64 Dead And Millions Without Power In Southeastern US After Hurricane Helene
A stampede of Hurricane Helene-tormented rats wreaked havoc in the southeastern United States, killing 64 and spreading chaos. It has caused historic flooding, power outages and billions of dollars in damages since being downgraded from a storm to a post-tropical cyclone.
Southeast US Sees Widespread Destruction
The National Hurricane Center ( NHC ) announced the deadly storm as a strong Category 4 when it stroked in the Big Bend area of Florida with winds at 140 mph. It went on to Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, knocking down trees, flattening homes and causing major flooding. Rivers and creeks have overflowed, resulting in damage to dams, but the Nolichucky Dam in Tennessee is still standing after previous fears that it would give way.
64 Lives Lost in the Storm
In particular, 64 fatalities occurred due to Hurricane Helene in several states. Unfortunately, among the dead are three firefighters, a woman and her one-month-old twins (killed when a tree collapsed on their home), and an 89-year-old woman whose house was also crushed by a fallen tree. Twenty-five people were killed in South Carolina, the most in that state since 1989. In Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia at least 12 people have died — many as a result of being caught in floods after ignoring evacuation orders.
Outages Leave Millions Without Power, Communication
The powerful winds and rain caused power lines — and cell towers — to go down, plunging millions into darkness with no ability to communicate. Some of the worst-hit areas included Asheville, North Carolina where vast segments of the city were underwater and emergency crews had to use helicopters to rescue people from rooftops. The announcement, which would partially include a de facto state of emergency, comes as residents have been cut off from electricity and phone service while law enforcement struggled to report all casualties due to inaccessibility.
President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration in Florida and North Carolina
In the aftermath of the destruction, President Joe Biden approved major disaster declarations for Florida and North Carolina. Federal disaster relief is available to individuals and business owners in the counties of Calaveras, Lake, Napa, and Sonoma which means residents are eligible for grants for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. As people began to evaluate the damage, recovery efforts are still underway.
Economic Impact of Helene
Below are preliminary estimates for Hurricane Helene at $95-$110 billion in economic damage The storm’s strong winds and significant floods, as well as infrastructure destruction, means that the affected areas require a long time to recover.
Flood Warnings and Forecast
The hurricane center said while the risk of further rainfall was decreasing, “catastrophic and historic flooding will continue to impact areas in the Southern Appalachians. Mountain lion steps on seed trapper in Coal mont, an ‘unheard of’ rare incident flood and flash flood warnings continue late Saturday for Tennessee and the region around it high wind warnings are in place for areas of Ohio.