ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The city is now reporting nine Helene-related deaths.
Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb confirmed the total during a storm briefing Tuesday morning.
Lamb said Asheville Police Department had received about 394 missing persons reports and 336 of those people had been found alive and well. The department is actively working about 60 missing persons cases now. Of those, 20 involved people who are unhoused.
“We have distributed face sheets to our officers so that they are aware of these missing persons. If they are located in the community, they can call us and they can take them off the sheet,” Lamb said.
The police department is getting help from the FBI and Homeland Security in these missing persons cases, Lamb said. Those agencies are also helping to identify the deceased. The city is also receiving additional DNA resources.
Lamb said officers performed rescues over the weekend related to missing persons and welfare checks.
One involved an elderly woman whose oxygen was running out. The woman’s driveway was blocked and she did not have phone service, Lamb said. The other involved a man with a broken leg. He was also blocked into his home.
Lamb said drone teams are continuing to search the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, which flooded the River Arts District and Biltmore Village.
“We have over 45 independent law enforcement agencies from across the state and nation that are providing assistance to us by giving us more resources so that we can be in more places to prevent more crime,” Lamb said.