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(WASHINGTON) — Nearly three weeks after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to remove more than 200 alleged migrant gang members to El Salvador with little-to-no due process, a federal judge will consider whether the Trump administration defied his court order by deporting the men.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said at a hearing Thursday that he is contemplating initiating “contempt proceedings” against the government in the event he finds probable cause they deliberately defied his March 15 order that barred removals under the Alien Enemies Act and directed two flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members be returned to the United States.

Boasberg questioned DOJ attorney Drew Ensign over the best way to proceed in the case in the event he determines the government violated his verbal order that the flights be returned to the U.S.

“If I don’t agree, I don’t find your legal arguments convincing, and I believe there is probable cause to find contempt, what I’m asking is how — how should I determine who [is at fault]?” Boasberg asked.

Boasberg repeatedly pressed Ensign for more information on which parties might have been involved in potentially defying his order. Ensign cited various privileges that might apply to the specific information, but when pressed by Boasberg he said he was not prepared to give specific answers.

Judge Boasberg said he would look to issue a ruling sometime next week.

The judge began the hearing by dressing down Ensign after the DOJ lawyer insisted that the Trump administration complied with Boasberg’s court order.

“It seems to me, there is a fair likelihood that that is not correct,” Judge Boasberg said in response to the argument that the Trump administration complied with the order. “In fact, the government acted in bad faith throughout that day. You really believed everything you did that day was legal and could survive a court challenge. I can’t believe you ever would have operated in the way you did.”

When the judge pressed the government about whether his oral directive to turn around the planes was communicated to the officials managing the deportation flights, DOJ attorney Drew Ensign declined to answer, citing attorney-client privilege. Regardless, Judge Boasberg suggested the Trump administration acted irresponsibly and rushed the deportation flights while the lawsuit played out.

“Why wouldn’t the prudent thing be to say, ‘Let’s slow down here. Let’s see what the judge says. He’s already enjoined the removal of five people, certainly in the realm of possibility that he would enjoin further removal. Let’s see what he says, and if he doesn’t enjoy it, we can go ahead. But surely better to be safe and risk violating the order,'” Judge Boasberg said.

Boasberg used his opening line of questioning to ensure Ensign corrected the record amid public attacks by President Trump and other senior members of the administration who have accused him of supporting terrorist gang members or singlehandedly obstructing the administration’s immigration agenda.

Ensign said it was correct to say that Boasberg’s initial temporary restraining order on March 15 never barred the administration from conducting deportations in the normal course of legal proceedings, and also said it would be incorrect to say that Boasberg ever ordered any TdA members in the administration’s custody to be released.

Thursday’s hearing could present the most consequential face-off yet between the executive and judicial branches of government since Trump took office in January, as Trump attempts to unilaterally implement parts of his agenda amid a flood of litigation.

“I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do,” Trump said in a social media post last month after Judge Boasberg issued his order blocking the deportations.

Trump last month invoked the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime authority used to deport noncitizens with little-to-no due process — by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a “hybrid criminal state” that is invading the United States.

An official with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has acknowledged that “many” of the men lack criminal records in the United States — but said that “the lack of specific information about each individual actually highlights the risk they pose” and “demonstrates that they are terrorists with regard to whom we lack a complete profile.”

Lawyers representing the class of migrants covered by the president’s Alien Enemies Act proclamation have argued that the Trump administration violated the court’s “unequivocal oral order” to return to the U.S. two flights carrying alleged Tren de Aragua gang members to El Salvador.

According to flight data reviewed by ABC News, both flights carrying the migrants had not yet landed when Judge Boasberg directed the flights be turned around, and Justice Department lawyers, when questioned by Judge Boasberg, confirmed that the directive was promptly communicated to federal officials overseeing the flights.

“Defendants admit they never attempted to return the individuals on the planes to the United States, despite having both notice and the ability to do so,” the attorneys argued.

Lawyers with the Department of Justice have insisted that the Trump administration “complied with the law” while questioning the legitimacy of Judge Boasberg’s order. According to the DOJ, Judge Boasberg’s oral instructions directing the flight to be returned were defective, and his subsequent written order lacked the necessary explanation to be enforced.

Lawyers with the ACLU and Democracy Forward Foundation responded that “The government’s arguments are also unsupportable on their own terms — as a matter of basic textual analysis, of common sense, and in view of foundational separation-of-powers principles.”

The Justice Department has also argued that the president acted within his authority when he removed the noncitizens — which the Trump administration has alleged are dangerous gang members — and that the government should not have to explain itself to the court because the matter concerns national security.

“Even without the challenged Proclamation, the President doubtlessly acts within his constitutional prerogative by declining to transport foreign terrorists into the country,” the Justice Department argued.

The Justice Department recently invoked the rarely-used state secrets privilege to avoid disclosing further details about the flights on the grounds that it could harm national security, so it’s unclear how DOJ attorneys will respond to Boasberg’s lines of inquiry.

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(NEW YORK) — Three adults were charged on Wednesday after a brawl broke out during a youth hockey tournament in New Jersey, according to the Egg Harbor Township Police Department.

The incident, which was captured on video, occurred on March 29, when the Philadelphia Frenzy Cadet A team competed against the Maple Shade Cadet A team in the Veterans Memorial Invitational Tournament, officials said.

Several youth hockey players started to get in an altercation, which escalated when parents and coaches ran onto the court, leading to “complete chaos,” according to Egg Harbor Township Police Sgt. Ben Kollman.

The video shows one adult falling to the ground, with a woman jumping on top of that individual and repeatedly punching him.

“The three people that are being charged were involved in most of the fighting,” Kollman told ABC News. “Others that were on the court, some people did go out there and assist to break up the fight, as well as assist to remove some kids and get them to a safer place.”

Philadelphia residents Colleen Biddle, 41, and Justin Pacheco, 38, along with Robert Schafer, 38, of Maple Shade, New Jersey, have been charged with “simple assault at a youth sporting event and disorderly conduct,” police said.

Kollman said it was “sad to watch some of the video and see some of the kids trying to pull their parents off of other people” and hopes that parents and coaches learn to “control themselves.”

Both the Philadelphia Frenzy Hockey Board and the Maple Shade Hockey Board released statements saying they will be accepting any disciplinary action by the American Ball Hockey Alliance Board.

The ABHA said in a statement that violence is “NEVER condoned in our sport” and that both teams are now suspended from the Veterans Memorial Invitational Tournament. The board also said a Maple Shade Cadet A assistant coach has been suspended from the ABHA.

“The incident was instigated by out-of-town teams and, as such, does not reflect the values or behavior of the host facility, Egg Harbor Township Street Hockey, their teams, or their families,” the board said.

A 2023 NASO National Officiating Survey found that parents are blamed for nearly 40% cases involving bad sportsmanship, with players causing less than 10% of those incidents.

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(NEW YORK) — Astronomers have gotten a glimpse of the “city-killer” asteroid before it disappears until 2028, according to NASA.

The space rock, called 2024 YR4, was previously given up to a 3.1% chance of striking Earth in December 2032, but astronomers have since eliminated the possibility of a strike at that time based on further observations.

Astronomers are watching 2024 YR4 closely, trying to learn everything they can before it disappears from view by mid-April, Kelly Fast, a planetary defense officer at NASA, told ABC News earlier this year. Its unique elongated orbit takes the asteroid around the sun and into Earth’s vicinity before it ventures far out between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and out of sight, Fast said.

NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies used the James Webb Space Telescope — the largest, most powerful telescope ever launched into space — to capture photos of the asteroid, the space agency announced on Wednesday.

New infrared observations indicate that the asteroid measures between 174 feet and 220 feet in diameter — about the size of the 10-story building, according to NASA. While it is not forecast to strike Earth in 2032, the asteroid now has a 1.7% probability of hitting the moon at that time, the space agency said.

The space rock was first discovered on Dec. 27 by astronomers monitoring the ATLAS telescope at the University of Hawaii, Fast said.

In the past, even when the asteroid passed through the inner solar system, it didn’t always come close to where Earth was at the time, which is why it was only recently discovered, Fast said.

The asteroid has been dubbed a “city-killer” due to its size and potential to cause major destruction. It is large enough to cause localized damage were it to strike a populated city, Fast said.

In 1908, the similarly sized Tunguska asteroid flattened trees over an area of about 1,250 miles after it exploded in the skies over Siberia.

NASA has been tasked by Congress with locating asteroids larger than 450 feet in length, which are large enough to do “regional” damage in the event of a strike, Fast said.

The asteroid currently has a 1.1% chance of striking Earth on Dec. 22, 2047, according to NASA.

More than a 2% chance of an asteroid strike is “uncommon,” Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told ABC News in February.

But astronomers will continue to monitor the asteroid closely.

“We don’t want to take any chances,” Farnocchia said.

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(NEW YORK) — New York City saw fewer shootings in the first three months of the year than in any previous quarter since the NYPD began keeping statistics, the police commissioner announced Thursday.

“Crime and violence reductions are historic,” NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press briefing.

Shootings dropped 23% citywide in the first quarter, she said.

“This is lives saved,” Tisch said.

The first quarter of the year also saw the second-fewest murders of any quarter in recorded history in the city, Tisch said.

All crimes except rape went down in the first quarter of 2025, the commissioner said. Rape increased by 21% in the first quarter, Tisch said, while noting the increase was due in part to changes to the law last year that “rightfully redefined and broadened what constitutes rape in New York state.”

There was a slight uptick in grand larceny auto in March, due to a rash of car thefts specifically targeting Hondas, Tisch said. Nearly a third of all cars stolen in the city are Hondas because the thieves are able to easily clone Honda key fobs, police said.

“We continue to urge Honda, for their customers’ sake, to fix this vulnerability now,” Tisch said.

Subway crime dropped to levels not seen since before the pandemic, when transit crime spiked. Major crime in the subways decreased more than 18% in the first three months of the year, Tisch said.

The commissioner credited enforcement of rules like taking up more than one seat.

“They will correct the condition,” Tisch said. “This is about restoring safety and order.”

The latest statistics come as the Trump administration has claimed crime in the subway system is “rampant.”

In response to the state’s request for more federal funds for the transit system last month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the administration would “hold NYC leaders accountable for not keeping commuters safe.”

Duffy has also threatened to pull federal funding from the city’s transit system if it doesn’t address crime.

“The trend of violent crime, homelessness, and other threats to public safety on one of our nation’s most prominent metro systems is unacceptable. After years of soft-on-crime policies, our Department is stepping in to restore order,” Duffy said in a statement on March 18 — two months after Gov. Kathy Hochul had already announced a plan to increase of police officers in the transit system.

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(MOSSY HEAD, Fla.) — A Florida deputy has been killed in a shootout at a Dollar General store, according to Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson.

At approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, deputies received a call from a Dollar General store in Mossy Head, Florida, stating there was an individual “causing a disturbance and needed to be trespassed from the scene,” Adkinson said during a press conference on Wednesday evening.

Deputy William May, 38, responded to that call. It was his last stop during his shift and he was planning on heading home afterward, Adkinson said. May was not even supposed to be working that day, but he “came in to volunteer to provide overtime and assistance,” Adkinson said.

Upon arriving on the scene, May made contact with the suspect and proceeded to have a “brief conversation” with the individual, Adkinson said.

“Within 10 seconds of the suspect walking out of the store with Deputy May behind him, that suspect drew a firearm and fired multiple rounds, striking Deputy Will May,” Adkinson said.

May, to his “great personal credit and courage,” was able to draw his firearm and return fire, Adkinson said.

“This short, but violent gun fight resulted in at least 18 rounds being fired, with both individuals being killed,” Adkinson said.

The suspect died on the scene and May was taken to the local hospital for his life-threatening injuries, according to Adkinson.

Paramedics attempted to airlift May from the scene, but “area conditions would not allow that to work,” the sheriff said.

At 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, May succumbed to his injuries, Adkinson said.

“Will fought the entire time, from returning fire on the scene to fighting for his own life,” Adkinson said.

May was wearing a ballistic vest during the shootout, which stopped multiple rounds from injuring him, but one “went underneath the vest, which ultimately caused his death,” Adkinson said.

The name of the suspect has not been released.

Adkinson said that this was an “interaction deputy sheriffs have every day in this county” and that there was “no indication whatsoever that this would have ended in that kind of violence.”

“It is just unfathomable to me that Will is not here,” Adkinson said. “It’s unfathomable that this happened. But there’s absolutely nothing that he could have done differently.”

Officials are investigating whether the suspect’s gun was legally purchased, but Adkinson said the individual did have a concealed weapons permit and additional weapons in his residence.

Police said the suspect had been living in the area for the past several years and authorities had dealings with him previously, but only for minor issues like welfare checks, Adkinson said.

May had been a member of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office since 2014, starting as a communication officer, and was promoted to deputy sheriff in 2019, Adkinson said. Walton County is located on the Florida Peninsula, northeast of Pensacola.

May leaves behind a wife and two children.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, there was a 25% increase in the amount of line-of-duty deaths in 2024 with 147 officers killed, the report said.

ABC News’ Thomas Pierre contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — A four-day, once-in-a-generation weather event turned deadly on day 1 on Wednesday — and the risk for destructive storms and tornadoes will continue on Thursday, and the threat of flooding will increase.

Here’s what you need to know:

Wednesday

The rare weather event began Wednesday with a tornado outbreak that led to at least 20 reported tornadoes from Arkansas to Indiana.

At least four weather-related fatalities have been confirmed in Tennessee, according to state officials.

The governors of Tennessee and Kentucky have declared states of emergency.

“We are facing one of the most serious weather events we’ve had forecast,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned on social media. “Please stay alert, take all precautions, and be prepared.”

Thursday

On Thursday, the severe weather risk is a level 3 out of 5, bringing the chance for a few strong tornadoes from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Tennessee.

The flooding threat ramps up on Thursday as the system begins to stall and dump heavy rain over the same areas.

Overall, more than 38 million people are under a general flood watch until Sunday morning, spanning 11 states from Arkansas to Ohio including the cities of Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis; and Cleveland.

Public schools in Nashville, Tennessee, are closed on Thursday.

A particularly dangerous situation, or PDS, flood watch is in effect until Sunday morning for about 4 million people in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Cities in the PDS flood watch include Memphis; Little Rock; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Union City, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Evansville, Indiana.

On Thursday, a rare high risk (level 4 of 4) warning for excessive rainfall is in effect in northeast Arkansas, northwest Tennessee, as well as Memphis, and western Kentucky.

Friday

Friday’s severe weather threat is a level 3 of 5 for nearly all of Arkansas, with strong tornadoes possible.

A moderate risk (level 3 of 4) for excessive rainfall is in place for Friday from just east of Dallas to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Springfield, Missouri, to St. Louis.

Saturday

Saturday’s severe weather threat is a level 3 of 5 for Arkansas, Louisiana, western Mississippi and eastern Texas, with strong tornadoes possible.

For flooding, a rare high risk threat is in effect on Saturday from Memphis to Jonesboro to Evansville.

Rain totals

The four-day event will dump 10 to 15 inches of rain or more over the area from Jonesboro to Paducah.

Seven to 10 inches of rain is possible from Little Rock to Memphis to Louisville to Cincinnati.

The system will finally move east Sunday afternoon, bringing rain to the Southeast on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

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(NEW YORK) — April may be known for its rain showers — but when the clouds part, nighttime skygazers can enjoy meteor showers and other dazzling displays all month long, according to astronomers.

Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will be treated to simultaneous meteor showers this month. Fireballs from the Lyrids and the Eta Aquarids will be streaking through the sky at the same time from April 20 to 26, according to NASA.

The Lyrids originate from the Comet Thatcher and peak during late April, when they release about 18 meteors per hour, according to NASA.

Viewers should look for the Lyrids during the darkest hours, after moonset and before predawn, astronomers say. Lyrids appear to radiate near the star Vega.

The Eta Aquarids originate from the Comet Halley and typically peak during early May every year, releasing about 50 meteors per hour at their peak, according to NASA. They are also known for their speed, traveling nearly 41 miles per second through the atmosphere.

Astronomers recommend viewing the Eta Aquarids during the predawn hours. Look toward Aquarius, where the radiance of the Eta Aquarids appears to originate from. The Eta Aquarids will be active from April 20 to May 21.

Early April is also a good time to attempt the “Messier Marathon,” a challenge in which observers attempt to view as many of the 110 Messier objects as possible — including nebulae, star clusters and galaxies, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Other notable events will take place in early April.

On Wednesday, the Pleiades star cluster appears near the Moon, according to EarthSky. On Thursday, the moon will align with Jupiter.

Several celestial objects will form a line in April. On Saturday — as well as from April 11 to 12 — the moon and Mars will come together and be joined by twin stars Castor and Pollux, according to EarthSky.

In addition, the sun’s magnetic field is still in its solar maximum, making northern lights events more frequent. Peak solar activity is expected until March 2026.

The events will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere by both telescope and the naked eye, according to astronomers.

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(NEW YORK) — A once-in-a-generation extreme weather event is underway, beginning with a tornado outbreak and continuing into the weekend with four days of dangerous flooding pounding the same region.

A rare high risk (level 5 of 5) for severe weather has been issued for Wednesday evening, warning of dangerous thunderstorms, destructive wind gusts and potentially strong, large-track tornadoes from Arkansas to Illinois.

The three areas of greatest concern into Wednesday evening are those in Arkansas, where there are large and extremely dangerous tornadoes on the ground, with Particularly Dangerous Situation, or PDS, tornado warnings in effect.

The first is near Lake City, where a tornado emergency has just been issued — impacting parts of Craighead and Poinsett counties and potentially crossing right into southern Missouri. The second, near Waldenburg, impacts parts of Craighead, Poinsett and Cross counties. The third, near Almrya, impacts parts of Monroe and Arkansas counties.

Additionally, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick C. Sheehan issued a state of emergency ahead of the major storms and significant flooding expected to slam the state. The governor also requested an emergency declaration, which would seek FEMA assistance ahead of the severe forecast.
The National Weather Service warned that those in the flood zone “should prepare now for the possibility of long duration and severe disruptions to daily life.”

There were at least four reported tornadoes — one in Missouri and three in Arkansas — on Wednesday, for a total of eight reported tornadoes across Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas over a 24-hour period.

Only one tornado has been rated: The National Weather Service said that an EF-1 tornado touched the ground for 17 miles near Vernon County, Missouri, with peak winds up to 98 mph, leaving thousands without power in the region.

Throughout Wednesday, there were numerous reports of strong winds gusts, wind damage and large hail stretching from Arkansas to Ohio.

The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management said late Wednesday that four injuries were reported in Craighead County linked to the extreme weather, but there have been no fatalities. However, over 35,000 are without power, the ADEM said.

A particularly dangerous situation, or PDS, tornado watch is in effect across parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Cities in the bull’s-eye include Jonesboro, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Evansville, Indiana.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency.

“We’re really concerned about people’s safety, especially in the overnight, because when storms or tornadoes hit while people are asleep, that’s sadly when we’ve lost the most people,” he said in a statement. “So, everybody out there, be really careful.”

But the biggest threat from this weather event is the potentially historic rainfall.

Wednesday’s severe thunderstorm threat will diminish slightly after midnight, but the threat of severe storms will persist overnight. Then, a life-threatening flash flood threat will begin to ramp up into Thursday morning — bringing another very active, dangerous weather day for millions.

In Arkansas, the cities of Memphis, Jonesboro and Little Rock are under a moderate risk (level 3 of 4) for excessive rainfall on Wednesday night — and the flash flooding threat will become more extreme and widespread on Thursday. A rare high risk (level 4 of 4) for excessive rainfall will then go into effect, impacting Jonesboro, Paducah and the Memphis suburbs.

The flooding will last into Friday and Saturday.

The four-day event will leave 10 to 15 inches of rain or more over the bull’s-eye area from Jonesboro to Paducah. Seven to 10 inches of rain is possible from Little Rock to Memphis to Louisville, Kentucky, to Cincinnati.

The system will finally be on the move on Sunday.

ABC News’ Jason Volack contributed to this report.

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(LOS ANGELES) — Phoebe Beltran, 15, has always been a “water baby,” according to her mom, Bibi Beltran.

She has always had a love for swimming, she told ABC News, which was why she decided to participate in a junior lifeguard cadet program in Long Beach, California, on March 30.

In the middle of competing in the 1,000-yard swim test, she felt pain in her right arm.

“My initial reaction was, ‘I’m getting eaten in the middle of the water, it’s a shark, I’m going to die,'” Phoebe Beltran told ABC News.

Phoebe Beltran immediately screamed for help, which is when the animal — she later found out was a sea lion — let go of her arm.

She was assisted back to the shore and a lifeguard boat patrolling the water brought all the other swimmers to safety, according to the Long Beach Fire Department.

“As I was getting up onto shore, that’s when I stood up, the lifeguards saw that my arm was bleeding, they took me to the sand and started fixing me up before sending me to the ER,” Phoebe Beltran said.

Her mom heard the screams, but didn’t think it was her daughter until she saw her arm gushing with blood.

“I don’t have the words to explain the panic in a mom’s heart when they see their child like that,” Bibi Beltran said. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions.”

Phoebe Beltran had bites “localized to her arms and extremities” and was taken to the local hospital, but “did not require advanced treatment,” officials said.

She later found out the lifeguards determined the animal that attacked her was a sea lion.

Phoebe Beltran said she did not do “anything that provoked” the sea lion and she would not have swum next to it if she had seen the animal.

“It came out of nowhere, I was surprised by it and so were other people,” Phoebe Beltran said.

This incident comes after sea lions on the California coast have reportedly been displaying strange behavior, likely due to a harmful algae bloom impacting the region, according to marine researchers.

The sea lions are likely being poisoned by domoic acid, a neurotoxin within the algae blooms, which they ingest through the fish they eat, according to marine experts. Ingesting domoic acid can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans and marine mammals, according to the Marine Mammal Care Center.

“Instances of bites are quite a rare occurrence, but it is important for the public to maintain a distance of 150 feet from sea lions and other marine life on local beaches, exit the water immediately if approached by a marine mammal (do not engage) and call trained wildlife first responders if there appears to be a marine mammal in distress,” the center said in a statement to ABC News.

Justin Viezbicke, the California Stranding Coordinator for National Marine Fisheries Service, told ABC News that sea lions are not typically aggressive creatures and would normally “just run away” at the sight of humans, not attack.

“With this domoic acid poisoning, for some reason, it’s changing something in them that does create a situation where the sea lions have reacted, and that reaction has been either to bite or to chase after people or to exhibit behaviors that we would consider not normal,” Viezbicke said.

Common symptoms for domoic acid poisoning include lethargy, seizures, a bobbing and weaving of their heads and in some cases, aggression, Viezbicke said.

“Normal behavior is that they’re alert and aware of you,” Viezbicke said. “Oftentimes, with domoic acid, that awareness is really not there until you may be getting too close.”

Officials said the sea lion that attacked Phoebe Beltran had “no evidence” of being sick, just appearing to be aggressive. After the attack, the animal “left immediately and swam back out in the ocean,” the fire department said.

However, Phoebe Beltran still thinks this animal was ill.

“Knowing it happened out of nowhere, I deeply feel like it had something with it being sick,” Phoebe Beltran said. “It’s sad they weren’t able to catch it to help it and bring it back to its health, but hopefully it’s doing better on its own.”

Phoebe Beltran said her pain is “manageable,” but the emotional trauma from the incident is something she still struggles with.

“The physical wounds don’t seem that bad, but what happened took a toll on me mentally, so it’s just something I am working on getting over,” Phoebe Beltran told ABC News.

Despite the attack, Phoebe Beltran said she still plans on getting back in the water once she is completely healed, competing again for the junior lifeguard program and pursuing a career focusing on marine life.

“I came out really lucky to have my arm, it’s still working, it’s just scratches. [I hope people can] be more aware of what’s going on in the water, not to blame it on the sea animals at all,” Phoebe Beltran said.

ABC News’ Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.

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(NORTH CAROLINA) — Six months after Hurricane Helene destroyed communities across the Southeast, five people remain missing in North Carolina due to the storm, according to officials.

The missing include one person from Avery County, one from Mitchell County and three from Yancey County — all of whom have not been in contact since the Category 4 hurricane hit North Carolina in September, officials confirmed to ABC News.

Alena Ayers from Mitchell County has been missing since the hurricane’s start, according to Sheriff Donald Street.

Yancey County Sheriff Shane Hilliard said Lenny Widsawski, Yevhenii Segen and Tetyana Novitnia have also been missing since Helene devastated the area.

Avery County Sheriff’s Office could not confirm the name of the individual missing since the beginning of the storm.

Names continue to be removed from the list of missing, with one found as recently as last week.

On March 28, an individual who had been missing since Helene’s destruction was found and identified as 66-year-old Russell Wilber, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Wednesday.

Wilber was recovered in Avery County after he had “washed into the Toe River from a campground,” officials said.

As of Tuesday, there have been 107 “verified storm-related fatalities in North Carolina,” officials said.

On the six-month anniversary of the hurricane, North Carolina Rep. Dudley Greene filed “Alena’s Law,” which allows for a “presumption of death in instances where the disappearance and continued absence of a person coincides with a disaster declaration,” the bill said. It is still working its way through the House before a vote.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane. Days later, in Asheville, North Carolina, the storm caused historic flooding that devastated roads, bridges and structures.

The storm also ravaged through Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

More than 230 people have died from the storm, which has become the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

On March 27, “Good Morning America” returned to Asheville and announced $3 million in donations to the community from corporate sponsors including Lowe’s, Food Lion, Samsung, BetterHelp, Bojangles, Red Ventures, Armstrong Flooring, 84 Lumber, Family Dollar, Honeywell, Starbucks and Hanes.

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