FEMA Head Blames Climate Change For 'Historic Flooding' From Hurricane Helene

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday blamed climate change for Hurricane Helene's devastating impact — which includes "historic flooding" from the Florida coast to the Appalachian Mountains and a death toll that rose to at least 88.

During an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that "this storm took a while to develop, but once it did, it developed and intensified very rapidly.

"And that's because of the warm waters in the Gulf," she added. "And so, it's more storms that are reaching this major category level than we've seen in the past."

Criswell also said the warmer water was "creating greater amounts of storm surge" and "greater amounts of rainfall" as storms move north.

"In the past, when we would look at damage from hurricanes, it was primarily wind damage, with some water damage," she said. "But now we're seeing so much more water damage. And I think that is a result of the warm waters, which is a result of climate change."

Criswell said FEMA officials had seen "significant impacts in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee," including "damage to water systems, communication, roads, critical transportation routes, as well as several homes that have been just destroyed."

Criswell said there was "historic flooding" in North Carolina, especially in the western part of the state.

"I don't know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now," she said. "But we have had teams in there for several days. We're sending more search and rescue teams in there."

In Buncombe County, North Carolina, home to the mountain city of Asheville, a popular tourist destination, Sheriff Quentin Miller said that 30 people were killed by the storm, pushing the total death toll to at least 88, AFP reported. Other deaths have been reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper predicted that more bodies would be found in his state when emergency workers reached areas blocked by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding, the Associated Press reported.

Cooper also urged people to stay off the roads in the western part of the state for their own safety and so emergency vehicles can get around.