Helene Storm
The Southeastern United States has begun a massive cleanup and recovery effort after the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, which has left a trail of destruction from Florida to Virginia.
As of Sunday, the death toll continued to rise, approaching 100, while millions of people were left without power, and key infrastructure, including roads and bridges, was heavily damaged or destroyed.
According to a tally by Reuters, at least 90 people have been confirmed dead across multiple states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. State and local officials fear that more bodies will be discovered as rescue and recovery operations continue.
The widespread loss of cellphone service has complicated efforts to account for hundreds of missing individuals, many of whom have yet to make contact with their loved ones.
Damage estimates from insurers and forecasters have ranged between $15 billion and $100 billion, with severe impacts on water systems, communication networks, and critical transportation routes. The full scale of the destruction and economic losses will only become clearer as assessments continue in the coming days.
In North Carolina, the majority of the deaths occurred in Buncombe County, where 30 people lost their lives, according to Sheriff Quentin Miller.
County Manager Avril Pinder is requesting emergency food and water supplies from the state, as streets in the city of Asheville remain flooded. Governor Roy Cooper described the situation as a “devastating catastrophe of historic proportions,” noting that residents in western North Carolina had never witnessed such destruction.
Search and rescue teams from 19 states, along with federal resources, have been deployed to assist in recovery efforts across North Carolina. Governor Cooper stated that the damage to infrastructure is so extensive that some roads may take months to repair.
In Flat Rock, North Carolina, residents faced widespread power outages, and long lines formed at gas stations as people scrambled to secure fuel for generators and vehicles.
Across the region, approximately 2.7 million customers remained without power on Sunday, a significant reduction from Friday’s peak outages. However, the ferocious winds, storm surges, and inland flooding have left widespread devastation. South Carolina reported 25 fatalities, Georgia 17, and Florida 11, with CNN reporting a total of 93 dead throughout the affected areas.
President Joe Biden is expected to visit the hardest-hit regions later in the week, once emergency services have stabilized. In a statement, Biden described the aftermath of the hurricane as “tragic,” and pledged full federal support for recovery efforts.
He has already declared major disasters in Florida and North Carolina, as well as emergencies in Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is also scheduled to visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday to assess the damage and distribute relief supplies.
Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday night, unleashing days of torrential rain and destroying homes that had stood for generations.
In Horseshoe Beach, Florida, Charlene Huggins surveyed the remnants of her family’s home, which had been in her family for five generations. “It just breaks your heart,” she said, holding a chipped glass cake stand from the debris.
Nearby, James Ellenburg, whose family had also lived in the area for generations, stood on his property, reminiscing about his childhood. “I took my first step right here in this yard,” he said, as the destruction surrounding him told the story of lives upended by the storm.
In coastal Steinhatchee, Florida, storm surges of 8 to 10 feet pushed mobile homes off their foundations, while other areas experienced surges as high as 15 feet.
The tiny community of Spring Warrior Fish Camp was severely affected, with many residents still waiting for emergency assistance. David Hall, a local hotel owner, expressed frustration that the community had been overlooked, saying, “No one thinks of us back here.”
In nearby Keaton Beach, Kristin Macqueen helped friends sift through the rubble of their destroyed home, describing the scene as “complete devastation.” Many homes had been torn from their foundations, leaving residents to rebuild their lives from the ground up after the historic storm.
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