BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — People who have been unable to contact loved ones in Burke County after Hurricane Helene can access a form set up by county officials.
The form gives access to a document that can be filled out to request a welfare check in Burke County, which includes the city of Morganton and the towns of Valdese, Drexel, Glen Alpine, Long View, Rhodhiss, and more.
Burke County Communications set up the document, which asks for the name, date of birth, and address of the person the welfare check request is being made for. The form can be accessed here.
Widespread flooding and fallen trees have caused phone services to be extremely limited in Burke County.
Communications personnel will review each submission and process it accordingly, according to officials.
Challenging travel conditions may make some parts of the county unreachable for welfare checks, officials said.
Officials ask people to not call 911 after making a welfare check request unless the waiting period goes beyond 24 hours.
Burke County also has a form set up to report property damage in the county from Hurricane Helene.