Nevada hurricane recovery team moving to Asheville, N.C.

By Marvin Clemons Las Vegas Review-Journal

1 month ago

An aerial view of flood damage wrought by Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River on Oct. 3, ... — An aerial view of flood damage wrought by Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River on Oct. 3, 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images/TNS)

FILE – Debris is visible in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Sept. 30, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

FILE – A man walks near a flooded area near the Swannanoa river, effects from Hurricane Helene , Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco, File)

Signs are seen at a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, N.C., Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)

People gather at a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, N.C.,, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)

Nevada Task Force 1 has a new assignment in the hurricane-stricken Southeast.

The crew of 70 personnel and 11 support staff is leaving the Jacksonville, Florida, area and moving about 450 miles west to the Asheville, North Carolina, area.

Details were released by Clark County on Tuesday evening.

The team originally left Las Vegas for Atlanta in late September, the day after Hurricane Helene hit Florida and several states.

It ended up helping with recovery in eastern Tennessee area and was then called a week ago to Jacksonville after Hurricane Milton hit.

About 35 more members were flown into Jacksonville a week ago to assist.

Team members come from the Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire Department, the Boulder City Fire Department, the Henderson Fire Department and civilians.

NC toll: 95 dead, 92 missing

The storm has caused 95 confirmed deaths in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said at a Tuesday press conference. And almost as many, 92, remain missing.

“The vast majority of these are directly related to flooding leading to landslides, blunt force, flooded cars, etc. We are still going through the detailed review of deaths records on other specific causes and elements,” DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley said.

Drowning is the leading cause of death, with 20. That’s followed by landslides and blunt force injuries, each of which are confirmed to have killed 11 people, and trauma from wind or tree, which killed six people, according to DHHS.

The state has established a task force that is working with local law enforcement officials to investigate cases of people who are still unaccounted for.

Cooper warned that the number of people missing is likely to fluctuate, with people being both added and removed as more cases are uncovered or resolved.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.