Hurricane Helene ranks among deadliest storms to hit US with nearly 160 deaths across 6 states

Recovery has only begun in western North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene triggered mudslides and flooding like nothing that region has seen before.

The storm has killed nearly 160 people, now ranking it among the deadliest storms to hit the U.S. in modern history. This, as search and rescue teams work to find hundreds more still unaccounted for still five days after it made landfall in Florida.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday that the remnants of Hurricane Helene killed 36 people in the state, which pushes the storm's overall death toll to 159.

McMaster announced three more deaths during a news conference in West Columbia, South Carolina.

Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, and within hours, was on North Carolina's doorstep, knocking out power and wiping away homes. That was Thursday into Friday.

As of Tuesday, scores of people are still unaccounted for.

A bird's eye view of western North Carolina shows roads wiped off the map, cutting off entire communities where Helene's torrential flooding changed lives overnight.

"It floated everything inside the house. It even floated the double-door refrigerator [and] flipped it on its side," said Canton, NC resident Denise Dean.

John Norwood and his fiancé sought shelter at a friend's house when Helene arrived. A mudslide took out the home.

RELATED: After Helene, searches continue for scores of loved ones unaccounted for after devastating storm

"We looked outside and there was a 30-foot-tall wall of water and rocks and tree debris just coming at us," said Norwood.

First responders pulled him over flood waters to safety.

However, his fiance, Julie Le Roux, is still missing.

"I crawled around screaming, looking for her, and I just couldn't find her," he said.

She's among the hundreds of people who are still unaccounted for. With power and cell service cut off in swaths, some are resorting to communicating via whiteboard and marker, keeping track of the names of those missing and updates when they're found.

Thousands of National Guard members, volunteers and FEMA are bringing food and supplies to those with no way out.

RELATED: Father survives but mother still missing after home swept away in Helene floodwaters

While surveying storm damage in Georgia, former President Donald Trump falsely claimed officials there had a hard time getting President Joe Biden on the phone. The president and governor of North Carolina both refuted the claim.

"Let me get this straight, he's lying. And the governor told him he was lying," President Biden said.

"He just said, 'Hey, what do you need?' And I told him, you know, 'We got what we need. We'll work through the federal process,'" Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said. "He offered that if there's other things we need, just to call him directly, which I appreciate that."

President Biden says he plans to visit the state on Wednesday.

Rebuilding the region is expected to take at least months.

"It's hard to think that a mile that way and a mile that way, it's all gone. But at least we have this. We can rebuild from here," said Pensacola resident, Jason Stokes.

Vice President Kamala Harris canceled a campaign event in Nevada to meet with FEMA officials from Washington. She says she plans to be on the ground in the affected areas as soon as possible without disrupting emergency responders.