BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — Hurricane Helene's death toll reached 200 on Thursday and could rise higher still, as searchers made their way toward the hardest to reach places in the mountains of western North Carolina, where the storm washed out roads and knocked out electricity, water and cellular service.

The storm surge, wind damage and inland flooding from Hurricane Helene have been catastrophic, flooding neighborhoods, stranding residents and destroying homes in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. At least 189 people have been killed, according to The Associated Press.

A week has passed since Hurricane Helene made landfall and the death toll continues to climb as areas devastated by the storm and its aftermath.