Hurricane season has started, and it’s already been devastating. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s big bend as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26, 2024. Many of Florida’s residents in that area had to evacuate from the deadly storms. For instance, water in Tampa Bay rose to at least 6 feet, submerging many vehicles and residents. As Hurricane Helene has traveled through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, it left a 500-mile path of destruction and terror in its wake.
On September 24, 2024, before making landfall, President Biden called for a statewide emergency in Florida. The hurricane quickly gained strength on day one, leading to mandatory evacuations in at least twenty Florida counties, including Taylor, Golf, and Sarasota. In the surrounding areas of Florida, massive amounts of rain washed away huge spots of the region, leaving the geography scarred. Once it made landfall on September 26 at approximately 11:10, it was categorized as a category four hurricane. As it passed through Florida, the damage was inevitable, leaving 1 million residents without power.
It began to lose power as it went north, downgrading to a tropical storm. Nonetheless, it still had high wind speeds which caused multiple tornadoes. One of these tornadoes left 15 injured, 4 of them severely injured, in North Carolina. President Biden deployed 500 troops to North Carolina to help with recovery from the devastation. As Hurricane Helene continued its path onto the mainland, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden addressed the affected states saying, “The nation has your back,” in a video message showing support as these states started the long and slow process of recovery from the wreckage.
This hurricane has truly been one of the most devastating hurricanes the US has faced. It is reported to be the deadliest mainland hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 4th deadliest hurricane in US history! The death toll has surpassed 230 with many more people missing. As help is given to many families across these states, we can only hope the situation and lives of those affected get better.
Sources:
- https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/01/weather/hurricane-helene-path-of-destruction-climate-dg/index.html
- https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/hurricane-helene/?id=113931821
