Biden to visit hurricane-hit North Carolina 

President Joe Biden connected Wednesday volition beryllium successful hard-hit North Carolina wherever helium volition survey the harm Hurricane Helene near behind.

"We person to jump-start this betterment process," Biden said Tuesday. "People are frightened to death. This is urgent."

Reuters reported that Biden whitethorn inquire lawmakers to instrumentality to Washington for a peculiar league of Congress to walk supplemental assistance backing for the affected areas.

"Communities were wiped disconnected the map," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Tuesday.

With besides astir 160 radical dormant successful North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virgina, Helene was 1 of the country's deadliest storms. Nearly fractional the deaths were successful North Carolina, authorities said.

Helene crashed ashore precocious Thursday successful Florida and past began its way of demolition crossed aggregate states successful the southeastern U.S.

Emergency workers and rescue teams person been moving astir the timepiece clearing roads, providing food, cleaning up debris and looking for radical who are stranded.

Hundreds of radical person been reported missing, officials said.

"We've been going doorway to door, making definite that we tin enactment eyes connected radical and spot if they're safe," Avril Pinder, the region manager for North Carolina's Buncombe County, told The Associated Press.

More than 1 cardinal homes and businesses were without powerfulness successful respective states Tuesday.

Residents of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains lined up for nutrient and h2o Tuesday arsenic they attempted to find cellular work for their cellphones.

Search crews and cadaver dogs person been deployed successful occidental North Carolina to look for victims.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency authoritative said much than 150,000 households person registered for assistance and that fig is expected to rise.

One wheelchair-bound Marine veteran, according to an AP report, stayed successful his location during and aft the deluge. Cliff Stewart said the 2 feet of h2o that came into his location covered the wheels of his wheelchair. The bottles that contained his medicine floated from country to room. Stewart has refused offers to assistance him permission his home.

"What americium I going to do? Be homeless? I'd alternatively dice close present than unrecorded homeless," helium said.

Trailer homes and cars stacked 1 connected apical of the different were revealed by the receding floodwaters successful Swannanoa, North Carolina.

In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee connected Tuesday surveyed demolition of a precocious schoolhouse successful the eastbound portion of the authorities wherever residents told him that helium and his entourage were the archetypal assistance they had seen since the storm, AP reported. "We've been present each alone," 1 idiosyncratic said.