PERRY, Fla. – Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc across the Southeastern United States, resulting in extensive destruction, at least 44 fatalities, and leaving over 3 million customers without power as the region braces for ongoing flooding threats.
The storm made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, unleashing winds of up to 140 mph. It quickly progressed through Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, uprooting trees, damaging homes, and causing overflowing creeks and rivers that strained local dams.
Western North Carolina faced severe isolation due to landslides and flooding that resulted in the closure of major highways, including Interstate 40. Emergency responders conducted hundreds of water rescues, with a particularly dramatic operation involving helicopters evacuating personnel from a hospital in East Tennessee inundated by floodwaters.
As the storm transitions into a post-tropical cyclone, it is expected to linger over the Tennessee Valley this weekend, with several flood warnings remaining in effect throughout the southern and central Appalachians, alongside high wind alerts in parts of Tennessee and Ohio.
Among those killed by the storm were firefighters and civilians, including a woman and her one-month-old twins. The fatalities were reported across multiple states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
In North Carolina, an iconic lake overtopped a dam, prompting local evacuations, while concerns about a dam in Newport, Tennessee, also led to evacuations, though officials later confirmed the structure was stable.
The storm also spawned tornadoes, one of which critically injured four people in Nash County, North Carolina.
Atlanta set a historical record by receiving 11.12 inches of rain in just 48 hours, marking the wettest two-day period since record-keeping began. Many neighborhoods faced significant flooding, with only the roofs of vehicles visible above the waterline.
Moody’s Analytics has estimated the economic impact of Hurricane Helene could range between $15 billion to $26 billion in property damages.
Experts have cited climate change as a critical factor that intensifies storms like Helene, leading to rapid escalation in warm waters and transforming them into powerful cyclones in mere hours.
The Big Bend area of Florida, characterized by its untouched salt marshes and pine flatwoods, faces a unique dilemma as the community struggles to recover, with many residents losing their homes, including local resident Susan Sauls Hartway, who is now searching for her missing home.
Authorities report that the community has been hit hard, with fatalities occurring in evacuation zones where individuals chose to stay despite warnings. More casualties have emerged in Georgia and the Carolinas, including firefighters affected by falling trees.
Amidst rising water levels in her Hudson, Florida home, Kera O’Neil recalled the urgency of escaping with her pets, highlighting the dire circumstances faced by many residents.
President Biden has offered condolences to survivors, while FEMA has deployed over 1,500 workers to assist with the response, conducting numerous rescues in the affected areas.
As utility companies assess the damage, officials reported extensive destruction to electrical infrastructure, with over 100 high-voltage transmission lines needing repair.
The hurricane struck near the mouth of the Aucilla River, surpassing prior storms in magnitude. The aftermath of Helene is expected to impact communities for days, if not weeks, with ongoing rescue and recovery efforts.
As forecasters predict potentially unprecedented flooding in North Carolina, authorities remain vigilant in their response, with helicopters dispatched to assist in rescue operations.
Hurricane Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has been preceded by forewarnings of an above-average season due to escalating ocean temperatures.
