100 dead and thousands uprooted after Hurricane Helene tears through southeast

Hurricane Helene plowed through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, killing dozens and causing flash floods across the region. The destruction is overwhelming and unprecedented due to the storm's unexpected strength and its unusual course deep into Appalachia.

Buncombe County officials said they had received 1,000 reports of people unaccounted for though that number had dropped to 600 by Monday morning, officials told CBS 17. The number was originally anticipated to drop as cell and internet service was slowly restored. It's unclear how many people may truly be missing and how many people are simply cut off from contact with their loved ones.

O​n Sunday morning, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that President Joe Biden approved his request for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration, providing immediate federal help for the western North Carolina region. This declaration is in addition to the federal emergency declaration that was in place before Tropical Storm Helene hit the state.

The last of the rain rolled into Pittsburgh on Sunday and still had some weird energy to it. Friends down in N.C. are cut off without power and reported the National Guard trying to get places where people are trapped.

The National Weather service in South Carolina:

The rainfall map:

The power outage map is maybe a better proxy for where things are worst: