It has been a little over four days since a storm system tore through North Carolina, and the death toll from it continues to climb.

The latest confirmed fatality is Colerain resident Mary Williams, who died Wednesday at Pitt County Memorial Hospital according to Bertie County Manager Zee Lamb.

Williams, 50, had been hospitalized in critical condition since Saturday. She was one of three fatalities from a group home.

Another Bertie County resident remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to Lamb.

“We’re still just trying to begin the recovery process,” Lamb said.

Of the 24 storm-related fatalities in North Carolina, Bertie County accounted for 12.

According to reports in The Associated Press, Saturday’s storms ranged from near Winston-Salem to the Outer Banks. The National Weather Service identified 25 tornadoes that touched down across North Carolina.

Damage-assessment figures from around the state are staggering: nearly 6,200 homes were damaged, and roughly 440 homes were destroyed by the storms; 92 businesses were damaged, including 21 that were destroyed, and more than 2,000 people are unemployed because of workplace damage.

As North Carolinians, it is natural to seek ways to help our friends and neighbors who were affected by the devastation.

Gov. Beverly Perdue is urging people to make donations ą including clothes, canned goods, toiletries and toys ą to help displaced families.

“Together, we’re going to get through this,” she said.

Another way to help is through the American Red Cross. All Red Cross emergency-response units in North Carolina and South Carolina were deployed to the region. The Red Cross works in conjunction with The Salvation Army to provide “mobile feeding,” dispersing truck or trailer units to feed people in the field. Crews were on hand giving out water and cleanup or comfort kits to storm victims, and giving snacks and water to utilities workers and others helping clean up after the disaster.

George Philpott Jr., a disaster-operations volunteer with the Upper Palmetto Chapter of the American Red Cross, told the Washington Daily News on Monday that monetary donations to the Red Cross are welcome.

There are three ways to donate to the American Red Cross: visit the offices of your local Red Cross chapter, make a donation online at www.redcross.org or text “Red Cross” to 90999 for an automatic $10 donation.

Beaufort County was fortunate to be spared from storm damage or deaths. Should there come a time when we are not as fortunate, we know our neighbors will be there for us.