North Carolina governor confirms at least 92 people are still missing weeks after hurricane

Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday announced that at least 92 people from Hurricane Helene are still missing nearly three weeks after the storm hit.

Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast when it landed as a Category 4 storm late last month, including hitting parts of Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. North Carolina was hit the hardest with more than 118 of the 243 people dying in the Tar Heel State, per NBC News.

Cooper said the state National Guard is still conducting search and rescue operations for those missing, and the Department of Public Safety has created a task force to track those who are still unaccounted for.

“I want to caution that this is not a definitive count because the task force is continuing its work,” Cooper said in a press briefing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “The number will continue to fluctuate as more reports come in and others are resolved.”

The governor claimed that many people had called the state to notify them of their missing loved ones when they couldn't be reached immediately following the hurricane. Many of those people have not followed up since, even after cell service resumed across the state. 

Cooper added that the road to recovery from the hurricane, which brought "historic rains" to the state, will still be long, but assured residents that he was with "western North Carolina every step of the way.”

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.