Final missing Hurricane Helene victim in Tennessee found
Hurricane Helene (Photo from NOAA)
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. - Human remains discovered by debris removal specialists in the Jackson Island area belong to Nancy Tucker, the final missing person in Washington County after Hurricane Helene devastated the region two years ago.
What we know:
Debris removal specialists working in the Jackson Island area discovered human remains on Sept. 12, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies transported the remains to the medical examiner at the William Jenkins Forensics Center at East Tennessee State University.
Medical examiners confirmed on Sept. 14 that the remains belonged to Tucker.
She was the last person listed as missing in Washington County following the flood.
She vanished on Sept. 27, 2024, alongside her husband, Jimmy Tucker, when Nolichucky River flooding swept away their home in rural Washington County in the northeastern corner of Tennessee, according to CNN.
While her husband's body was recovered within a couple of days, she remained missing until recently.
The backstory:
Helene killed more than 250 people and caused nearly $80 billion in damage from Florida to the Carolinas, with more than 230 total deaths across six states, including 33 in Georgia.
In the mountains on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, rainfall up to 30 inches transformed gentle streams into torrents that moved trees, boulders, homes and vehicles while shattering century-old flood records.
In North Carolina, where the body of Alena Ayers was never recovered, lawmakers established Alena’s Law last year to make it easier to declare a person dead if they disappear during a natural disaster, CNN said.
By the numbers:
Beyond the lives claimed, Helene decimated the economy, with a University of Georgia assessment estimating $6.5 billion in damage to agriculture and timber.
Poultry houses, pecan orchards and nurseries suffered some of the heaviest losses, leaving farmers facing long recovery timelines that stretched past the 2024 harvest season.
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The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, who explained how the remains were recovered and identified, as well as a University of Georgia assessment detailing economic impacts. Additional information comes from CNN. (Linked above)