PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Officials are now confirming at least 106 verified storm related deaths after Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina. This is happening as Mercy Chefs continues to work in that part of the country, providing hundreds of thousands of hot meals.

The death toll ticked up after a 96-year-old woman died in Henderson county from hypothermia in early January — months after her home washed away in the storm. Damage is still widespread as communities face years of rebuilding. To help ensure mouths are fed, Mercy Chefs just finished setting up a more permanent kitchen space in Black Mountain. They are now working to train in local culinary staff.

“So we partnered with a church camp that’s based up there in Black Mountain, and we essentially took over their kitchen and we’ve redone it,” said Mercy Chefs Program Specialist Raymond LeBlanc. “We completely clean and gutted the kitchen. We put new equipment in and now we have this set up that works very well for our team and we’re able to to produce a higher volume of food than we would otherwise while maintaining a status quo in that kitchen and training folks to be able to stay in that position long term.”

On top of this, they also put in family grocery boxes throughout the area.

“They have pantry staples in food that can be combined with fresh produce meats to create up to 50 meals,” LeBlanc. “It’s a beautiful box, and it comes with all sorts of delicious food items in there.”

LeBlanc said there is still a huge need in Western North Carolina, so there is no timeline for their stay in that region. Mercy Chefs intends to stick it out for as long as the need is there.