Just this past week, Hurricane Helene ripped through the Southeast along with Florida’s Gulf Coast. The category 4 hurricane showed no mercy, causing over 90 deaths and leaving a path of natural destruction in its wake.
Never before seen records were set by Helene, as it accumulated winds up to 140 mph in Florida’s Big Bend region. Wreaking havoc, it destroyed the majority of homes in Cedar Key, and severely flooded the Tampa Bay region.
Governor Ron DeSantis disclosed Florida’s death toll of 11 citizens. A fire rescue station expressed their concern over the flooding with, “It appears we had about 6 feet or better of water inside.” However, it wasn’t Florida that received the brunt of the destruction.
North Carolina suffered largely from the storm, undergoing landslides, loss of electrical services, dangerous debris, and excessive flooding that has almost fully submerged buildings. After losing contact with other communities, North Carolina was in a state of panic as there was little to no access to emergency services. Officials frantically searched for injured or fatal victims amongst the floods, while citizens made their best efforts to reach cell service again.
Also, a disruption of water services, gas fuel, food and other amenities has posed a great danger. Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller shared, “We have another devastating update; we now have 30 losses due to the storm.”
Approximately 4.2 million citizens living in Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina experienced power outages. Many roads were blocked by fallen debris, making it even more difficult for emergency services to reach tragedy-stricken areas. Atlanta, receiving the least amount of damage, experienced power outages in over 100,000 homes.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp revealed the unfortunate news regarding 15 deaths caused by the wrath of Helene. Across every state that Helene rummaged through, it is suspected for the death toll to rise as officials continue their search. Deaths may be caused by ransom tornado formation, falling debris (specifically large trees), high water levels on the surface, and car crashes.
After asking for federal assistance, the government is prepared to send out any resources necessary to help the states that are in dire need of assistance. President Joe Biden expressed his sympathy to the victims, saying that he and Vice President Kamala Harris “remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining response and recovery efforts.” The White House also sent FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell to assess damages and provide supplies where they are needed.
