Helene aftermath: Ga. death toll at 25; nearly 600K still without power

Georgia’s death toll has risen to 25 from Hurricane Helene, which barreled through the state Friday, causing catastrophic damage and leaving hundreds of thousands still without power Monday.

Nearly 600,000 people have no power across the state. Homes were destroyed, and neighborhoods were flooded. Operations at dozens of U.S. Postal Service facilities throughout Georgia have also been disrupted, and many are still without cellphone service as the storm also knocked out cell towers.

“There’ve been reports of over 100 dead as a consequence of this storm, and there are reports of about 600 people unaccounted for because they can’t be contacted. God willing, they’re alive, but there’s no way to contact them, again, because the lack of cellphone coverage,” President Joe Biden said during an address Monday morning.

While Atlanta escaped the brunt of the damage, flooding issues have persisted after the city experienced the most rainfall it’s seen over a 48-hour period since the 19th century.

Several roads remain closed due to the damage, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. They include portions of Ga. 283, Ga. 296, Ga. 86 and Ga. 27, also known as U.S. 341.

Biden said he would visit impacted areas as soon as Wednesday or Thursday because “I‘ve been told that it would be disruptive if I did it right now.”

“We will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis. My first responsibility is to get all the help needed to those impacted areas,” he added.

Former President Donald Trump, however, visited hard-struck Valdosta on Monday and plans to talk to local officials about recovery efforts while assisting with the delivery of emergency supplies.

Some local officials in storm-ravaged South Georgia privately worried that Trump’s visit could delay their efforts to restore power to the region and repair damage, while others welcomed the attention.

The 16-member delegation asked Biden to expedite approval of the disaster declaration, which would cover 89 of the state’s 159 counties. The declaration would “provide a range of important federal assistance programs in the counties impacted by Hurricane Helene,” the delegation’s letter said.

”We just received Gov. Kemp’s request for an emergency declaration and I’m confident that it will be processed very, very quickly. We’re talking hours, not days,” Tom Perez, White House director of intergovernmental affairs, said. “These catastrophic events touch everyone, but the less resources you have, the more pain you feel. Make no mistake about it, this was historic and catastrophic. And we’re going to be there every step of the way.”

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper also wrote the state’s congressional delegation to urge them to secure relief to help farmers who were hit hard by the storm.

The letter, which was also signed by state Rep. Robert Dickey and state Sen. Russ Goodman, who chair the Georgia House and Senate Committees on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, says Helene could not have “come at a worse time” for farmers and producers already facing falling incomes and rising costs from a variety of sources.

“Right now, the future of hundreds of agricultural operations across Georgia is uncertain, and without immediate assistance, some will not make it to the next growing season,” the letter says.

Biden said Monday he may call Congress back to D.C. to approve disaster funding.

— Staff writers Greg Bluestein, Sara Gregory and Drew Kann contributed to this article.