AVERY COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) – One week since Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina’s western mountains, the number of those missing or dead is still not known with certainty.
Along the North Toe river in Avery County, family members told WBTV that volunteers would continue to search Friday, Oct. 4 for loved ones not seen since one week earlier. Many communities along the river remained unreachable, with bridges gone and Highway 19E impassable in places.
It’s one place that rescuers with Linville Central Rescue have focused their efforts in the search for human remains, using scent-discriminating search dogs like Riggs.
A GPS collar tracks everywhere Riggs went Thursday, searching through debris and abandoned camp grounds along the river. The red line on a map inside the Linville Central Rescue also captured Riggs’ own close call.
It’s tough for owner Richard Schaffer to talk about the moment Riggs went in the river Thursday.
“We had a good safety crew with him, but he decided he was going in the Toe River,” Schaffer said. “We got him out.”
The toll of the past week is evident on the retired attorney’s face. Talking to the families of missing loved ones is one of the toughest parts of the job.
“That’s the most difficult part,” Schaffer said.
From a small building filled with the signs of people making a temporary home, rescuers with Linville Central Rescue are working around the clock to find those still missing — or their remains.
Many, if not all of them, have other jobs that few have been able to get to since Hurricane Helene hit one week ago. The 90-member department has ballooned in the last week as they accept help from qualified volunteers.
“We are clearing areas for where anyone might be lost,” Schaffer said. “There are people missing, and all that we can do is do our best to try and find them.”
Dogs work with the team as they search piles of debris that at times are the size and height of two-story homes. If the dog picks up a scent, the team works to clear away the rubble to get the dog in closer.
It’s been discouraging for the dogs, Schaffer said, because they haven’t had much success.
Across the state, local rescue groups like Linville are rushing to beat the clock alongside FEMA and National Guard teams to canvass for those missing or stranded.
“If you need help, we are working around the clock to reach you,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. “We’re working together to open more major routes to push supplies forward.”
For the Linville group, there’s sometimes small rewards.
On Thursday, Riggs found a family photo album buried in the rubble. The mission now? Find the family it belongs to.
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