The governor of North Carolina confirms that at least 92 people are still missing weeks after the hurricane

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

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

Cooper said the National Guard is still conducting search and rescue operations for the missing, and the Department of Public Safety has established a task force to locate those still missing.

“I would caution that this is not a final count as the task force continues its work,” Cooper said in a news conference with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “The number will continue to fluctuate as more reports are received and others are resolved.”

The governor claimed that many people called the state to notify them of their missing loved ones when they could not be reached immediately after 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 rainfall” to the state, will be long, but assured residents he was with Western North Carolina “every step of the way.”

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. That’s possible follow her on X for more coverage.