As death toll climbs near 200, Bay Area sends support for Helene

As the death toll approaches 200, Helene is now the second-deadliest storm in 55 years, with hundreds unaccounted for across six states in the Southeast.

While search and rescue crews go through the wreckage focused on finding those missing people, the destruction reveals the number of people willing to jump in and help from all over the country.

Humanity perseveres in times of disaster, as thousands of first responders come together to help the most devastated communities.

One of those first responders is Robert Lipp, a retired Assistant Fire Chief with the Oakland Fire Department, who is working as a public information officer with the FEMA Incident Support Team and California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 4 out of Oakland.

"Now, our effort is really aimed at finding people who may be stranded or trapped," said Lipp. 

He said he landed in North Carolina on Tuesday and was shocked by the damage the rainwater created.

"There are areas today I saw where the water level looked. Now I didn’t measure it, but it looked like it might have been 15 to 20 feet above the normal water line," he said. "There were many homes and businesses that have just literally been washed away from where they were originally."

Lipp said the Bay Area knows what it’s like to need help.

"I remember the earthquake, Loma Prieta earthquake, and how it affected the entire Bay Area," he recalled. "We didn’t have the resources to handle that ourselves."

He said that’s one of the reasons he’s been part of national response teams for years, responding to multiple disasters.

The impact is far-reaching, and even people in the Bay Area feel the devastation of Helene.

Richmond resident Simone Oni said her father’s apartment 2,500 miles away in Atlanta flooded during the storm.

"His neighbors rescued him and my cousin drove from Macon, two hours away, to get him," she said. "He lost pretty much everything."

Oni said after starting a GoFundMe, she’s already experiencing support from her community. 

"It just means everything to have support," she said.

While touring North Carolina on Wednesday, President Biden promised to carry America through this.

"I’m here to say the United States, the nation – has your back. We’re not leaving until you’re back on your feet completely," he said at a briefing with emergency first responders.

Biden also announced on Wednesday he was sending 1,000 more troops to the region. He will be surveying damage in Georgia on Thursday.

In addition, the Northern California Red Cross chapter said it sent about two dozen volunteers out to the Southeast.