Reporter at News 5 Cleveland
In Western North Carolina , more than 200 people remain missing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene , which dumped more than two feet of rain in two days in parts of the state.The known death toll from the catastrophic storm, which first hit Florida's Gulf Coast, has surpassed 200 people.
Many homes and businesses were destroyed and multiple roads were washed away. In the wake of the devastation, 82 members of Ohio Task Force One were deployed even before the hurricane hit.Josh Compton, a battalion chief from Green, first went to Florida with team members and then moved to counties east of Asheville, North Carolina, which has experienced some of the worst damage. The group is on their eleventh day of deployment.'We're seeing more mudslides in the mountain areas, a lot of washed-out roads, a lot of washed-out bridges,' Compton said.Compton has been doing 'targeted searches,' which are welfare checks on residents. In many cases, he discovered mud and water reached the rooflines of homes.'The mud and the soot and anything that floated down the river is now sitting in their front yard, so yeah the devastation, I truly feel for them,' Compton said.Michael Cayse started the job as Asheville's fire chief in January of this year after working for the Cincinnati Fire Department.He knows what it's like to help communities after tragedies. He was on the Ohio Task Force One team for 24 years.Earlier this week, Cayse spoke of significant damage and the need for assistance in the city of more than 93,000 people.'We still need to have food. We still need to open up communications. We still need to get roads, infrastructure back up and going,' Cayse said. 'I think my message is we need help. We need it very quickly. We can't wait any longer.'Compton said his team has not been involved in any rescues in North Carolina, but he knows there have been many tragic stories.'We have heard of fatalities— none that we had to deal with— but there are fatalities in the area,' he said.Compton has been to more than a dozen disaster areas as part of Ohio Task Force One, including other hurricanes and the 2021 condo collapse in southern Florida that killed nearly 100 people.In the Florida condo tragedy, he was part of a team that dug through the rubble to search for victims and their belongings.While the work can be very difficult, Compton pointed out that people are always grateful for the help, a sentiment he has experienced in North Carolina.'No matter what deployment I've been on—the community— it's amazing how they come together. We're here to help them and they're trying to help us,' Compton said.It's not clear when the Ohio Task Force One members currently in North Carolina will come home. They commit to potential 14-day deployments, but those can also be extended.
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