Fire Official refutes rumors of death toll in WNC [Video]

A fire official in Western North Carolina has addressed rumors and speculation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Swannanoa Deputy Fire Chief Larry Pierson took to social media, over the weekend to speak on the death toll.

He refuted those claims saying “nobody is hiding numbers”. Pierson says many posts that went viral claiming that officials are deliberately reporting inaccurate death numbers.

As of Sunday, The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services have confirmed 95 storm related deaths. However, that number does not reflect those that are still missing and unaccounted for after Helene decimated the area.