Eerie moment siren blares while small town of Chimney Rock is destroyed by Helene floods, with stricken relatives sharing photos of missing loved ones as death toll approaches 60
Daily MailSep 22
The Facts
Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeastern United States this weekend, killing more than 100 people across six states, and leaving millions without power or access to communications.
A large-scale rescue effort is underway in Buncombe County, North Carolina, with more than 1K people reported missing in the area. Emergency services have already rescued over 200 people from flooding, with authorities saying that the death toll is expected to rise.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
High rates of fatalities, slow recovery efforts, and an overwhelming number of power outages and water supply issues show that local and state officials were largely unprepared for the magnitude of this storm. The government's lack of preparedness measures left many communities vulnerable.
Pro-establishment narrative
This was an unprecedented storm which could never have been fully prepared for. While state and local authorities did their best, the magnitude and damage of this event was greater than expected. Emergency responders made efforts to respond to the crises as soon as they could, but the historic nature of this storm made it hard to mitigate the damage.