Buncombe County in North Carolina was the center of attention on Tuesday after it was revealed that the number of deaths caused by Hurricane Helene had been overestimated.
Initially, it was reported that there were 72 deaths in the county; however, authorities acknowledged that the count was incorrect and that actually 42 people had died due to the storm.
The Forensic Office in Raleigh conducted reviews that confirmed a lower number of victims compared to the figures provided by the county. The local police chief, Quentin Miller, had mentioned the incorrect number in an earlier press conference.
County officials attributed the discrepancy to a lack of consistent communication due to widespread power outages affecting the mountainous region. No details were provided on how the final count of 42 deaths instead of 72 was reached.
In total, North Carolina reported 96 deaths related to Hurricane Helene on Tuesday. At the state level, there had been talk of 246 fatalities due to the storm, but with the correction in Buncombe County, the figure was adjusted to 96.
The county's public information officer, Christina Esmay, explained that in the aftermath of the hurricane, all deaths were initially considered storm-related, but over time, it became possible to determine the actual causes of deaths in Buncombe with greater accuracy.