BAT CAVE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 1: A member of the Maryland National Guard descends a hill at a supply drop point in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 1, 2024 near Bat Cave, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 140 people across the southeastern U.S. due to the storm, according to published reports, which made landfall as a category 4 storm on Thursday. Millions are without power and the federal government has declared major disasters in areas of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states, according to the reports. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)