The Latest: Helene's death toll rises to more than 100 as supplies rushed to isolated communities

A crisis unfolded in Asheville, North Carolina, as officials pledged to get more water, food and other supplies to flood-stricken areas without power and cellular service Monday, days after Hurricane Helene ripped across the U.S. Southeast. The death toll from the storm surpassed 100.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said during a news conference Monday that the death toll in that state had risen from 17 to 25. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed there.

Follow AP’s coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/weather.

Here’s the latest:

President Joe Biden said Monday that the federal government will be with survivors and others in the nation’s southeast affected by Helene for “as long as it takes.”

Speaking from the White House, Biden said he intends to travel to North Carolina to survey storm damage by Wednesday or Thursday, once his presence would not divert first responders from live-saving search-and-rescue and disaster response missions.

“We will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis,” he said. He declined to address former President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Georgia on Monday.

Biden said he expects to have to ask Congress for additional money to cover federal disaster assistance to those who lost their homes and businesses by the “historic” wind, rain and flooding event, but he doesn’t yet know how much will be necessary to cover the damage.

“We know there’s more to do and we’ll continue to surge resources including food, water, communications, and lifesaving equipment,” Biden said. “I’m here to tell every single survivor in these impacted areas that we will be there with you as long as it takes.”

Biden defended his decision to spend the weekend at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, vacation home, rather than at the White House to monitor the storm, telling reporters,

“I was commanding. I was on the phone,” he said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said President Joe Biden called him Sunday, but he couldn’t take the call because he was in a helicopter touring damage in the Big Bend area. But he told reporters Monday that the federal government should focus on North Carolina.

“Florida, we have it handled,” DeSantis said. “We have what we need … Most of the effort should be in western North Carolina right now because you still have active rescues that need to take place.”

DeSantis said he's also sending rescue teams to North Carolina, where many Floridians have second homes.

“We’re going to be bringing people to safety,” he said. “I don’t think they have any major way to get out of those western North Carolina places right now. That’s going to require us doing the air missions.”

DeSantis also touted Florida’s response back home and efforts to restore power and clear roads. He held a news conference in Steinhatchee in front of Roy’s restaurant, which was demolished by storm surge and said the state was issuing emergency permits to help businesses recover.

Officials in western North Carolina’s Buncombe County, where the city of Asheville is located, reported 35 deaths from the storm as of late Monday morning.

“Devastation does not even begin to describe how we feel,” Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller said during a news conference.

Meanwhile, overnight shelters have been at capacity, drinkable water has been scarce and misinformation has been a problem, county officials said. There was a “hoax” that a dam was in danger of failing, which prompted unnecessary evacuations of hundreds of people and diverted the attention of first responders.

“Please, please do not do not provide misinformation to our staff because this is delaying our response,” Miller said.

The county plans to distribute food and water at locations that will be announced Monday afternoon, county officials said. And the city of Asheville has partnered with Verizon to establish a temporary satellite cell tower in a parking lot.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene reached at least 107 people in six states on Monday, according an Associated Press tally.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said during a news conference Monday that the death toll in that state had risen from 17 to 25, pushing the overall toll to more than 100 people. More than half of those fatalities have been reported in the Carolinas.

A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed there.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper predicted that the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.

More than 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water from Hurricane Helene flooded the Clearwater Marine Aquarium off Florida’s Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic damage, aquarium officials said over the weekend.

Most of the aquarium’s life support systems were lost by the flooding and other vital equipment was damaged by the salt water. Because of the damage, two manatees getting rehabilitation were moved to ZooTampa and sea turtles also being rehabilitated were moved to a nature center in Boca Raton, officials posted on Sunday.

“All other resident animals are safe, and some animals have been moved within the facility to ensure they are secure while we address impacts to their habitats,” the aquarium said in a post.

James Powell, the aquarium’s executive director, said the facility was in most need of an ultra-low temperature, lab-grade freezer. The aquarium is located about 22 miles (35.4) km west of Tampa.

At Mountain Valley Water in West Asheville, people waited in a line for water for more than a block.

Some had milk jugs or in the case of Derek Farmer, three glass gallon sized apple juice containers. The business was selling water — cash only and writing invoices on what looked like an ancient pad — just outside their fenced in lot.

Farmer has lived in Asheville for more than two decades. As a veteran of the 2004 flood, he was ready. But day three without water had him nervous to get more.

Sommervile Johnston has been without power since Friday and water since Saturday is her West Asheville neighborhood.

There have been times she’s felt sorry for herself. Then news trickles in from smaller communities up the mountains. “At least we’re not alone and isolated here,” Johnston said.

People have been checking on neighbors. When one person goes out for supplies, they take orders from several others. The folks that need water from the creek to flush toilets take turns heading down the hill.

“We’re just biking around, checking on each other,(asterisk) Johnston said outside her West Asheville home.

Authorities in the western North Carolina county of Macon are reporting a storm-related death as officials continue to assess the damage from the flooding over the weekend.

“Unfortunately there has been one fatality in Macon County that can be attributed to the storm,” the local sheriff’s said in a statement late Sunday night. “More information will be available at a later date.”

Macon County is southwest of Asheville and borders Georgia. The sheriff’s office statement says the county was experiencing poor cellular coverage, while crews were working to restore power in affected areas. Numerous calls have been coming in from people from outside of the area who want to check in on loved ones.

“Welfare checks will only be conducted that meet certain criteria and not all requests can be met,” the sheriff’s office said. “A significant part of Macon County was unaffected by the storm and the only issues there are lack of a reliable communication system.”

President Joe Biden says he will visit Hurricane Helene-impacted areas this week as long as it does not disrupt rescue and recovery operations.

Biden was briefed again on Sunday evening about the impact of the devastating storm on an enormous swath of the Southeast. In a brief exchange with reporters, he described the impact of the storm as “stunning” and said that the administration is giving states “everything we have” to help with their response to the storm.

Biden planned to speak about the administration’s response efforts in remarks from the White House on Monday.

Rescue workers from the Pamlico County rescue team are shown working in the aftermath of Helene the area of Chimney Rock, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Pamlico County Special Operations via AP)

People wait to gather water at Mountain Valley Water in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in West Asheville, N.C., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024 (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

A stop sign can be barely seen above a flooded parking lot after torrential rain from Hurricane Helene caused severe flooding, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Morganton, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

Crews work to clean up the tons of sand and debris pushed onto Gulf Boulevard from Hurricane Helene storm surge, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Madeira Beach, Fla. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

A couple of RVs are abandoned in the flooded Ingles parking lot due to the torrential rains from Hurricane Helene, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Morganton, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. ports from Maine to Texas could shut down Tuesday if a union representing about 45,000 dockworkers carries through with a threatened strike.

A lengthy shutdown could raise prices on goods around the country and potentially cause shortages and price increases at big and small retailers alike as the holiday shopping season — along with a tight presidential election — approaches.

“First and foremost, we can expect delays to market. And those delays depend on really what the commodities are and priorities at the ports and how quickly things move,” said Mark Baxa, president of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

The International Longshoremen’s Association is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container-moving trucks that are used in the loading or unloading of freight at 36 U.S. ports. Those ports handle roughly half of the nations’ cargo from ships.

The contract expires between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents the ports, on Tuesday. The two sides haven't held negotiations since June. A strike by the ILA workers would be the first by the union since 1977.

“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject,” the ILA said in a statement on Monday.

While any port can handle any type of goods, some ports are specialized to handle goods for a particular industry. The ports that would be affected by the shutdown include Baltimore and Brunswick, Georgia, the top two busiest auto ports; Philadelphia, which gives priority to fruits and vegetables; and New Orleans, which handles coffee, mainly from South America and Southeast Asia, various chemicals from Mexico and North Europe, and wood products such as plywood from Asia and South America.

Other major ports affected include Boston; New York/New Jersey; Norfolk, Virginia; Wilmington, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Tampa, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and Houston.

If a strike were deemed a danger to U.S. economic health, President Joe Biden could, under the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, seek a court order for an 80-day cooling-off period. This would suspend the strike.

But Biden, during an exchange with reporters on Sunday, said “no” when asked if he planned to intervene to plan a potential work stoppage impacting East Coast ports.

“Because it’s collective bargaining, I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley,” Biden said.

The strike could last weeks — or months. If a strike were resolved within a few weeks, consumers probably wouldn’t notice any major shortages of retail goods. But a strike that persists for more than a month would likely cause a shortage of some consumer products, although most holiday retail goods have already arrived from overseas. Shoppers could see higher prices on a vast array of goods, from fruit and vegetables to cars.

Since the major supply chain disruption in 2021 caused by pandemic bottlenecks, retailers have adapted to supply chain disrupters being “the new norm,” said Rick Haase, owner of a mini-chain of Patina gift shops in and around the Twin Cities in Minnesota.

“The best approach for Patina has been to secure orders early and have the goods in our warehouse and back rooms to ensure we are in stock on key goods,” he said.

Daniel Vasquez, who owns Dynamic Auto Movers in Miami, Florida, which specializes in importing and exporting vehicles, increased inventory, specifically for vehicles that take longer to ship, in anticipation of a strike.

He has also stopped relying on one port or shipping partner and has expanded his relationship with smaller ports and shipping companies that can bypass congested areas.

“This move provides us with an edge — having backup partners in place means we can reroute shipments efficiently if the strike hits hard,” he said.

Jonathan Gold, vice president of the supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, said the possible strike comes as the supply network continues to face challenges from ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial shipping that have essentially shut down the use of the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The uncertainty also comes during the peak of retailers’ holiday shipping season, which traditionally runs from July through early November. Many big retailers, anticipating a strike, started shipping their goods to U.S. distribution centers in June, and Gold noted that a majority of products are already in the U.S.

But retailers will have a hard time replenishing items and are incurring extra warehouse costs to store goods longer. Gold also noted that carriers are already announcing surcharges on containers to address potential disruptions.

The Toy Association, the nation’s leading toy trade group, was one of roughly 200 trade groups that sent a joint letter to President Biden earlier this month urging the administration to work with ILA and USMX to come up with a contract. Greg Ahearn, its president and CEO, noted that a strike would happen at an extremely critical time for toy sellers and makers — up to 60% of a toy company’s annual sales come during the fourth quarter. The holiday shipping window for the toy industry is anywhere from six to eight weeks and started in July, though some toy companies tried to ship earlier or add more toys to shipments, he said.

“It hits many ways,” he said. “From a consumer perspective, it starts with delays in availability and then starts to surface as product shortages within toys. At retail for the toy industry, it results in potentially higher prices based on scarcity and increased costs.”

AP Writers Tom Krisher in Detroit and Stephen Groves in Dover, Delaware, contributed to this report.

FILE - Ship to shore cranes work the container ship CMA CGM Laperouse at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)

FILE - Five ship to shore cranes and gangs of longshoremen work the container ship YM Witness at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File)