At least 200 people have died as a result of Helene’s trek across the Southeast last week as crews work to find people still missing.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – It’s been one week since Hurricane made landfall along the Gulf Coast in , decimating communities across the and leaving more than 200 people dead in six states.

Life-saving aid continues to flow into regions that were hit hard by the deadly storm, and President Joe Biden vowed to provide resources to aid in the recovery operations as he directed the Department of Defense to deploy 1,000 active-duty to support the delivery of essential food, water and other commodities to those who need it most.

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    BAT CAVE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 2: Members of Leland Fire Rescue coordinate with Bat Cave leaders in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Bat Cave, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 180 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the storm, according to published reports, which made landfall as a category 4 storm on Thursday. Millions are without power and the federal government has declared major disasters in areas of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states, according to the reports. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ( )

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    BAT CAVE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 2: Men with chainsaws walk paste a helicopter on a bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Bat Cave, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 180 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the storm, according to published reports, which made landfall as a category 4 storm on Thursday. Millions are without power and the federal government has declared major disasters in areas of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states, according to the reports. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ( )

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    BAT CAVE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 2: People organize food for residents at the Bat Cave Fire Department in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Bat Cave, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 180 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the storm, according to published reports, which made landfall as a category 4 storm on Thursday. Millions are without power and the federal government has declared major disasters in areas of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states, according to the reports. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ( )

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    BAT CAVE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 2: Men with chainsaws walk along Route 9 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Bat Cave, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 180 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the storm, according to published reports, which made landfall as a category 4 storm on Thursday. Millions are without power and the federal government has declared major disasters in areas of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states, according to the reports. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ( )

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    A helicopter flies above a damaged structure in downtown Chimney Rock, North Carolina, October 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. The death toll from powerful storm Helene, which battered the southeastern United States, has climbed to more than 155, authorities said on October 1, as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris surveyed the damage. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images) ( )

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    The remnants of a home are seen in Lake Lure, North Carolina, October 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. The death toll from powerful storm Helene, which battered the southeastern United States, has climbed to more than 155, authorities said on October 1, as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris surveyed the damage. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images) ( )

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    TOPSHOT – A local police car is seen half engulfed in mud, in a flooded area of Lake Lure, North Carolina, October 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. The death toll from powerful storm Helene, which battered the southeastern United States, has climbed to at least 155, authorities said on October 1, as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris prepared to survey the damage. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images) ( )

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    SWANNANOA, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 02: Emily Ogburn, right, hugs her friend Cody Klein after he brought her a meal on October 2, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Ogburn’s home was spared and she spent the morning of the storm helping and comforting neighbors who had found shelter on a neighbors porch. According to reports, at least 160 people have been killed across the southeastern U.S., and more than a million are without power due to the storm. The White House has approved disaster declarations in multiple southern states, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images) ( )

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    Crews work downtown Chimney Rock, North Carolina, October 2, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. The death toll from powerful storm Helene, which battered the southeastern United States, has climbed to at least 155, authorities said on October 1, as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris prepared to survey the damage. (Photo by ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images)

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    President Biden tours North Carolina via air on Wednesday, October 2. ( )

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    Collapsed bridges on Interstate 26 in unicoi County, Tennessee.  (101.7 KNOXVILLE, TN/NANCY BARGER)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

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    Aftermath from Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville, North Carolina. (Matty Media LLC)

“I don’t have to tell this group that Hurricane Helene has been a storm of proportions,” Biden told emergency managers in on Wednesday. “The damage is still being assessed, but many people are still unaccounted for. So, I’m here to say, the – the nation – has your back.”

Search and rescue operations are ongoing in areas of western North Carolina that were isolated after catastrophic destroyed hundreds of roads and bridges, cutting off escape routes and ways to get essential supplies to those who remain trapped.

As access is gained to areas that have not been reachable since the , more victims are being located.

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies show the extent of flooding in Old Fort and Spruce Pine in western North Carolina.

At least 204 deaths have been reported across six states – , , , North Carolina, and . And as more areas are searched for the first time, that number is expected to rise.

North Carolina has so far seen the most deaths, with a majority of the statewide number coming from one area – Buncombe County. The area within the county was devastated by the flooding, with raging rapids destroying , businesses and other critical across the region.

Numerous people are also reported missing or unaccounted for, but an exact number has not yet been released.

“First – search and rescue continues now for a seventh day. We’re continuing to find people,” Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said on Thursday. “We know we have pockets of people who are isolated due to and bridges out. So, they are disconnected but not missing.”

CHIMNEY ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 2: A damaged property stands in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 2, 2024 in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 140 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the storm, according to published reports, which made landfall as a category 4 storm on Thursday. Millions are without power and the federal government has declared major disasters in areas of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states, according to the reports. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Pinder said that once search and rescue operations end, the true number of missing will be known.

“With our Family Assistance Center, the initiative of our Register of Deeds Office, they have deployed 840 volunteers to check on 6,065 high-priority households with over 700 care packages being distributed,” Pinder continued.

She said that 2,885 people have so far been found safe by volunteers, and 1,828 were confirmed safe through email and texts as of Wednesday.

Micah Drye

(Meghan Drye / FOX Weather)

Harrowing stories of tragedy and triumph are starting to emerge from that area as work to clear debris and make repairs continues.

An Asheville mother told FOX Weather her who was swept away by the raging floodwaters. She also lost her parents.

Another woman told FOX Weather about her experience surviving Hurricane Helene as while she was camping, calling the experience “horrific.”

A group of neighbors in Hendersonville, North Carolina, stood in chest-deep floodwater from Helene to save cats and dogs from drowning. (Courtesy: David Rhode via Storyful)

In Avery County, North Carolina, a showed his home in  being swept away by powerful currents on Friday.

Others narrowly escaped the wrath of the . A when floodwaters started pouring into town.

Impact Plastics, a Unicoi County, Tennessee, plastics factory, is under investigation following the tragic deaths of several employees during the Hurricane Helene flood.

To the east in Tennessee, an in after numerous employees were swept away by floodwaters last week.

At least two people died, and five others remain missing.

from the area captured eerie images of a during the historic flooding in Erwin.

A casket found in debris in Erwin, Tennessee after Helene’s deadly flooding.

(Karen Tipton)

Dozens of people were in town as water surrounded the facility, and there were even fears that a .

On Wednesday night, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a temporary water contact advisory, warning the public to avoid all contact with bodies of water affected by the catastrophic flooding.

“In the aftermath of unprecedented flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, several wastewater treatment plants have been compromised and are temporarily unable to completely treat effluent before it enters receiving waters,” . “In addition, sewer line crossings may have been severed or damaged, allowing raw sewage to enter streams, and individual septic systems may be compromised across the region.”

The town of Erwin, Tennessee under flood waters in the wake of days of torrential rains.

(Rep. Diana Harshbarger / FOX Weather)

The advisory applies to “all surface waters in the Nolichucky, French Broad, Pigeon, Doe, and Watauga River watersheds as well as any other waters affected by the flooding,” TDEC added.

TDEC said it would continue to assess the situation and will lift the advisory when it’s appropriate to do so.

Destruction was also reported farther south in Georgia.

At least 33 people were killed in Georgia because of Helene, and saw its first-ever due to the record rainfall.

FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen bravely rescued a woman who had driven into floodwaters in Atlanta early Friday morning. Carrying her on his back through chest-deep water, watch as Van Dillen, a towering 6-foot, 1-inch man, demonstrated incredible strength and courage during Hurricane Helene coverage.

And as the rain fell and water rose, found himself in the middle of a harrowing rescue operation.

While covering the storm, Van Dillen, who is from the area, heard a woman’s desperate cries for help along Peach Tree Creek. She had driven into floodwaters and was trapped in her car before sunrise. Without hesitation, . He pulled her to , carrying her on his back through the floodwaters to dry land.

Widespread damage was also found in cities like and .

Georgia Air National Guardsmen clear roads during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Mt. Vernon, Georgia, Oct. 2, 2024. The Georgia National Guard has mobilized to provide response and recovery support to areas in the state impacted by Hurricane Helene. At the direction of the Governor and through The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS), the Georgia National Guard will continue to partner local, state, and federal entities in this effort. (U.S. Army National Guard video by Sgt. Jaylan Caulton)

Among the dead in Georgia are a 27-year-old mother and her 1-month-old twin boys who died when a tree fell onto their mobile home outside Augusta.

Helene made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region last Thursday as a powerful hurricane with of 140 mph, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said a lot of progress has been made.

DeSantis said 2.4 million power outages have been restored, and only about 9,000 outages remain in the week since the storm hit.

“This is the fastest power restoration after a major hurricane that we’ve ever had,” he said.

FOX Weather’s Mike Seidel is in Perry, Florida, where he says the amount of power flashes from Hurricane Helene is unlike anything he’s ever seen. 

DeSantis also said that search and rescue operations have finished in the state, and those assets were sent to North Carolina to assist with cleanup and recovery operations there.

He also issued three executive orders and the recovery continues. One of those orders is to ease restrictions on rentals for residents who need a place to stay while are being repaired. The second executive order pertains to the upcoming election to ensure residents will be able to vote.

The third order directs members of the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard to ports to maintain order due to ongoing strikes at ports on the East Coast. He said the Florida Department of would waive tolls and other fees for commercial vehicles, and the Florida Highway Patrol would escort those vehicles from ports and onto roads and highways if requested.

Historical flooding in western North Carolina in 1916

(NOAA)

Helene is now the second-deadliest to strike the mainland U.S. in the last 55 years, topped only by in 2005 and the most since hit the Gulf Coast in August 1969.

Helene has in North Carolina.