This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The Economic Collapse Blog. 

After what we have just witnessed, how will anyone be able to trust those who are running the country ever again?  Hurricane Helene’s extremely unusual journey left an immense trail of destruction that was more than 500 miles long, and there are many communities that were completely and utterly wiped out.  Authorities are telling the mainstream media that only a few hundred people died, and so that is what the mainstream media is telling us.  But those who are on the ground in the areas that got hit the hardest are telling us a completely different story.

For example, one woman in Asheville, North Carolina says that thousands of people are missing and that there are still “bodies hanging from trees they haven’t gotten to yet”…

Asheville, North Carolina woman says the media is lying about the de*th toll from Hurricane Helene, says the real number is much higher than 200.

The TT user says cold trailers are overflowing with bodies.

“If you go to certain backroads, you will still find bodies hanging from trees they haven’t gotten to yet,” she posted.

“I don’t think people understand that 500+ people are de*d. Thousands more missing.”

Another local woman is claiming that there are more than 900 bodies at a local hospital in Asheville which still have not been identified…

There are reports that Mission Hospital in Asheville North Carolina was told today, that they will be the morgue for body recovery. As of a few days ago, there were reports of 900+ bodies at the hospital that haven’t been identified.

There are also reports of babies and children washing up in the river, and more reports of bodies in trees.

An insurance agent Hana’s teammates went to drop off supplies in Asheville and set up relief tents yesterday. While setting up they saw four babies, three children as well as adult bodies that were recovered from the mud and trees.

National guard member Breona Bryant has also mentioned that they are seeing dead children. Those doing rescue operations are traumatized and many survivors of the storm are suffering from survivors guilt.

Please keep in mind that Asheville is just one of the cities that was absolutely devastated by this storm.

There are hundreds of others that are dealing with dead bodies as well.

In South Carolina, an elderly couple that was embracing one another during the storm was killed when a large tree suddenly crushed their house…

An elderly couple, killed in South Carolina when a large tree fell on their home during Hurricane Helene, were found embracing each other in their bed, their grandson said. He is among hundreds of residents across six Southeastern U.S. states mourning the loss of their loved ones. The death toll surpassed 230 late Saturday.

The couple, identified as Marcia, 74, and Jerry, 78, from Beech Island, South Carolina, died as the hurricane raged outside, with winds strong enough to snap branches and uproot trees, The Associated Press quoted their grandson, John Savage, as saying.

It is going to take a very long time for emergency workers to recover all of the dead bodies.

As I shared with my core supporters on Friday, a group of FEMA executives were overheard discussing the fact that “a couple zeros” should be added to the current death toll that is being given to the public.

In Tennessee, the town of Erwin is just gone.

I do not know if there were any survivors.

At this hour, there are millions of people living in parts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee that are still waiting for help.

In a part of North Carolina that was hit particularly hard, one woman says that she still has not seen a single person from either the state government or the federal government yet…

As the communities within Yancey and Mitchell counties are rural, assistance has been slow to enter into those areas given the lack of road and bridge access. In fact, Emily tells me the communities there are mainly sheltered in place and she’s not seen anyone from state or federal gov’t.

Emily has been able to set up Starlink at the Newdale fire department in Burnsville to establish communication in coordinating emergency services — but more Starlink systems and supplies for that area will be needed for those communities and soon.

There are vast numbers of people that do not have access to clean water right now, and the governor of North Carolina is admitting that his state has never experienced anything like this…

As recovery missions and repairs continue in North Carolina more than a week after Hurricane Helene carved a path of devastation through the western part of the state, the state’s Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called for more resources to bolster the relief effort and likened the damage to Hurricane Katrina’s mark on Louisiana in 2005.

“This is unlike anything that we’ve seen in this state,” Tillis told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday morning. “We need increased attention. We need to continue to increase the surge of federal resources.”

When it is all said and done, I believe that the total damage caused by Hurricane Helene will greatly exceed the total damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

I am entirely convinced that we just witnessed the greatest natural disaster in modern U.S. history, and according to the Wall Street Journal many homeowners that had their houses destroyed will be extremely disappointed when they try to file insurance claims…

Homeowners are rushing to file insurance claims after Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction across six states. Many of them will likely be left empty-handed.

Property insurers in recent years have hollowed out coverage and sharply increased rates to make up for steep underwriting losses driven by natural disasters. Owners of homes and businesses slammed by Helene could be in for a nasty shock when they check the small print of their policies.

“Insurers have become significantly tougher on hurricane claims,” said Rick Tutwiler, a claims adjuster for property owners based in Tampa, Fla. “We’ve moved to an era dominated by exclusions, diminishing coverages, and even harsher policy terms.”

A number of people have asked me if this disaster will have a dramatic impact on the upcoming election.

Without a doubt, voters in some conservative areas of North Carolina will be faced with difficulties…

Officials in North Carolina warned that voting in some parts of the battleground state might be impacted due to Hurricane Helene’s impacts.

During Helene, critical infrastructure in large swaths of western North Carolina and especially parts of the Appalachian Mountain areas were damaged or totally destroyed.

“There may be polling places impacted by mudslides, there may be polling places inaccessible because of damaged roads, and there may be polling places with trees that have fallen on them,” Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told NPR on Tuesday.

In November, voting in some of the most rural parts of North Carolina could be way down because of this storm.

But the overwhelming backlash to the extremely poor federal response to this emergency could give a boost to the Republican ticket all over the nation.

So we shall see what happens.

Meanwhile, another major hurricane is poised to hit central Florida.

According to Fox Weather, it is being projected that Hurricane Milton could be “the worst in over 100 years for parts of west-central Florida”…

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend, Milton is threatening to do the same, but given the state’s distinctive coastline, the angle of landfall could allow the new storm system to be the worst in over 100 years for parts of west-central Florida.

The area is certainly storm-weary, having recently experienced impacts from Helene, Debby, Ian and Idalia. However, the FOX Forecast Center warns that the unique angle of approach makes the situation similar to what emergency managers have dreaded but prepared for over decades.

All the way back at the beginning of this year, I warned my readers that this would be a banner year for natural disasters.

It is expected that Hurricane Milton will become a Category 3 storm before it comes ashore in the Tampa Bay region…

Florida’s west coast is preparing for a potentially massive evacuation ahead of a strike from Milton, which rapidly intensified into a hurricane on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay region, still reeling from massive coastal flooding from Helene —its worst hurricane in a century — remained in the crosshairs of Milton, a small but fast-strengthening storm expected to become a major Category 3 hurricane before it bulldozes the Gulf Coast.

What a nightmare.

Much of the state is still trying to recover from Hurricane Helene, and now another “life-threatening” storm is on the way…

Tampa Bay could see tropical storm-force winds as early as Tuesday. There could be a “risk of life-threatening impacts” including storm surge, wind and flash flooding along parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. advisory. Heavy rainfall is expected ahead of the storm on Sunday and Monday, which could be “at or near major hurricane strength” before landfall.

Nightmarish storms are just one element of “the perfect storm” that is now upon us.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning.

We have been getting pummeled by historic natural disaster after historic natural disaster, but what we have already been through is not even worth comparing to what is ahead.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written eight other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream, and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.