Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across Florida and the southeastern United States on Friday, leaving a devastating trail of destruction that resulted in at least 44 fatalities across four states.
According to AP, the storm’s impact was severe, snapping trees like twigs, demolishing homes, and prompting frantic rescue operations as crews battled to save individuals trapped by rising floodwaters.
Among the deceased were three firefighters, a woman and her 1-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman crushed by a falling tree.
The fatalities were reported in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
As a Category 4 hurricane, Helene made landfall late Thursday in Florida’s rural Big Bend region, a sparsely populated area characterized by fishing villages and vacation hideaways.
With maximum sustained winds reaching 140 mph, the storm left significant damage in its wake.
In southern Georgia, power outages affected some hospitals, and Governor Brian Kemp reported that authorities were using chainsaws to clear debris and reopen roads.
Moody’s Analytics projected that property damage could range between $15 billion to $26 billion.
The aftermath of Helene was felt as far as northeast Tennessee, where rescue efforts by helicopter became a “dangerous situation.” Rescuers evacuated 54 people who had taken refuge on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital as floodwaters quickly surged into the facility.
Fortunately, everyone was rescued, and the hospital was declared clear of patients by late Friday afternoon, according to Ballad Health.
In North Carolina, a lake that gained fame as a filming location for “Dirty Dancing” overflowed its banks, prompting evacuations in surrounding neighborhoods, though officials reassured residents that the dam was stable.
Meanwhile, Newport, Tennessee, a city of about 7,000, faced potential evacuation as concerns arose about a nearby dam, though it too remained intact.
Tornadoes struck several locations, including one in Nash County, North Carolina, where four people sustained critical injuries.
Atlanta experienced record rainfall, with 11.12 inches (28.24 centimeters) falling within 48 hours—the highest recorded two-day total since 1878.
This obliterated the previous record of 9.59 inches (24.36 cm) set in 1886. Many neighborhoods were so severely flooded that only the roofs of cars were visible above the water.
The changing climate has intensified conditions that allow hurricanes to develop rapidly, exacerbated by warming ocean waters that fuel powerful storms.
Laurie Lilliott described her initial reaction upon returning to her home in Dekle Beach, Florida, after the storm. “It took me a long time to breathe,” she said, surveying the wreckage that included the complete collapse of her roof, which was now obscured by palm trees.
The community had been marked by tragedy; Lilliott still bore her name and phone number in permanent marker on her arm—a precaution taken by Taylor County officials to aid in identifying storm victims. This community had already been struck by three hurricanes since August 2023.
In Pinellas County, Florida, all five fatalities were reported in neighborhoods where residents had received evacuation orders.
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri indicated that some individuals had chosen to remain, believing the warnings were exaggerated, only to find themselves seeking refuge in attics to escape the rising waters.
“We tried to launch boats, we tried to use high-water vehicles and we just met with too many obstacles,” Gualtieri remarked, adding that the death toll could increase as emergency responders conducted door-to-door searches in flooded areas.
Additional deaths were reported in Georgia and the Carolinas, including two South Carolina firefighters who lost their lives when a tree fell on their truck.
Videos circulating on social media captured the chaos, showcasing sheets of rain pouring down and the siding being ripped from buildings in Perry, Florida, near the storm’s initial landfall. One local news station displayed footage of an overturned home, while curfews were established in many affected communities.
In Perry, the hurricane ripped off the newly replaced roof of a church that had undergone repairs after Hurricane Idalia just a year prior.
As floodwaters reached knee-level in Kera O’Neil’s home in Hudson, Florida, she knew it was time to escape.
“There’s a moment where you are thinking, ‘If this water rises above the level of the stove, we are not going to have much room to breathe,’” she recalled.
She and her sister waded through chest-deep water, carrying one cat in a plastic carrier and another in a cardboard box.
President Joe Biden expressed his condolences for the survivors, while the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency headed to the impacted regions.
By late morning, FEMA had deployed over 1,500 workers, assisting in 400 rescues. In Tampa, certain neighborhoods could only be accessed by boat.
Officials warned trapped residents against wading through floodwaters, highlighting the dangers posed by live wires, sewage, and sharp debris.
As of late Friday, over 3 million homes and businesses across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas were without power, according to poweroutage.us. The storm’s effects were also felt as far north as Ohio and Indiana due to Helene’s rapid progression.
In Georgia, utility groups warned of “catastrophic” damage to the state’s infrastructure, noting that more than 100 high-voltage transmission lines were compromised.
South Carolina officials reported that over 40% of homes and businesses were without power and that crews faced significant challenges cutting through debris to assess damage.
Hurricane Helene made landfall near the mouth of the Aucilla River on Florida’s Gulf Coast, just 20 miles northwest of where Hurricane Idalia had struck the previous year. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis remarked that the devastation from Helene appeared to surpass the combined impact of Idalia and Hurricane Debby from August. “It’s tough and we understand that. We also understand that this is a resilient state,” DeSantis affirmed during a news conference in storm-damaged St. Pete Beach.
After crossing over land, Helene weakened to a tropical storm and eventually transitioned to a post-tropical cyclone. However, it continued to unleash catastrophic flooding, with some areas receiving over a foot of rain.
A mudslide in the Appalachian Mountains severely damaged a section of interstate highway along the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, while another slide affected homes, leaving occupants stranded for over four hours before rescuers could reach them, as reported by Ryan Cole, the emergency services assistant director in Buncombe County. His 911 center received an astonishing 3,300 calls in just eight hours.
“This is something that we’re going to be dealing with for many days and weeks to come,” Cole said, acknowledging the long-term challenges ahead.
Forecasters warned of unprecedented flooding in North Carolina, predicting conditions not seen in over a century. Evacuations were ordered, and approximately 300 roads statewide were closed. The Connecticut Army National Guard dispatched a helicopter to assist with rescue efforts.
School districts and universities across the region canceled classes in response to the storm’s impact. Meanwhile, Florida airports that had closed due to the hurricane reopened on Friday, with inspectors assessing the condition of bridges and causeways along the Gulf Coast.
Helene also caused flooding in parts of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, where streets were inundated and trees toppled as the storm brushed past the resort city of Cancun. Additionally, more than 200,000 homes and businesses in western Cuba experienced power outages due to the hurricane’s effects.
As the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1, Helene underscored the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s prediction of an above-average season due to record-warm ocean temperatures.
