Satellite images show horrifying aftermath of Helene in NC as death toll rises

Liesl Steiner stands for a photo outside a destroyed garage of her flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 4, 2024, in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Steiner said a powerful mudslide carrying rocks and boulders tumbled down the mountainside and through part of her property. Many homes in the area were damaged by the mudslides. At least 225 people were killed in six states in the wake of the powerful hurricane which made landfall as a Category 4. It is now the deadliest U.S. mainland hurricane since Hurricane Katrina. | Mario Tama/Getty Images

Satellite images have captured the extensive damage in western North Carolina a week after Hurricane Helene brought severe flooding and destruction to the Southeastern U.S. The death toll has now reached 225, with officials warning that this number could rise as recovery operations continue.

According to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies, the affected areas show significant devastation, with numerous roads rendered impassable, complicating rescue and recovery efforts, CBS Newsreported.

The imagery from the town of Old Fort, one of the worst-hit areas, shows buildings and cars displaced by the floodwaters, with mud and debris blanketing the area.

Continued below.