The North Carolina Department of Public Safety provided the following comprehensive statement on Sunday:
Air search and rescue teams flew 48 additional missions on Saturday, locating 39 survivors stranded in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic flooding to the region. So far 6,586 people and counting have been rescued, evacuated or assisted by search and rescue teams since the storm hit.
Almost 50 search and rescue teams have deployed more than 1,600 responders to the region over the past 10 days. Local and state emergency responders now have the assistance of approximately 1,700 North Carolina National Guard and 1,000 active-duty military personnel.
"Continuing search and rescue missions in rough terrain, better communications and more resources on the ground are helping as we race to find missing people, reunite families and coordinate the delivery of supplies,” said Governor Roy Cooper.