th Air Force had the first 100% bomb strike in the Air Force They were in the first flight to bomb the famous Ploiesti oil fields three got the Purple Heart and one was killed on his last mission Rodney completed his tour of Air Combat flying 35 missions as a tail gunner In his second air combat tour of duty over Korea he flew 30 missions as a gunner on the B-29 Bomber He was always proud that he was on the crew that flew the B-29 though North Korea and MiG Alley and bombed the bridge on the Yalu River connecting to China Rodney went back to work for the Rock Hand Dealership; he then went on to a car dealership where he became the Service Manager he went to work for the Montana Highway Department as Chief of Maintenance where he covered the whole state until his retirement Rodney was a Life Member in several organizations including the Montana State Trapshooting Association Charter Member holding card number 2 and past President; Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA); National Rifle Association of America (Patron); Elks Lodge No Chapter Lewis and Clark 3; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1116; Fort Harrison Museum Foundation; 456th Bomb Group Association; was Charter Member in the Helena Sharpshooters Club and past President; and he was also a member of the Helena Trap Club and was President numerous times Rodney won the Western Montana Outdoor Small Bore Tournament with a score of 999 (84’s) out of a possible 1000 He was instrumental in promoting and building up the Helena Trap Club When he joined the Helena Trap Club they ordered clay targets from the factory and had them shipped by rail to Helena and then the club would have to transport them to the Trap Club He arranged with a trucking firm to pick up the targets and deliver them directly to the Trap Club and installed electrical wiring and put in trailer hookups While he was President and was putting on the State Tournament Shoot he started a new way for scoring the hits and missed targets Rodney and a friend of his wrote some rules and they organized and formed The Montana State Trapshooting Assoc This association now raises a substantial amount of money to give to the Host Club that is putting on the Trap Shoot and is promoting trap shooting A shooter may win cash trophies or other awards if they enter the Tournaments When the ATA changed their handicap rule and extended the yardage back to 27 yards; he was one of the few Montana shooters to get back to the 27 yard line The Doubles Championship and The High Overall Award  He won The Butte Rod and Gun Medal with a perfect score He won 1st place in The Handicap Shoot held at Las Vegas Rodney won The Thunder Bird Pin shooting 100 straight at Tucson He placed 4th at The Golden West Grand held in Reno he tied with four other shooters and in the shoot off that followed and he beat them all At a later date he tied with Roy Rogers in Doubles at the same club He has won The Montana state Handicap Championship He won silver belt buckles with gold coins on them When he was President and was putting on the State Shoot he invited Harold Smith (owner of the famous Harold Club) to come to the shoot Harold and his son came and he took them to Frontier Town for dinner Rodney stopped shooting due to arthritis and poor eye sight due to Macular Degeneration he took time to look back at his life of fishing and all the other social activities and other accomplishments he made Rodney was able to reunite with his old Bomb Group to Italy for an extensive tour He went to the building and inside where Jesus had his Last Supper and saw the original painting on the wall the famous Three Coins in the Fountain and tossed three coins in the fountain then danced on the sidewalk Rodney was able to cruise the Yangtze River and walked the Great Wall of China video documentation of his service and travel adventures was made along with him writing a book about his experience in the Army Air Force A copy of his book is at the Fort Harrison Military Museum Rodney was preceded in death by his parents George and Josephine (Masanovich) Nick; special friend and companion Dolores Wuerl; sisters and brothers-in-law Helen (Mike) Dragnich and Dani (Clint) Englund; brothers David (Vera) Englund and their sons Zachary and Jeremiah and daughter Rachel Eric (Tina) Englund and their daughter Ashley; nieces MT and Sara (Daryl) Driscoll of Sand Diego Shirley (Jim) Miller and Cindy (Brent) Colbert and their sons Cody and Ian; sisters-in-law Violet Nick of Helena and Jessie Nick of Whitefish; cousins Eileen MacLean and John (Nancy) Nickovich The family will receive friends from 6:30 p.m 2013 at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home A Funeral Service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m Burial with Military Honors will follow the funeral service at Forestvale Cemetery with a reception to follow the burial in the Banquet Hall of Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home Memorials in Rodney’s name are suggested to the Montana Military Museum Foundation View map View map View map Please visit the floral shop page for assistance in choosing a local florist No photos have been submitted yet. Click here to share yours. Read the thoughts and memories, then feel free to add your own. I have known Rodney for most of my life.Rodney was a friend of our family My mother ,Lolly Chevallier Russell always said We use to visit when ever ran into each other We send our thoughts and prayers to the family We loved Rodney so much and appreciate how he and Mom enriched each others lives He was a pleasure to know and his sense of humor was exceptional Mom is not doing well at the moment and is very depressed She just wants to “be with her Rodney” May you find comfort in the hope of seeing your loved one again by means of the resurrection (John 5:28,29 and Acts 24:15) Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" © 2025 · Anderson Stevenson Wilke & Retz Funeral Home · Website by Luci's Office died at St Peter’s Hospital in Helena on the morning of September 26 the son of Steve W and Marie Green Greytak His elementary and secondary education was in Butte (St Patrick’s grade school and Boy’s Central Irish Christian Brother’s High School 1948)   and he obtained his bachelor’s degree from Carroll College His seminary formation was at the American College John Baptiste Brondel also attended this same seminary assigned Father Greytak to teach Spanish at Carroll College in Sept Summer studies over several years earned him a Masters in Romance Languages from the University of Michigan He then earned a Masters and PhD in European History from the University of Colorado From July of 1978 through July of 1983 Father served as the rector of the American College in Louvain He returned to the faculty of Carroll College for the fall semester in 1983 where he taught and counseled students until retiring from that faculty in July of 2001 Father assisted in parishes throughout his years teaching at Carroll Father served weekends at Sacred Heart Parish in Wolf Creek Thomas the Apostle Parish in Helmville and St Father Greytak is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Andrew A Greytak He is survived by his brother Stephen J Greytak and wife Honora cousin James Greytak and wife Bettie and cousin John Husbey and wife Rose and the parishioners at St Catherine’s Parish 2015 at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home John of the Valley Cemetery outside of Boulder A reception will immediately follow the burial at St Catherine’s Catholic Parish Greytak Social Center in Boulder the family would like gifts directed to: The Greytak Professorship at Carroll College Please visit below to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Fr View map View map View map No photos have been submitted yet. Click here to share yours. You will be missed by your family and those who you served A great colleague to work with at The American College aware of how grateful we are for his dedicated ministry as Rector/ President of The American College Theological Seminary at the Catholic University of Louvain and in his retirement years in the Diocese of Helena Great memories of my classmate from 1956…a wonderful man and priest Bill welcomed me with open arms to the American College in 1982 hospitable and gentle in the Christ Spirit Honored to have met and spent time with Bill at the College May the consolation of Christ be felt by all family and friends I didn’t know Bill personally but know he was with my dear husband George Cora as a friend and classmate at Louvain and was ordained with him in 1956 I am also sure that George was in that ” Cloud of Witnesses ” welcoming him home May his life continue to be a blessing and our loving God bring comfort and peace of heart to all who have known and loved him Father presided over many monumental events for my family My sincerest prayers and sympathy to Bill’s family As one of his former students in Louvain he was a great example of priestly life & ministry even-tempered soul who patiently guided seminarians and student priests in a challenging international environment He was certainly a great man of the Church Recent visit with him with family in late August and a wonderful leader Sincerest condolences to the family and friends Catherine’s and having the privilege of knowing Father Greytak were truly highlights of that time Our kids are all adults now and they STILL speak of him with love and say what a nice man he was when they were growing up gentle man and a wonderful priest and we wish peace and comfort for his family Bill Greytak was my predecessor as Rector of The American College helpful and down to earth in making the transition a smooth one I silently recite to myself one Hail Mary and one Our Father before each class Father Greytak was a wonderful priest who did so much for St We were fortunate to have him with us over the years He used his talents and skills to do so much for the community of Boulder and the Boulder Valley Father Greytak was Dean of Men and history Professor when I attended Carroll He was an excellent teacher; his rule as Dean of Men was just We attended his 50th Anniversary/Celebration I try to be both challenging and compassionate as well as playful and insightful I will use phrases like he once used: “Now I’m sure you all read Dante’s ‘Inferno’ in the third grade so you’ll remember…” I’d always leave his class and run to the library to read what he thought I ought to have read you will be greatly missed to our family,your community and the church Father Greytak was a wonderful man that welcomed my wife back to the church and brought me into the church and made the four years we lived in Boulder memorable and a faith building time that will always be fondly remembered He helped me become a better student and a life long learner because he helped motivate me to go and see it Father Greytak was my all time favorite college professor I was a medical technology student but happened to randomly take Russian History from him with a keen interest in history took as many history courses as I could Took a Russian history course during the summer Greytak brought in what he called the Russian nemesis he recognized my efforts and credits required and so I have a minor in history along with my Bio/Chem degree The history classes I took from Father Greytak while a student at Carroll are among the highlights of my time there He was a fascinating teacher who left me with words of wisdom that I still treasure My deepest sympathy to family and friends on the passing of a great man I first met Father when he was stationed at St Richards Parish in Columbia Falls while he was finishing his doctoral thesis Our paths crossed again at Carroll College where I was a biology major but also an advocate of taking his history classes I am grateful that I had the opportunity to know him in and outside his classroom As Biology majors at Carroll in the early 1970’s we were encouraged to take classes in other disciplines that would prepare us for the MCAT and hopefully enrich our lives Father Greytak’s courses did that and so much more He was an outstanding educator but more importantly a man of integrity and great kindness Bill was a terrific colleague during our five years together on the Staff of the American College Having served with Bill on the American College staff during his tenure as rector be they difficult evaluations all the way to maintenance problems that could have been because of the weekly “drop quizzes” Deepest sympathy to his family and friends Bill was the Rector of the American College during my last year of studies Professor Jan Lambrecht directed my class diaconal ordination retreat at which time he stated “All election is for service.” and a profound inner strength flowed from this good man I took several history classes from him during my years at Carroll My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends Thank you for welcoming me to the American College in 1981 I still think often of the American College and of your inspirational presence there Father Greytak was by far the most amazing teacher I have ever had and going through medical school I can say that I have had the fortune of many good teachers I was fortunate to have taken a couple of history classes from him and I can say that if everyone had the fortune of learning history from Father as I did humans would not continue repeating the mistakes of our past Those of us who had the fortune of Fr Greytak are blessed beyond words Father Greytak was a thoughtful teacher who challenged you to be your best He helped me over the course of my studies at Carroll College and was instrumental in my educational journey I’m a Family Physician in Florida now and my history courses with him were some of the best classes I remember God bless Father Greytak – you are missed