Helene death toll rises to 200 amid search for survivors

The death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to 200 as rescuers continue to search for survivors from the storm that tore across the US south-east.

More than half of the deaths were in North Carolina, where entire communities were uprooted and devastated by the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

Hundreds of people are reported to be missing and nearly a million homes are still without power nearly a week after the storm made landfall.

The rising death toll comes as President Joe Biden continues his two-day tour of the area visiting Florida and Georgia on Thursday.

Biden received an aerial tour of the damage in Tallahassee, Florida, on Thursday where the hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 storm last week.

The president has approved federal disaster assistance for survivors in Florida, Georgia North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

There are tens of thousands of people without running water in North Carolina, which has seen some of the most severe effects of the storm particularly in the mountainous area of Ashville.

“I feel like I just survived the apocalypse,” Nicole Rojas, a Vilas, North Carolina, resident told the BBC.

Also in North Carolina prisons are being forced to move some 800 inmates due to lack of power, NBC News reported.

Hundreds of roads remain closed, hampering efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities.

South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia also recorded deaths from the storm.

More than 6,700 Army and Air National Guard members from 16 states are assisting with the on-the-ground response, according to the National Guard.

The president deployed 1,000 active-duty soldiers to help with the aid efforts.

On Wednesday, Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris toured areas of North Carolina and Georgia respectively.

Biden said the federal government will cover 100% of all emergency protective measure and debris removal costs in North Carolina for six months. He will do the same for Georgia and Florida for the next 90 days.

Former President Trump toured damaged areas in Georgia earlier in the week.

More rainfall is expected in the coming days in parts of the Gulf Coast and Florida which could complicate the recovery efforts.

The Atlantic hurricane season continues until the end of November.

US Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas warned earlier in the week that if another storm struck the US in the coming months, the Federal Emergency Management Agency would struggle to provide assistance.

"FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what — what is imminent," Mr Mayorkas told reporters earlier in the week, referring to another hurricane hitting the US this season.

The Biden administration has shipped more than 8.8 million meals, 7.4 million litres of water, 150 generators and 225,000 tarps to the region, Mr Mayorkas said.

Brandon Drenon contributed to this report.