Hurricane Helene, a formidable Category 4 storm, unleashed its fury on the southeastern US, leaving a trail of death and devastation in its wake. The storm roared ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, packing winds of 140 mph, before barreling through Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, uprooting trees, shattering homes, and sending rivers and creeks overflowing their banks. The storm’s relentless assault strained dams, leaving communities grappling with the aftermath of its destructive power.
Western North Carolina was effectively cut off from the rest of the country due to landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other vital roadways. Heartbreaking footage captured sections of Asheville submerged under water, a stark reminder of the storm’s devastating reach. Francine Cavanaugh, desperately trying to connect with her family and friends in the Asheville area, shared her harrowing experience. “My sister checked in with me yesterday morning to find out how I was in Atlanta,” she said on Saturday. “The storm was just hitting her in Asheville, and she said it sounded really scary outside.” Cavanaugh revealed that her sister had no idea how severe the storm would become. “She told me she was going to head out to check on guests at a vacation cabin, and that’s the last I heard of her. I’ve been texting everyone that I know with no response. All phone calls go directly to voicemail.” The grim reality of the situation became even more apparent when Cavanaugh saw video footage of a grocery store near the cabins, completely submerged in water. “I think that people are just completely stuck, wherever they are, with no cell service, no electricity,” she said, her voice laced with worry.
The storm’s impact extended beyond the immediate areas it hit. In rural Unicoi County, East Tennessee, a harrowing rescue mission unfolded. Dozens of patients and staff were airlifted from the roof of a hospital, completely surrounded by floodwaters. The storm, now downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, was expected to linger over the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Numerous flood and flash flood warnings remained in effect in parts of the southern and central Appalachians, while high wind warnings also blanketed portions of Tennessee and Ohio.
The human toll of Helene was tragically high, claiming at least 48 lives. Among the victims were three firefighters, a woman and her one-month-old twins, and an 89-year-old woman whose house was struck by a falling tree. The Associated Press reported that the deaths occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Even in the affluent enclave of Davis Islands in Tampa, where renowned athletes like Derek Jeter and Tom Brady reside, residents were left reeling from the storm surge caused by Helene. The neighborhood, home to approximately 5,000 people, had never witnessed such intense storm surge. While no lives were lost, homes, businesses, and apartments were flooded. “I don’t think anybody was expecting it,” Faith Pilafas, a resident, told the Tampa Bay Times. “We’ve kind of gotten accustomed to lots of talk about big storms, and never actually like feeling the effects of it. So for all the people who didn’t leave the island, I feel like they were all just expecting it to be a normal storm, anticlimactic. And wow, were we surprised.”
