By Adeel Hassan
After hitting land as a Category 4 hurricane and ravaging the Gulf Coast of Florida and parts of Georgia last week, Helene left significant portions of North Carolina in turmoil over the weekend, eroding roads, triggering landslides, and causing widespread power and cell service outages for millions.
In western North Carolina, communities were devastated, gas stations depleted of fuel, and residents found themselves in a communication void, desperately seeking Wi-Fi to reconnect with friends and family. On Sunday, officials rushed to locate victims, rescue individuals, and restore water systems damaged by flooding. In Buncombe County, which encompasses Asheville, the sheriff reported at least 10 fatalities linked to the storm on Sunday morning.
The turmoil in the state was indicative of the trail of destruction that Helene carved through the area, affecting Tennessee, South Carolina, and Virginia. Over 60 individuals across the Southeast have perished, with entire communities devastated.
Here’s how Helene has unleashed destruction across the Southeast.
Western North Carolina was grappling with an unprecedented disaster following the storm.
Helene has unleashed torrential rain and hazardous landslides onto western North Carolina, pushing the region into crisis mode. “It feels like a mini-apocalypse,” noted Gretchen Hogan, a resident of Brevard, North Carolina, regarding the situation.
Across multiple counties, towns found themselves isolated from the rest of the state. Many areas experienced cellphone and power outages, hindering officials’ attempts to respond to 911 calls. An excess of debris, downed trees, and flooding resulted in over 400 road closures, with gas stations struggling to provide fuel. Authorities urged that all roads in western North Carolina be considered closed, permitting only emergency rescue vehicles to navigate.
These obstacles have rendered it nearly impossible to rescue residents and evaluate damage.
On Sunday, with help from search-and-rescue teams from neighboring states and federal support, the state was airdropping provisions to isolated communities and dispatching crews to rebuild water systems. In Asheville, officials indicated that the water restoration process could take several weeks.
Individuals in the area were desperately seeking cell service, gathering in public venues like libraries to contact their loved ones. Officials in Buncombe County have requested portable cell towers.
After making landfall in Florida, Helene established numerous records.
Helene crashed into Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, with wind speeds reaching 140 mph. Empowered by extremely warm ocean temperatures, the storm marked the most potent to impact the Big Bend area, a swampy and sparsely populated locale.
Helene, the third hurricane to strike the Big Bend within 13 months, shattered storm surge records along the Gulf Coast, many of which were previously set just over a year ago when Hurricane Idalia inundated the same region.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the “complete destruction of homes” in specific areas during a press briefing on Saturday. Cedar Key, a small community situated on a cluster of tiny islands protruding into the Gulf of Mexico, was “entirely gone,” remarked resident Michael Bobbitt. In Keaton Beach, another small coastal community, the sheriff informed a local television station that 90% of the residences had been washed away.
A record-setting storm surge overwhelmed the Tampa Bay area, including regions that had rarely, or never, experienced flooding before. Following multiple hurricanes in recent years, some residents in the locality were left contemplating whether living there remains worthwhile.
The storm also devastated areas outside of Florida and North Carolina.
Helene inundated towns hundreds of miles away from Florida with relentless rainfall, murky water, and tornado activity, knocking out power as far north as Cincinnati. Numerous creeks and rivers overflowed their banks, with water breaching several dams.
A dam located in eastern Tennessee, the Nolichucky Dam, was on the brink of failing Saturday, before water levels began to recede. Elsewhere in the state, helicopters were deployed on Friday to rescue dozens of individuals who found themselves encircled by floodwaters and stranded on the roof of a hospital.
In Atlanta, despite the storm primarily sparing the city, many neighborhoods faced flooding, with about 100,000 households in the region losing power on Friday. Throughout Georgia, at least 15 storm-related fatalities were reported, according to Governor Brian Kemp.
In a demonstration of the widespread nature of the damages, the White House later approved emergency assistance requests from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama even before Helene made landfall.
On Saturday, President Joe Biden instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s administrator, Deanne Criswell, to traverse the region to gauge damages. According to FEMA, over 1,270 rescuers have been deployed.
Officials indicate that the death toll is expected to escalate.
As of Sunday morning, a minimum of 60 fatalities had been confirmed across five states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Causes of death ranged from rising floodwaters and falling trees to car accidents and tornado impacts. Many specific details regarding the victims remain unknown.
The highest death toll from a single state was 25, in South Carolina. Among the deceased were two volunteer firefighters who tragically lost their lives after a tree collapsed onto their fire truck, an official reported.
In Florida, DeSantis indicated that 11 fatalities were confirmed. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, officials reported at least 11 storm-related deaths, noting that emergency responders have faced difficulties reaching families of the victims due to communication issues in the state.
“And sadly, we anticipate there will be more,” observed North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper during a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
