North Carolina

Nearly 92 people are still missing in North Carolina, weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the western stretch of the state, Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news conference on Tuesday. He cautioned that the latest count of 92 people could change, "as more reports come in and others are resolved." He said, "I want to caution that this is not a definitive count because the task force is continuing its work.”

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While rescue teams are looking for missing individuals, 95 storm-related deaths in North Carolina have been verified by the officials, and more than 220 have been killed by Helene, including in Florida, where the storm made landfall.

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During the conference, Cooper emphasised the "persistent and dangerous flow of miscommunication" which complicates the relief efforts. He said it leads to confusion and demoralises storm survivors. His remarks about the aftermath of miscommunication and the flow of false claims about hurricane come after federal workers confronted rising distrust from residents. 

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it had to change its operation because of threats fuelled by misinformation. FEMA has temporarily pulled back some relief workers who went door-to-door to help people affected by the storm. 

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False conspiracy theory claims that government agencies and FEMA were withholding aid money. However, Governor Roy Cooper said more than $99 million has already been paid, and 77,000 people were approved under the assistance programme.

During the conference, Cooper also went through the latest statistics, stating that only 13,000 power outages were reported compared to one million immediately after the storm. He also said that about 580 roads remain closed, a decrease from about 1,200. He said thousands of state, federal, and National Guard workers are working to help people recover from the storm and also mentioned that some progress has been made.

(With inputs from agencies)