Asheville Police: 1 person left missing from Hurricane Helene

Only one person is believed to still be missing from the wreckage of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, N.C., Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb told The Hill.

Officials believe the person is deceased and have not publicly disclosed their identity out of respect for the family. 

Law enforcement spent months surveying areas flooded with rainwater, looking for people who were injured or deceased.

At one point, search records had more than 500 individuals missing, but disaster relief efforts have helped locate hundreds.

Police said one of the largest tasks to overcome was the lack of power, which shut down phone lines and provided limited internet access.

Despite the obstacles, neighbors and police officers advanced their probe with door-to-door efforts to recover local residents.

Their success comes amid a larger project to rebuild communities in the area.

Hurricane Helene destroyed 60 miles of rail track managed in part by Norfolk Southern, which has been working with the CSX freight transportation company to repair damaged railroads.

Their goal is to reopen trains with service lines running through Tennessee to North Carolina in March.