Worry grows as multiple agencies struggle to tally unaccounted individuals after storm

By Jennifer Emert

Click here for updates on this story

    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Reporting how many still remain unaccounted for 17 days after Helene battered the mountains is difficult at best.

News 13 reached out to FEMA, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Buncombe County and other agencies, only to find there is not one place with an official count.

This has left many families frustrated as they reach out to multiple agencies in search of answers.

“He loves it up there,” said Katie Traina, talking about her older brother Christopher Traina.

It has been more than 17 days since someone with Traina’s family has heard from Chris.

“He kind of bounces around the Asheville area, kind of just exploring the area,” said Katie.

Traina’s family, who primarily lives in Florida and has recently suffered their own damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, was in touch with Chris days before the storm. Chris Traina had a cell phone, but since the storm, nothing.

We just have to be hopeful and grateful that the time will come and they will find him,” said Katie Traina, as tears rolled down her cheeks with worry for her brother.

The family has shared Christopher’s picture on social media and reported him missing to the United Way and Red Cross. They say they are grateful for local, state and federal search efforts and the thousands of volunteer hours from organizations like the Buncombe County Rescue Squad.

“There were thousands of cases the Register of Deeds worked and we had maybe 200 that made the escalated list,” said Buncombe County Rescue Squad Search & Rescue Division Team Leader Jeff Stilber.

The Rescue Squad was handed the escalated cases because of their training and the conditions.

“Those are the ones where there was a landslide so you couldn’t access. The bridge was washed out so you had to hike in,” said Stilber.

They were able to locate most of them.

“The majority of them were either well cared for because number one, they were prepared. They might be unaccounted for because they haven’t been able to communicate with the outside world,” said Stilber.

Those they could not reach remain on a list now passed over to the sheriff’s office for further checking. That is why knowing how many still remain unaccounted for gets tricky. So many groups aided in the effort and have taken reports.

You’ve got the Asheville Police Department, you’ve got the Black Mountain Police Department, you’ve got the Sheriff’s Department, you’ve got the State Bureau of Investigations. We had federal search and rescue, state search and rescue, local search and rescue,” said Lillian Govus, Buncombe County’s Communications & Public Engagement Director. Each had their own lists and until now, no one has tried to combine them or narrow it down.

“We’re getting to the point where we will have one list but we’re just not quite there yet, said Govus.

That will take time, verifying each agency’s list against the others and comparing them with the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

It is time that seems like an eternity for families waiting for word.

“Any information would be super helpful and obviously, if anyone sees or spots him just tell him we’re all searching for him back home, he’s got a large support group,” said Katie Traina about her brother.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.