At least 52 people have lost their lives as Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the southeastern United States. The Category 4 storm caused billions of dollars in damage, leaving emergency crews racing to rescue those trapped in flooded homes.
- Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, caused at least 52 deaths and billions in damage across the southeastern U.S.
- The storm made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region with 140 mph winds, generating a storm surge over 15 feet and leaving millions without power.
- Emergency crews are conducting widespread rescues, including hospital evacuations in Tennessee and responses to severe flooding in multiple states.
- President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for several southern states, deploying rescue teams, medical staff, and engineers to assist.
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the damage as greater than Hurricanes Idalia and Debby combined, with many residents stranded and facing hazardous floodwaters.
Hurricane Helene struck the Florida coast with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, generating a massive storm surge and extending destruction hundreds of miles north. NBC reported that millions are without power in Florida and neighboring states, with some areas still facing the threat of further flooding.
The storm, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, has been described as “catastrophic” by the National Hurricane Center. Preliminary information indicates that water levels in the region reached more than 15 feet above ground. The hurricane’s impact has been felt far and wide, with rescue operations underway in Tennessee, where dozens of patients and staff were saved from the roof of a flooded hospital.
As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the National Weather Service in Tallahassee issued a rare extreme wind warning for several counties in the Big Bend area ahead of the storm’s approach. The flooding in Florida was unprecedented, with rapidly rising waters reported as far south as Fort Myers on the state’s Gulf Coast.
President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for several southern states affected by Hurricane Helene, including Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Emergency response personnel, including search and rescue teams, medical support staff, and engineering experts, have been deployed to assist in the affected areas.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reported that dozens of people were trapped in buildings damaged by the storm, with multiple hospitals in southern Georgia without power. In western North Carolina, Rutherford County emergency officials issued an immediate evacuation order for residents near the Lake Lure Dam, warning of imminent dam failure.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that the damage from Helene appears to be greater than the combined damage of Hurricanes Idalia and Debby in August. “It’s demoralizing,” he said. Many residents stranded in places like Tampa could only be reached by boat, with officials warning that the floodwaters could contain live wires, sewage, sharp objects, and other debris.
Despite the scale of the disaster, this hurricane season has been relatively quiet. According to meteorologists, the warm sea surface temperatures and developing La Niña phenomenon had led to predictions of a major hurricane season. However, only six hurricanes have formed so far this year, slightly below average.
The unusual weather patterns this year have been attributed to ocean warming on the other side of the Atlantic, which forced the African monsoon further north than usual. This shift led to catastrophic flooding in central and west Africa but also altered the weather system that typically spawns hurricanes in the Atlantic.
As officials continue to assess the damage and coordinate rescue efforts, the focus remains on the safety and recovery of those affected by Hurricane Helene. The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, is expected to hover over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend, with several flood and flash flood warnings still in effect.