Hurricane Helene death toll passes 200 in US

WASHINGTON

At least 202 people are confirmed dead from Hurricane Helene, according to a report on Thursday.

NBC News said fatalities include at least 98 deaths in the state of North Carolina, 19 in Florida, 33 in Georgia, 39 in South Carolina, 11 in Tennessee and two in Virginia.

The tally came as President Joe Biden is set to visit affected areas in Florida, where he will get an operational briefing in Keaton Beach. He will also survey areas in Ray City, Georgia.

Hundreds are still missing in the aftermath of the storm.

Helene is now the deadliest hurricane to hit the US since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

It made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late Thursday and carved out a 650-mile (1,046-kilometer) swath of destruction to the Atlantic coastal states of the Carolinas.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris surveyed the devastation Wednesday in separate trips to the affected states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Biden’s visit to the Carolinas included an aerial tour above Asheville, North Carolina -- one of the hardest-hit regions.

The US president has also directed the Pentagon to send up to 1,000 active-duty troops to assist the North Carolina National Guard.