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Swarms of wasps stirred up by flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene have prompted US health officials to stock up on allergy medication.

The search for survivors and victims has entered its second week after the deadliest storm the US has seen since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

At least 215 people have been killed as communities from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia struggle to recover.

Dominick Gucciardo walks to his home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Pensacola, North Carolina. Pic: AP
Image:
Dominick Gucciardo walks to his home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Pensacola, North Carolina. Pic: AP

As well as people’s homes, the rain and floodwater destroyed the nests of wasps and bees.

Officials have stocked up on allergy medications like Benadryl and EpiPens to help those who may get stung, Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports.

“We are actively working to ensure Benadryl and epinephrine are readily available in western North Carolina for those who may be allergic or have been stung,” Summer Tonizzo, a press assistant at the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, told NBC News.

She said it was normal for the wasps to be disturbed after a hurricane.

Tarren Pruitt, 42, a registered nurse in West Jefferson, North Carolina, also told NBC that since the hurricane, she has noticed more wasps and heard reports of workers getting stung while trying to restore power.

Chris Hayes, an extension associate in urban entomology at North Carolina State University, said wasps “tend to get more aggressive this time of year” anyway as food becomes scarcer and the weather causes population numbers to dwindle.

That, alongside the impact of the storm, aggravates the effects and if a colony’s queen has been killed the rest of the wasps, known popularly as yellow jackets in the US, could be flying around aimlessly.

Most people aren’t allergic to wasp or bee stings but may still develop pain, itching or swelling when stung. Benadryl, either in topical or oral form, can help reduce those symptoms. EpiPens are reserved for people with severe allergic reactions – such as trouble breathing or swallowing – which can sometimes be life-threatening.

The National Park Service is advising people in affected areas of the US to walk slowly away with their hands covering sensitive areas of their face if they discover a wasp or bee nest that has been disturbed.

A road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Pic: AP
Image:
A road in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Pic: AP

‘People need help now’

Dozens or possibly hundreds of people are still unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene.

Around half of those killed in the storm died in North Carolina, with 72 people dying in Buncombe County alone.

Dozens more were killed in South Carolina and Georgia as authorities now face the difficult battle to search for victims and help survivors recover.

“We know these are hard times, but please know we’re coming,” Sheriff Quentin Miller of Buncombe County said at a Thursday evening news conference.

“We’re coming to get you. We’re coming to pick up our people.”

“People need help now,” President Joe Biden said, with Congress not set to return until after the 5 November election.

President Joe Biden speaks to reporters after returning from spending the day in Florida and Georgia to survey damage from Hurricane Helene. Pic: AP
Image:
President Joe Biden speaks to reporters after returning from spending the day in Florida and Georgia to survey damage from Hurricane Helene. Pic: AP

Flooding in a residential area in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Flooding in a residential area in Swannanoa, North Carolina. Pic: Reuters

After flying in to view the affected areas on Wednesday, Mr Biden vowed that the federal government would foot the bill for debris removal and emergency protective measures for six months in North Carolina and three months in Georgia.

More than one million people across the US were left without power after Hurricane Helene struck Florida on 26 September.

Efforts to find the missing are hindered by a lack of phone service and electricity as search crews must trudge through the mountains to see if residents are safe.

Along the Cane River in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, firefighters had to cut their way through trees to make progress.

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In Pensacola, North Carolina, it’s still unclear how many people have been lost, according to Mark Harrison, chief medical officer for the local fire department.

Nearer the Tennessee state line, crews were finally beginning to reach side roads after clearing out main routes.

But this brought further troubles as crews struggled to navigate the smaller roads.

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“Everything is fine and then they come around a bend and the road is gone and it’s one big gully or the bridge is gone,” said Charlie Wallin, a Watauga County commissioner. “We can only get so far.”

When the search will end is unclear.

“You hope you’re getting closer, but it’s still hard to know,” he said.

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Donald Trump on day one: Pace of change ‘like nothing you’ve seen in history’, warns campaign official

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Donald Trump on day one: Pace of change 'like nothing you've seen in history', warns campaign official

Within hours of taking office, president-elect Donald Trump plans to begin rolling out policies including large-scale deportations, according to his transition team.

Sky News partner network NBC News has spoken with more than half a dozen people familiar with the executive orders that his team plans to enact.

One campaign official said changes are expected at a pace that is “like nothing you’ve seen in history”, to signal a dramatic break from President Joe Biden’s administration.

Mr Trump is preparing on day one to overturn specific policies put in place by Mr Biden. Among the measures, reported by sources close to the transition team, are:

• The speedy and large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants

• Ending travel reimbursement for military members seeking abortion care

• Restricting transgender service members’ access to gender-affirming care

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But much of the first day is likely to focus on stopping illegal immigration – the centrepiece of Trump’s candidacy. He is expected to sign up to five executive orders aimed at dealing with that issue alone after he is sworn in on 20 January.

“There will without question be a lot of movement quickly, likely day one, on the immigration front,” a top Trump ally said.

“There will be a push to make a huge early show and assert himself to show his campaign promises were not hollow.”

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Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to be the next US attorney general.

But Mr Trump’s campaign pledges also could be difficult to implement.

Deporting people on the scale he wants will be a logistical challenge that could take years. Questions also remain about promised tax cuts.

Meanwhile, his pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in just 24 hours would be near impossible.

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Even so, advisers based at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort or at nearby offices in West Palm Beach, Florida, are reportedly strategising about ending the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Following his decisive victory on 5 November, the president-elect has moved swiftly to build a cabinet and senior White House team.

As of Thursday, he had selected more than 30 people for senior positions in his administration, compared with just three at a similar point in his 2016 transition.

Stephen Moore, a senior economic adviser in Mr Trump’s campaign, told NBC News: “The thing to realise is Trump is no dummy.

“He knows he’s got two to three years at most to get anything done. And then he becomes a lame duck and we start talking about [the presidential election in] 2028.”

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Trump pick Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration to be US attorney general

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Trump pick Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration to be US attorney general

Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to be the next US attorney general.

Mr Gaetz, a controversial pick to be the country’s top legal official, said his selection was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the transition of Mr Trump’s administration into the White House.

The Florida Republican had faced significant scrutiny over a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl.

He said in a post on the X social media platform: “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as attorney general. Trump’s DOJ (Department of Justice) must be in place and ready on Day 1.

“I remain fully committed to seeing that Donald Trump is the most successful president in history. I will forever be honoured that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”

Mr Trump said in a post on his own social media site, Truth Social, that Mr Gaetz had a “wonderful future”.

“I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General,” he wrote.

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“He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the administration, for which he has much respect.”

Mr Gaetz previously faced a nearly three-year Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl, which ended in February 2023 without him facing any criminal charges.

He has always denied the allegations.

He has also been under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee over wider allegations including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts.

The inquiry was dropped on Wednesday 13 November when Mr Gaetz left Congress – the only forum where the committee has jurisdiction.

The Senate ethics committee is deadlocked on whether their report can be released.

Mr Gaetz’s withdrawal is a blow to Mr Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration and the first sign that he could face resistance from members of his own party.

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Dad who called 911 for help during break-in killed by Las Vegas police officer

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Dad who called 911 for help during break-in killed by Las Vegas police officer

A 43-year-old man was shot dead by police after calling 911 to report intruders had entered his home in Las Vegas.

Brandon Durham was at home with his 15-year-old daughter when he called the emergency line to report armed intruders were trying to break into his property on 12 November.

Bodycam footage shows Mr Durham struggling with a person over a knife in the moments before he was shot and killed at the scene.

“The loss of life in any type of incident like this is always tragic, and it’s something we take very seriously,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said on Thursday.

The force is investigating the incident.

Mr Durham called 911 to report multiple people were outside shooting at his residence in Las Vegas’ Sunset Park neighbourhood, where he had been staying with his 15-year-old daughter, Sky News’ US partner network NBC reports.

It was one of multiple emergency calls reporting a shooting in the area.

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Mr Durham then said someone had managed to get into his home through the front and back doors of the property and he was locking himself in the bathroom, according to a police statement from 14 November, two days after the incident.

Officers reported to the scene at approximately 12:40am and could hear screaming from inside the residence.

One of the officers, Alexander Bookman, kicked open the front door and once inside, saw Mr Durham and another individual, later identified as 31-year-old Alejandra Boudreaux, struggling over a knife in a doorway.

Mr Bookman ordered them to drop the knife and about two seconds later, the officer fired the gun and Mr Durham appeared to be struck, the bodycam footage shows.

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Both Mr Durham and Mr Boudreaux fell to the ground and the officer fired another five shots. Roughly three seconds are believed to have gone by between the first and last shot, NBC reports.

Attempts were made to save the 43-year-old but he died at the scene.

Ms Boudreaux was taken into custody and is facing charges of home invasion with a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon domestic violence; willful or wanton disregard of safety of persons resulting in death; and child abuse, neglect or endangerment.

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